Switzerland 1 Netherlands 4 - Women’s Euros Group C - Netherlands safely through as ‘Oranje Army’ create a spectacle in ground and around Sheffield

The slogan, which means ‘we are orange’, held true on Devonshire Green in the lead up to the Netherlands’ final Group C game against Switzerland at Bramall Lane.

The energy that fans of the Dutch national team brought with them across the North Sea proved infectious.

Taxis and buses were forced into three-point turns in the city centre as the swarm of fans processed to the stadium to watch one of tournament’s favourites’ bid to qualify for the knockout stages and fire an amber warning to their watching competitors. If the Netherlands feel aggrieved to lose the services of super striker Vivianne Miedema to Covid, they can rest assured that their vibrant travelling support have stepped in to play a starring role in the tournament.

It was Switzerland who began on the front foot, but had nothing to show for their early dominance as an athletic save by Oranje goalkeeper Daphne Van Domselaar kept out a Sandy Maendly wonderstrike.

The Netherlands grew out of an uneasy start but couldn’t click on the attack - Miedema was conspicuous by her absence when a Dominique Janssen crossed fizzed across the box to find no takers in the 16th minute, before a clumsy touch by the Arsenal striker’s understudy Lineth Beerensteyn spoiled a good-looking chance moments later.

With the heat rising in Sheffield, both teams lacked clarity - the pleas of Swiss attacker Ramona Bachmann, in space on the penalty spot, were passed up in favour of an impossibly tight shot, while at the other end Manchester United midfielder Jackie Groenen forced a wasteful cross, rejecting an easy chance to recycle the ball through Lieke Martens.

Goalless at the break, news of top-spot rivals Sweden’s 3-0 lead in a simultaneous game against Portugal heaped pressure on the Oranje, who had to find a better result to bag preferable opponents in the quarter-final round.

Amid a toothless display, it seemed appropriate that the Netherlands’ opener came with a large dose of help from their opponents. At a corner, Switzerland’s Ana-Maria Crnogorčević was placed perfectly to keep out Stefanie van der Gragt’s back-post header, but steered the ball into her own goal to give the Oranje a 1-0 lead shortly after half time.

But just four minutes later, the ball was in the net at the opposite end as PSG forward Bachmann drove down the left wing and cut it back for Géraldine Reuteler to slot neatly home.

Bucked by their equaliser, Switzerland threatened again through Bachmann but Van Domselaar, standing in for the Oranje’s injured number one, was on hand to keep the scores level with a smart double save.

With fifteen minutes to play, the Netherlands’ fortunes were improved with the replacement by Ajax striker Romée Leuchter of Beerensteyn, whose evening of frustration was best summed up when her long, mazy run beat several players, only for her to lose ground and be dispossessed 20 yards from goal.

The 21-year-old substitute did a much better impersonation of the Oranje’s convalescent number nine - poaching a brace of six-yard efforts, the first of which opened the floodgates for an rejuvenated Netherlands side.

Only substitute Victoria Pelova could add to the Oranje’s tally, and her side were still hungry to rinse their depleted opponents when the referee blew the whistle on a 4-1 win.

Netherlands XI: Van Domselaar; Janssen, Nouwen (63 - Casparij), van der Gragt, Wilms; Spitse, Roord (63 - Pelova), Groenen; Martens (73 - Brugts), Beerenstyn (73 - Leuchter),Van de Donk (90 - Egurrola).

Switzerland XI: Thalmann; Maritz, Calligaris, Bühler (57 - Kiwic), Aigbogun (58 - Stierli); Wälti (82 - Mauron), Sow (71 - Xhemaili), Maendly (57 - Fölmli); Crnogorčević, Bachmann, Reuteler.