For Wales, simply being in Switzerland is the main talking point for several generations of female footballers.
Wales did not have a team affiliated with the Football Association of Wales until 1993 and this was only their 243rd international match, meaning Netherlands midfielder Sherida Spitse has played more matches in her international career than Wales have in their history, having come on to make her 245th appearance.
Desperate to make an impression at Euro 2025, they frustrated the Dutch in a first half of attack versus defence for 47 minutes, before imploding after the restart.
A dismal start to the tournament for Wales got even worse when key midfielder Ceri Holland left the field with what looked like a hamstring injury.
The Netherlands, the winners of this competition in 2017, have been dealing with much outside noise in recent days after their coach Andries Jonker was criticised by members of the Dutch media for talking about his impending departure on a podcast.
Beating Wales, the lowest-ranked side in the competition, would have been seen as essential and after a slow start, they certainly showed their credentials in Lucerne.
After a row with the Dutch media where Jonker was accused of “treating his players like puppets in a puppet show,” the former European champions showed that they are very much on the same page in Switzerland.
