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Lenna Gunning-Williams will take on Matilda Nilden and Hanna Wijk in the final of Women Under-23 European Competition on Friday.

Having both progressed from the semi-final ties with their respective nations on Monday (13 April), Lenna’s England will now face Matilda and Hanna’s Sweden in Spain to lift silverware in only the competition’s second time running.

Beginning with Lenna, our Academy graduate played her part as the Young Lionesses beat the Netherlands 1-0 at Real Murcia to book their spot in the showpiece event.

Starting on the right-hand side of their forward line, the young forward was influential in the first period, teeing up Isobel Goodwin and Eleanor Klinger for good opportunities while she struck the woodwork herself.

However, just minutes after the break, Lenna played Goodwin through to the right of the box and she fired low into the far corner to break the deadlock – and that proved to be the difference.

Lenna completed 71 minutes before making way for Lexi Lloyd-Smith.

Matilda and Hanna, meanwhile, also started for Sweden as they overcome Norway 1-0 at Pinatar Areana, Spain, to progress to the final of the competition.

It seemed destined that it would remain goalless in normal time but, in the first minute of stoppage time, Mathilde Janzen netted a late, late winner for Sweden.

Matilda Nilden started and completed 61 minutes, while Hanna played the full match.

Roberto De Zerbi spoke to the media after our 1-0 loss against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

Here's what he had to say...

Do you know more about Cristian Romero's injury?

Roberto: "We don't yet. We have to see the next days. I hope for us it's not too important a problem because he's a crucial player for us, a good guy, top player, big personality and we need him to finish the season and to achieve our goal."

Was it his knee?

Roberto: "Maybe yes, but I don’t want to say nothing until we know more."

What did you think about the match as a whole?

Roberto: "I think we played a good game, especially in the first half, with order, with the ball, without the ball. We had three clear chances to score, one with Solanke, one with Richarlison, another with Bergvall. We played well, but we didn't play well enough to win the game, because in the second half we suffered too much, to Sunderland, we lost 20-30 metres of the pitch. We had another important chance with Richarlison, just two minutes before conceding a goal. We can play better, we can do something more, as energy, as passion on the pitch, more enthusiasm. Yes, but now we are inside a difficult moment and I would like to help the players to show what they can do on the pitch, because we played a good game, but we can play much better than today. My job is not now to change the style of play. I did two or three things with the ball, two or three things without the ball, but the crucial part is not with the ball or without the ball. It's in our mentality to be positive, but to be positive just because we have the quality enough to win a game and when we go to win a game, we can change everything."

You brought Xavi Simons on quite late in the game...

Roberto: "Yes, why? Why? Because I changed three players, then after Romero's injury there was on the pitch Kolo Muani and Udogie. I didn't know when Udogie could finish, the energy to play, just for it. Without Romero's injury, Xavi would have come on before."

Are you concerned about the impact being in the relegation zone could have on the players mentally and psychologically?

Roberto: "You can see it during the game. First of all, the players are all good guys, and they are suffering for this moment. They are not happy when we lose the game or they are not happy to see Tottenham at the bottom of the table, for sure, but we have to find the energy, we have to find the right spirit to be positive, to think during the week when they stay with me, for sure, they will see a positive coach because I believe in their qualities. We are Tottenham, but we are not going to win the game just because we are Tottenham. You can't win the game with the paper. You have to win the game showing the quality on the pitch, the fighting on the pitch. You have to score the goal, and you have not to concede the goal, for sure. But, they are human, and they are suffering maybe too much and altogether we have to stay close, to be positive, to work, to improve in the details, in the football, but to be better as a mentality."

Did you learn anything new in your first game?

Roberto: "You know me as a coach, but one very important part for me, for my style of being a coach, is the mental part, is to transfer the confidence of the players, to give them what they need in terms of mentality, in terms of confidence. For that, I said we could play better because during the week they play better, because they are clear with their head, and during the game it's different for sure. My work is to help them to show what they do during the week, on the game, during the game."

Do you feel the fear of relegation itself is the problem?

Roberto: "I think so."

How can you change that?

Roberto: "If you ask me, I am 46 years old, I have more experience than the players and I am positive, absolutely, because I know them as guys and as players. And for that, I am positive, not because we are Tottenham or because I have to do positive. No. They have the quality enough to win one game and the target now, the closer target is to win one game because if we win a game we can see everything in a different way."

Toko Koga and Maika Hamano featured for Japan in their 2-1 defeat to United States in an international friendly in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The young defender started and completed the full game at PayPal Park in San Jose, California, while Maika was a second-half substitute for her nation, stepping off the bench just before the hour mark.

Having won the Asian Cup last month, where Maika scored the winning goal in the final in Australia, Japan suffered a loss on their return to action for the first time since lifting the trophy after United States claimed victory in the first of their three meetings over the next fortnight.

Later in the day, two of our Academy players were on duty for their nations.

Goalkeeper Sophie Jackson completed another 90 minutes for England Under-19s, but the Young Lionesses were beaten 3-2 by Wales in Switzerland in the second game of their European Championship qualifying campaign.

Jhanaie Pierre was an unused substitute for Lauren Smith’s side, who now currently occupy third place in the rankings with three points, having beaten Lativa 5-0 in the opening set of fixtures.

England will take on hosts and group leaders Switzerland on Wednesday (12noon UK) in their final match of the EURO qualifier.

Roberto De Zerbi spoke to the media after our 1-0 loss against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.

Here's what he had to say...

Do you know more about Cristian Romero's injury?

Roberto: "We don't yet. We have to see the next days. I hope for us it's not too important a problem because he's a crucial player for us, a good guy, top player, big personality and we need him to finish the season and to achieve our goal."

Was is his knee?

Roberto: "Maybe yes, but I don’t want to say nothing until we know more."

What did you think about the match as a whole?

Roberto: "I think we played a good game, especially in the first half, with order, with the ball, without the ball. We had three clear chances to score, one with Solanke, one with Richarlison, another with Bergvall. We played well, but we didn't play well enough to win the game, because in the second half we suffered too much, to Sunderland, we lost 20-30 metres of the pitch. We had another important chance with Richarlison, just two minutes before conceding a goal. We can play better, we can do something more, as energy, as passion on the pitch, more enthusiasm. Yes, but now we are inside a difficult moment and I would like to help the players to show what they can do on the pitch, because we played a good game, but we can play much better than today. My job is not now to change the style of play. I did two or three things with the ball, two or three things without the ball, but the crucial part is not with the ball or without the ball. It's in our mentality to be positive, but to be positive just because we have the quality enough to win a game and when we go to win a game, we can change everything."

You brought Xavi Simons on quite late in the game...

Roberto: "Yes, why? Why? Because I changed three players, then after Romero's injury there was on the pitch Kolo Muani and Udogie. I didn't know when Udogie could finish, the energy to play, just for it. Without Romero's injury, Xavi would have come on before."

Are you concerned about the impact being in the relegation zone could have on the players mentally and psychologically?

Roberto: "You can see it during the game. First of all, the players are all good guys, and they are suffering for this moment. They are not happy when we lose the game or they are not happy to see Tottenham at the bottom of the table, for sure, but we have to find the energy, we have to find the right spirit to be positive, to think during the week when they stay with me, for sure, they will see a positive coach because I believe in their qualities. We are Tottenham, but we are not going to win the game just because we are Tottenham. You can't win the game with the paper. You have to win the game showing the quality on the pitch, the fighting on the pitch. You have to score the goal, and you have not to concede the goal, for sure. But, they are human, and they are suffering maybe too much and altogether we have to stay close, to be positive, to work, to improve in the details, in the football, but to be better as a mentality."

Did you learn anything new in your first game?

Roberto: "You know me as a coach, but one very important part for me, for my style of being a coach, is the mental part, is to transfer the confidence of the players, to give them what they need in terms of mentality, in terms of confidence. For that, I said we could play better because during the week they play better, because they are clear with their head, and during the game it's different for sure. My work is to help them to show what they do during the week, on the game, during the game."

Do you feel the fear of relegation itself is the problem?

Roberto: "I think so."

How can you change that?

Roberto: "If you ask me, I am 46 years old, I have more experience than the players and I am positive, absolutely, because I know them as guys and as players. And for that, I am positive, not because we are Tottenham or because I have to do positive. No. They have the quality enough to win one game and the target now, the closer target is to win one game because if we win a game we can see everything in a different way."

Roberto De Zerbi left the Stadium of Light feeling positive despite a narrow 1-0 loss against Sunderland on Sunday.

Roberto's first game as our new Head Coach typified our current plight - a penalty awarded then taken away by VAR, what turned out to be Sunderland's winning goal taking a huge deflection and then losing skipper Cuti Romero to injury.

We had chances - seven of 11 efforts on target - but home goalkeeper Robin Roefs denied Dominic Solanke from close range, the best chance, at the end of the first half before tipping over a Pedro Porro rocket in added time. At the other end, Antonin Kinsky, who suffered a head injury in the collision that led to Romero's departure, also made fine saves on his return to Premier League action.

Speaking to us afterwards, Roberto reflected: "I'm sorry for the defeat. I'm sorry for the players and for the fans, because there were a lot of fans.

"It's not a good result for us. I think we played a good game, especially in the first half. We could score in two or three situations. In the second half, we lost 20 metres of the pitch. We had another clear chance to score with Richarlison, and we conceded a stupid goal, an unlucky goal.

" We can play better, for sure. We can play with more energy, with more passion and show more qualities but, if you know football, you can understand when you are going through this difficult moment. It's very, very tough to show what you are and what you can do.

"I'm positive, because I talk with them, and I know, I understood, they are suffering. They are good people inside of the dressing room. I stay to help them, because I think it's not a problem of state of play or that they know what they have to do on the pitch. I would like they can put on the pitch more passion, more enthusiasm, more happiness, to play football.

"We have to be stronger than this moment, and positive, because we have the qualities enough to win the game, and when we win the game, we can see everything's different."