READING FC Women star Mandy Van den Berg hailed Holland’s victory over Norway in their Women's Euro 2017 opener as the best night of her life, writes Dean Cooke.

The Dutch captain remained resolute at the back in an enthralling Group A clash.

Liverpool's Shanice Van de Sanden scored the winning goal midway through the second half helping hosts Netherlands seal a 1-0 victory in front of a crowd of 21,732 at the Stadion Galgenwaard in Utrecht – a national record for women’s football.

“It was unbelievable," said 26-year-old van den Berg. "The best atmosphere I have ever played in and the best night of my career so far.

“I can only describe it as unreal; I’ve never played in front of a sold out stadium. The atmosphere was amazing – the only thing we saw was orange.”

The atmosphere throughout the city of Utrecht had the tournament buzz about it - something the Dutch fans can be proud of.

“The supporters helped us through the game," added van den Berg. "This is the result we wanted but we couldn’t have achieved it without the fans.”

It was a fierce battle throughout the first half, with neither team able to gain a foothold on the game. However, in the second half, Holland were able to dominate the group favourites.

Van den Berg added: “The organisation was good in the first half. It was hard, but we stuck to our game and had trust with the way we’ve played. Our intentions never changed and eventually we came out on top.”

Van den Berg now turns her intentions to the hosts second game of the tournament against Denmark on Thursday.

The one she’s looking forward to most though, is what could be a crucial third group game against rivals Belgium.

“It’s a sensitive game, with Belgium as an opponent it’s always special," she stated. "We have to play with the same freedom that we played tonight – the Dutch way.”