Spain thrash grieving Portugal 5-0 in Women's Euro clash
On an emotional night that began with a minute's silence for the brothers, Portugal went behind almost immediately, Olga Carmona putting the ball over the top for Gonzalez to run on to and score in the second minute.
Mariona Caldentey did superbly to pull the ball across the box for Vicky Lopez to score the second goal five minutes later.
The Portuguese managed to steady the ship but they were rocked again four minutes before the break when Alexia Putellas took down another great pass from Caldentey on her chest before calmly cutting inside and firing home.
"I highlight our mindset, how we came out to play," Putellas said. "We were really eager to get started but it's only the first match".
There was more misery to come for Portugal before halftime as Gonzalez netted her second goal two minutes later, scoring from close range after Claudia Pina's cross came back off the far post.
The world champions were delighted to be able to bring in Aitana Bonmati from the bench following her recent brush with viral meningitis, and the playmaker wasted no time getting into the thick of things, setting up a chance for Cristina Martin-Prieto.
"Aitana is a very important player for us. We are delighted that she is back and has overcome her illness. It is a joy," Putellas said.
Portugal showed more composure in the second half but they were no match for Spain's power, precision and technique and, though they held Spain at bay for most of the second half, Martin-Prieto scored with a superb late header to complete the rout.
"We conceded early goals and the team became anxious and unsettled," said Portugal forward Diana Silva. "We couldn't get hold of the ball and then it's harder to chase the result. We were much better in the second half, more united. We didn't allow Spain so much space to get in".
"We believe until the end, our goal is to earn points until the end and everything is still up for grabs".
Silva and her teammates remained on the pitch after the final whistle, posing in front of their fans with a huge black banner in memory of Jota.
Spain's victory was their biggest in a European Championship, surpassing their 4-1 win over Finland in 2022, and was the ideal start for what the tournament favourites hope will be their first Women's Euro title.
With Italy having defeated Belgium 1-0 earlier in the evening, Spain top the group with the Italians second. Spain take on the Belgians in their next game, while Portugal face Italy. — Reuters
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
2 days ago
- Observer
Ghim leads John Deere as Homa, Fowler also go low
WASHINGTON: Doug Ghim shot a 3-under-par 68 and held onto a one-stroke lead over Max Homa and a group of contenders at the John Deere Classic on Friday in Silvis, Ill. Homa is part of a five-way tie for second after also posting a 68 late on Friday afternoon at TPC Deere Run. He matched Ghim at 12 under with a birdie at the par-5 17th hole, but after finding a bunker off the 18th tee he failed to save par and dropped back a shot. Ghim, a 29-year-old Illinois native, is hoping to land his maiden PGA Tour victory in his home state. "They couldn't make it today but I'm anticipating family coming (Saturday), and I'm excited about that," Ghim said. Ghim made an eagle for the second straight round, holing out from 179 yards away at the par-4 15th. Max Homa "I guess holing out two days in a row is always nice," he said. "It's been couple years since I think I holed out from the fairway. To get two back-to- back days is a great." He reached 13 under for the tournament with back-to-back birdies at Nos. 4-5, but Ghim bogeyed his closing hole, No. 9. Homa entered the week an abysmal No. 122 in the FedEx Cup standings amid a disappointing season, but now he's in the mix for his first win since 2023. "I don't think really much changes" on the weekend, Homa said. "I mean, just play the golf course. You're going to have to shoot really low. If you went out there and tried to do something specific, I'm not so sure that is going to work. Somebody can go out there and shoot 11-under out there and jump everybody. "So just go do what we did today and play another round of golf. Just keep waiting until the back nine on Sunday basically." The round of the day belonged to defending champion Davis Thompson, whose bogey-free 63 catapulted him to 11 under. Tied with Homa and Thompson are Brian Campbell (66), David Lipsky (67) and Argentina's Emiliano Grillo (66). Rickie Fowler "(On Thursday) I hit a lot of great putts early but they were just burning the edges," said Thompson, who made four birdies on each nine on Friday. "Then I was able to make a few on the back nine (Thursday) and just ride that momentum into today." Colombia's Camilo Villegas (66) and Si Woo Kim of South Korea (67) are part of a group at 10 under as the second round finished up late on Friday. Rickie Fowler dropped four shots in a four-hole span on his back nine, with two bogeys and a double bogey, but he birdied No. 17 to finish up a 1-over 72 and get to 5 under, which wound up being the cut line at the end of the day. Notable names who missed the cut included Tom Kim of South Korea (4 under), Australian Jason Day (2 under), J T Poston (1 under) and Canadian Adam Hadwin (2 over). — Reuters
Observer
3 days ago
- Observer
Spain thrash grieving Portugal 5-0 in Women's Euro clash
BERN, SWITZERLAND: Spain striker Esther Gonzalez scored twice in the first half as her side powered to a 5-0 win over Portugal at the Women's Euros that was overshadowed by the deaths of Portugal international Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva in a car accident earlier on Thursday. On an emotional night that began with a minute's silence for the brothers, Portugal went behind almost immediately, Olga Carmona putting the ball over the top for Gonzalez to run on to and score in the second minute. Mariona Caldentey did superbly to pull the ball across the box for Vicky Lopez to score the second goal five minutes later. The Portuguese managed to steady the ship but they were rocked again four minutes before the break when Alexia Putellas took down another great pass from Caldentey on her chest before calmly cutting inside and firing home. "I highlight our mindset, how we came out to play," Putellas said. "We were really eager to get started but it's only the first match". There was more misery to come for Portugal before halftime as Gonzalez netted her second goal two minutes later, scoring from close range after Claudia Pina's cross came back off the far post. The world champions were delighted to be able to bring in Aitana Bonmati from the bench following her recent brush with viral meningitis, and the playmaker wasted no time getting into the thick of things, setting up a chance for Cristina Martin-Prieto. "Aitana is a very important player for us. We are delighted that she is back and has overcome her illness. It is a joy," Putellas said. Portugal showed more composure in the second half but they were no match for Spain's power, precision and technique and, though they held Spain at bay for most of the second half, Martin-Prieto scored with a superb late header to complete the rout. "We conceded early goals and the team became anxious and unsettled," said Portugal forward Diana Silva. "We couldn't get hold of the ball and then it's harder to chase the result. We were much better in the second half, more united. We didn't allow Spain so much space to get in". "We believe until the end, our goal is to earn points until the end and everything is still up for grabs". Silva and her teammates remained on the pitch after the final whistle, posing in front of their fans with a huge black banner in memory of Jota. Spain's victory was their biggest in a European Championship, surpassing their 4-1 win over Finland in 2022, and was the ideal start for what the tournament favourites hope will be their first Women's Euro title. With Italy having defeated Belgium 1-0 earlier in the evening, Spain top the group with the Italians second. Spain take on the Belgians in their next game, while Portugal face Italy. — Reuters
Observer
3 days ago
- Observer
Serve, set, match! Speedy Shelton reaches third round in one minute
LONDON: Talk about a man in a hurry — 10th seed Ben Shelton required just one minute to finish off his interrupted match against Australian Rinky Hijikata and reach the Wimbledon third round on Friday as he completed a 6-2 7-5 6-4 victory. The American was left seething the previous evening when the contest on Court Two was suspended by umpire Nacho Forcadell because of fading light with Shelton serving for the match. That did not sit well with the 22-year-old who earned the sympathy of the crowd who chanted "one more game". After a night to sleep on it, Shelton made no mistake when play resumed, serving three aces, two clocked at 140mph, and an unreturned second serve to take his place in the last 32. The official reason for the previous night's stoppage was that automated Hawk-Eye line calling, which has replaced line judges this year for the first time, was unable to operate in low light conditions. "The umpire said it was like a five-minute warning until the Hawk-Eye was going down. That was, like, including the changeover, so there wouldn't be enough time to complete the game," Shelton told reporters after his win. "I was telling him, I only need 60 seconds. That's kind of what my goal was when I went out there today." Shelton's biggest gripe was that the match should actually have been curtailed earlier on Thursday as the court was becoming slippery, rather than at 5-4. "To stop when you're serving for the match, isn't ideal," he told reporters. "I thought we could have stopped earlier. My opponent was complaining since the end of the second set. "It seemed like there were better times if they knew they were going to stop it, to stop it before it got to that point." Shelton said he had walked back on court prepared to play another two hours if necessary. Thankfully for him, he was required to strike the ball only five times. "I'm just happy with the way I handled it coming out today and taking care of my business. I don't think that physically there's any big deal for me playing one game," he said. "But it's never ideal mentally having to wake up another day and be on and know that it's a match day. Obviously I went out there prepared to play two and a half sets. "You can't just go out there be like, 'Yeah, I'm going to hold (serve)'. What happens if you don't?" The big-serving Shelton has enjoyed a consistent run in the Grand Slams, now having reached at least the third round in his last eight appearances, including a semi-final run in Australia at the beginning of the year, his second major semi. Shelton will play lucky loser Marton Fucsovics in the next round after the Hungarian also completed a resumed match against French veteran Gael Monfils. Victory in that would see the American match his best result at Wimbledon, having reached the last 16 this time last year. — Reuters
