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BBC News
33 minutes ago
- BBC News
Euro 2025 call-up 'a dream come true' for Lincoln woman
A footballer said it was "a dream come true" to have been selected to play for Wales at the Women's Euro 2025. Olivia Clark, 23, will play in goal in the team's first major tournament. Wales' first game is on Saturday against The Netherlands. Clark, from Lincoln, said: "When you're a young girl kicking the ball around a garden, this is something you dream of." Clark started playing football at primary school, initially for the boys team. She said: "I thought, if I want to play football, that's the only way I'm going to play, and I actually loved it. "If you ask a lot of girls now that are playing at my age, we all used to play with the boys and I think it gave us a good introduction to football."Clark then joined the Lincoln Centre of Excellence and played for age groups from the under 10s to the under 15s. She went on to play for a number of teams including Nettleham Ladies FC, and Bristol City Women. She is currently the goalkeeper for Leicester City Women. Ms Clark was 16 when she attended trials for Wales after spotting an advertisement on social media."My mum's side of the family are Welsh so I always knew I could play for Wales. I just didn't know how to get into it," she said."If I didn't open Twitter that day, I might not be going to the Euros." Ms Clark made her senior debut for Wales in 2021, and was in goal on the night Wales secured their spot at Euro Clark, Olivia's father, said: "I don't think you could get any prouder at all. "I thought I was proud before, but that game in Dublin when they actually achieved qualification - she said it was the best day of her life and it wasn't far off the best day of my life." Reflecting on the tournament ahead of her, Ms Clark said: "It's really easy to get carried away with the moment."I want to remember enjoying it, not thinking I'm so nervous and doubting myself. I don't want that to happen. "It's a massive personal achievement, but also a massive achievement for the country, and one I'm really excited for." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
38 minutes ago
- BBC News
Why new-look Germany are Euro 2025 'dark horses'
Germany's group-stage exit at the 2023 Women's World Cup was both shocking and humiliating for one of the pre-tournament two-time world champions exited the competition 17 days before the final after failing to reach the knockout stages for the first time in their years later, Germany are a team transformed with fresh faces and head to Euro 2025 with a new manager in Christian Wuck."I am still in contact with a few players and it seems to be that they are a really close team already," former Germany midfielder Lina Magull told BBC Sport. "They are excited for the tournament. I do feel that there is a lot of excitement."In general, everything is getting closer and Germany have something special again now. I do think they are kind of favourites."So what are Germany's chances in Switzerland? How does their squad compare to the squad that reached the final in 2022? And is there a feeling they can win a first major title in 12 years? It was announced in March 2024 that Wuck - a former Germany youth player - would succeed interim boss Horst Hrubesch after the 2024 Olympics in worked with the German Football Federation for more than a decade and won both the Under-17 World Cup and European Championship with Germany's is his first managerial role in the women's game and Magull said the 52-year-old is "a quiet coach and a quiet leader"."At the start it was quite hard for him to understand the women's mind and how it is to work with adults," she added."There were maybe some rules which were not there before which you don't need at this age. I think over the last month he learned a lot about that. He is very focused on the team with clear communication. That is good for Germany."Wuck has overseen 10 games with the women's team, winning seven, losing two and drawing first game in charge was a seven-goal thriller against England at Wembley in October, in which the Germans raced to a 3-0 lead within half an hour before winning 4-3 in a rematch of the Euro 2022 final. 'Germany were back on the international stage' Magull was not in the Germany squad for their friendly win over England, but played a pivotal role in their route to the Euro 2022 side arrived at the tournament struggling for form and having suffered a quarter-final exit at the 2019 World Cup in France."We were not the favourites, but we didn't care what other people said about us," Magull said."From the first game, we realised we can have a great tournament and maybe surprise some other nations."Germany went on to win every game en route to the final, conceding just one goal along the lost their captain and the tournament's joint-top scorer Alexandra Popp to injury in the pre-match warm-up, and despite facing England in front of a home crowd "it didn't feel like we were the underdogs," said Magull."Going into the final was really special. Unfortunately we didn't win, but for us in Germany it was a big step. It was sad, but a proud ending for us."Magull stunned Wembley after hitting a first-time finish beyond Mary Earps in the 79th minute to level the tie and give Germany the momentum going into extra it only delayed celebrations for the Lionesses, with Chloe Kelly scoring the winner to secure their first major women's tournament triumph."It was one of the best moments in my football life," Magull recalled. "In the end when you lose it doesn't mean so much, but I cannot lie - it was very special."We didn't know then, but in Germany everyone was speaking about us. So many people were surprised that we could start a new era in Germany. Before the tournament we were not favourites, but after everyone thought Germany were back in the game on the international stage." 'We had to change something' Germany's momentum after Euro 2022 was abruptly halted in what can only be described as a rollercoaster 12 months."After losing to England we all thought 'OK, Germany can fight for titles again'," Germany football journalist Alejandro Diago told BBC Sport. "But one year later it came crashing down with a terrible World Cup exit."A draw with South Korea in Brisbane saw Voss-Tecklenburg's side suffer an early exit."It's hard to say in words but it is just the worst feeling ever when you cannot show up like you did just one year before," Magull said."It was a big disappointment and that was a sign that we had to change something."And then the changes left her role by mutual consent in November 2023 and Horst Hrubesch arrived on an interim basis to steady the ship, guiding Germany to a bronze medal at the Paris Olympics."Hrubesch was the evident solution to put Germany back on track," Daigo said. "Since the first moments he won the locker room, he won the trust of the players and they [had] a very good tournament."Magull was not picked to represent Germany in Paris and in March 2025 she made the difficult decision to announce her international with Alexandra Popp, Svenja Huth, Melanie Leupolz, Marina Hegering, Sara Doorsoun and Merle Frohms, Magull is one of seven players from Germany's 2023 World Cup squad to have called time on their international careers and will not feature at Euro will also be without Bayern Munich midfielder Lena Oberdorf in Switzerland, who is still recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury."A huge amount of important players have retired," Diago said. "It's a new era, a new coach and we are seeing even with the controversies and not calling up players which made a small fire inside the locker room, results are with Wuck."He is putting in some youngsters and Germany are playing in a solid way. As a new group, they want to make history and I think they can." 'There is something brewing' There may be fewer familiar faces for Germany at Euro 2025, but the squad captained by Giulia Gwinn has shown huge promise and recently booked their place in the Nations League record women's goalscorer Ellen White - who played against Germany in the 2022 final - believes Wuck's side are one of the favourites."They are very well-structured, technically very gifted, strong, powerful," she said."They know how to win football matches, they know how to almost rattle you at the same time. They have got everything it takes to win a major tournament."I have seen their Nations League games and wow – they have blown a lot of teams out of the water. They have an amazing youth and a sense of freedom. The way they are able to beat the press, go through the lines with free-flowing football was really nice to watch. It's great for Germany and scary for everyone else."Former Lionesses defender Anita Asante believes Germany are going "under the radar"."Historically they have this huge legacy. The new generation are coming through and there is something brewing there," she may be quietly going about their business, but Diago believes this could be their year."Germany are a dark horse of the tournament," he said. "There is expectancy around what they can do. Germany has a proper team to compete in the Euros."Let's see if they can go and win it."
BBC News
38 minutes ago
- BBC News
Jersey suffer heavy Dutch defeat in final warm-up
Jersey suffered a heavy nine-wicket loss to hosts Netherlands in their final warm-up game before their 2026 T20 World Cup European qualifying first in Utrecht, the islanders - who suffered a 22-run loss to Scotland in their opening warm-up game this week - were bowled out for 102 in 18.6 Charlie Brennan top-scored with 20, while Zak Tribe made 16 as Daniel Doram led the Dutch attack with impressive figures of 3-5 in two Netherlands needed just 15-and-a-half overs to reach their target as they made Zach Lion-Cachet scored 53 not out as he and Max O'Dowd (29) shared a first-wicket stand of 59 before Ben Ward took O'Dowd's wicket thanks to a Nick Greenwood catch. Noah Croes scored 16 not out to help guide the hosts - who are ranked 15th in the world - to a comfortable ranked 27th, begin their campaign to make the the T20 World Cup against the Dutch on also take on Italy, Guernsey and Scotland in the round-robin event, with the top two sides heading to India and Sri Lanka next year.
