Soccer-Holmberg receives support from Ibrahimovic after spot-kick miss
BERN (Reuters) -Zlatan Ibrahimovic offered some words of support to teenaged defender Smilla Holmberg after her miss in Thursday's penalty shootout ended Sweden's Euro 2025 campaign in the quarter-finals following an astonishing defeat by England.
Sweden were beaten 3-2 on penalties after 18-year-old Holmberg fired her effort high over the bar in an incredible shootout that featured 14 players taking spot kicks.
Holmberg burst into tears after her miss as she headed back towards her crestfallen teammates but Swedish hero Ibrahimovic reached out to offer some comfort.
"It was a sad daughter I held in my arms about an hour after the game," Holmberg's father Ola Persson told Swedish radio on Friday.
"She is strong and she has received a lot of support from both the team, supporters, friends and relatives, she even got a text message from Zlatan here this morning."
Sweden's record goal-scorer for the men's team is part-owner of Holmberg's Stockholm club Hammarby and the 43-year-old messaged the young defender to tell her to take the next penalty, and the next one, and to keep believingin herself.
"The most important thing is that no-one defines a career by those misses; in fact, it's the opposite, you have to grow in those situations," Persson said.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
6 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
England hero Kelly overcomes 'dark moments' on way to Euro 2025 glory
BASEL: England penalty hero Chloe Kelly said Sunday she had been unable to hold back the tears after finishing a roller-coaster year in her career by scoring the spot-kick that allowed the Lionesses to beat Spain in the Women's Euro 2025 final. The 27-year-old's penalty sealed a 3-1 shoot-out victory for England against Spain after the match in Basel had finished 1-1 at the end of extra time. She had earlier come off the bench late in the first half in place of the injured Lauren James with England trailing 1-0, and crossed for Alessia Russo to head in her team's equaliser. "I just came on the pitch and wanted to make something happen," said Kelly, who has made a habit of being a super-sub during the tournament. The Arsenal player came on as a substitute against Sweden and helped England recover from 2-0 down in a quarter-final they eventually won on penalties – Kelly scored in that shoot-out too. Then she scored the winner late in extra time in the semi-final against Italy, following in to net after her penalty had been saved. "I know Alessia's strengths and I just tried to put the ball on her head, and then taking the penalty," Kelly said. "I actually missed three penalties in training yesterday but I think it's the belief in this squad, all 23 players and the people that you don't see behind the scenes, the staff members, to get us through this tournament. "I am proud to be part of an amazing group of girls." It is a familiar feeling for Kelly, who scored the extra-time winner when England beat Germany 2-1 in the Euro 2022 final in front of over 87,000 fans at Wembley. In between she was unable to change the game from the bench in the 2023 World Cup final, which England lost 1-0 to Spain in Sydney. Just a few months ago it seemed Kelly might not even make Sarina Wiegman's squad for the tournament in Switzerland, given her situation at club level. In January she asked to leave Manchester City, where she had been used sparingly in the first months of the season. Kelly wrote on social media that people at City had been trying to "assassinate my character" and said her mental wellbeing had been affected. She then joined Arsenal on loan until the end of the campaign, and went on to play for them as they beat Barcelona in the Champions League final in May. "There were a lot of tears at full-time especially when I saw my family because those are the people who got me through those dark moments," Kelly said on Sunday. "I am so grateful to be out of it but if that is a story to tell someone who maybe experiences something the same, then tough times don't last," she added. "Just around the corner was a Champions League final – I won that, and now a Euros final I have won that, so thank you to everyone who wrote me off. I am grateful." Kelly recently signed permanently for Arsenal, where she also played earlier in her career, and will return to North London as a European champion at club and international level. "Every player has their own story, and I think every story is incredible on its own, but her story is unbelievable," said England coach Sarina Wiegman. "I am so happy for her too. She has been fighting to come back to her highest level. "She loved this moment, she just really wanted to take the penalty – to be able to score that penalty under that pressure is very impressive too."--AFP
New Straits Times
6 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Spain deserved better in Euro 2025 final, says coach
BASEL: Spain coach Montse Tome insisted that her team did not deserve to lose Sunday's Euro 2025 final after the World Cup holders were agonisingly beaten 3-1 on penalties by England. "I think this team deserved more. We worked so hard for a long time to get here, to the final against a top-level side in England, and I thought the team deserved more, or at least to not be left with the feeling we have now," Tome told reporters after the match at St Jakob-Park in Basel. The game finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, with Alessia Russo heading England level just before the hour mark following Mariona Caldentey's 25th-minute opener for Spain. With no further scoring in extra time, it went to a shoot-out in which three Spain players including Aitana Bonmati all failed to score before Chloe Kelly netted the winning kick for England. "This is sport and in sport you need to accept defeat, which is what happened to us in the penalty shoot-out," added Tome, who took over from Jorge Vilda as coach shortly after Spain beat England in the final of the 2023 World Cup. "I thought we played well in the first half, then in the second half their equaliser maybe left us a bit downbeat. "After that we dominated possession in extra time but couldn't get the win." Spain, appearing in their first ever European Championship final, enjoyed 60 percent of the possession overall and had 24 attempts on goal to England's 10. But they paid the price for not putting the game to bed. "I thought we were the better team but in football it is not always the best team which wins," Tome added. "England are a great side and have been so competitive throughout the tournament. "They got the equaliser and then defended to try to get to penalties, and in the shoot-out we chose the penalty-takers who we thought would be most effective." Patri Guijarro scored Spain's first penalty but then Caldentey and Bonmati both had their attempts saved by England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, and Salma Paralluelo put her effort wide before Kelly won it. "They all said they were confident and I had confidence in them. In the end anyone can score or miss a penalty but the players gave everything," the coach said.--AFP
New Straits Times
6 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Bronze played with fractured tibia to help England win Euros
LONDON: England defender Lucy Bronze revealed after Sunday's Euro 2025 final victory over Spain that she had played the entire tournament with a fractured tibia. In the quarter-final against Sweden, the 33-year-old scored a goal before firing home the winning penalty in the shootout. "I have actually played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia, and then I have hurt my knee on my other leg," Bronze said on Sunday after helping the Lionesses to edge Spain 3-1 on penalties after the final ended 1-1 following extra time. "That's why I got a lot of praise from the girls after the Sweden game, as I've been in a lot of pain. If that's what it takes to play for England, that's what I'll do." The Chelsea defender admitted the tournament in Switzerland had been one of the most demanding of her career. "I do not think we ever stopped believing in ourselves. There was a lot of noise from the outside, but we stayed united and gave everything," Bronze said. "To win it on penalties shows just how inspiring this team is to be part of. "Today we showed resilience. We have shown everyone that you should always believe in yourself, no matter what others say."--REUTERS
