Soccer-Swiss coach Sundhage said historic tournament run about more than winning games

The Star

19-07-2025

Soccer Football - UEFA Women's Euro 2025 - Quarter Final - Spain v Switzerland - Stadion Wankdorf, Bern, Switzerland - July 18, 2025 Switzerland coach Pia Sundhage on the pitch before the match REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
BERN, Switzerland (Reuters) -While upstart Switzerland's dream run at the Women's European Championship run came to an end on Friday in a 2-0 quarter-final loss to world champions Spain, a proud coach Pia Sundhage and her players celebrated as if it was a victory.
In many ways it was.
Sundhage's team had already made history by making the knockout round of a major tournament for the first time, and then treated the sellout crowd to a spirited showing, diligently holding off the world's best for more than an hour.
"I've been in the football game since I was a little kid, and the fact that it has changed (in Switzerland), people are more interested in the women's game than they were a year-and-a-half ago, that's the thing you love to see happening," Sundhage said.
"We lost the game, but I think we gained a lot. Football is so much more than a gold medal."
Sundhage was hired in January 2024 to improve the national team ahead of hosting Euro 2025, and she walked off the pitch on Friday with the crowd chanting her name.
"I think that's cool. When people shouted my name, I feel they are shouting women's football," the 65-year-old said. "They know my name to begin with, and I'm coaching women's football."
The Spanish players held a guard of honour for their opponents.
"I want to congratulate Switzerland, it has been amazing, we are playing in stadiums full of people, we see streets full of people coming to the games," said Spain's Aitana Bonmati.
"It's something unique that we are living and we wanted to thank them for that."
Euro 2025 continues to smash attendance records, with a women's Euros best 78,407 fans -- including 29,734 on Friday -- attending the quarter-finals, with one game still to go on Saturday.
Switzerland hopes hosting the tournament is a catalyst for growth in girls' soccer as it was for England after hosting the 2022 tournament.
"I hope this tournament helps to push playing football both the young girls and the young boys," Swiss midfielder Smilla Vallotto said. "We are pretty happy even though we lost today."
Swiss captain Lia Waelti said the crowd was beyond anything she and her teammates had "dreamed about".
"To experience that at home in Switzerland, with a sold-out crowd, with Swiss cowbells, is just something extremely special," she said. "I hope we're going to keep it in our memories forever.
"I hope it was a very, very important step to show Switzerland that women can play football really well, and I hope they're getting hungry to watch more women's football."
The Swiss defended in numbers on Friday while withstanding waves of attacks before Athenea del Castillo finally broke the deadlock in the 66th minute.
Claudia Pina doubled Spain's lead five minutes later, but the Swiss chanting did not let up, and they cheered wildly when Livia Peng stopped Alexia Putellas's late penalty.
Fans remained glued to their seats long after the final whistle.
"It's been phenomenal, it's been a once in a lifetime feeling, very emotional," Sundhage said. "They didn't leave, they stayed. I was dreaming about this, but this is more than I dreamt of."
Asked about her future, Sundhage said she is not looking beyond the end of her contract on December 31.
"My future is to sleep," she joked. "I'm a bit tired.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing, editing by Pritha Sarkar)