logo
The 3️⃣ standout stars in Spain's brilliant debut

The 3️⃣ standout stars in Spain's brilliant debut

Yahoo9 hours ago
Spain has once again crushed Portugal, this time in their debut at the Euros. A 5-0 scoreline that speaks for itself and brings confidence for what's to come.
The Spanish team shone with stellar performances, while Portugal struggled both on and off the pitch, with the build-up marked by the emotional farewell to Diogo Jota.
Advertisement
Next, we reflect on the three key players who defined the course of the match.
Vicky shines on the big stage
📸 MIGUEL MEDINA - AFP or licensors
She scored and dazzled, with a boldness befitting her age but worthy of a select few. She was substituted by Aitana in the second half, leaving the mark of a truly unique player.
📸 MIGUEL MEDINA - AFP or licensors
Esther González is pure force
With a brace, including the opening goal just two minutes in, she once again showed her killer instinct in front of goal. Her efficiency and ability to pin down defenders amplified the sense of superiority from the very start of the match.
Advertisement
Aitana, the restored queen
📸 Alexander Hassenstein - 2025 Getty Images
The two-time Ballon d'Or winner returned to deliver a hopeful final few minutes. She and Martín Prieto, with a powerful header for the goal, were the bright spots in the closing stages of a decided match.
Can Spain maintain this overwhelming pace in the upcoming matches?
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
📸 MIGUEL MEDINA - AFP or licensors
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

‘Much more than football' – Portugal pays respect to Diogo Jota at Euro 2025
‘Much more than football' – Portugal pays respect to Diogo Jota at Euro 2025

New York Times

time14 minutes ago

  • New York Times

‘Much more than football' – Portugal pays respect to Diogo Jota at Euro 2025

An hour before kick-off for Portugal's UEFA Women's Euro 2025 group stage match against Spain and eyes begin to gravitate towards Wankdorf Stadium's west stand towards a large piece of cardboard fastened to the bottom of the upper stand. 'You took the name of Portugal beyond borders,' it reads in earnestly sprawled black marker ink. 'Now it's our turn to raise your name.' Advertisement The placard's unfurling was silent yet arresting, much like the news it was in response too: Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva's, 26, tragic passing in a car crash in the early hours of Thursday morning in Spain. In the fading afternoon heat, a small group of Portugal fans walked to Bern's northern flank in mini-pilgrimage, hoisting placards as tribute to Jota and Silva, chanting their names into the sky. If the day was not poignant enough, the evening's match-up against Spain added further texture, with the Porto-born forward's last career game coming against Spain in the men's Nations League final earlier this summer. As kick-off beckoned, more placards appeared, attempting to voice the parts of loss and love that feel inexpressible in these moments. The teams emerged from the tunnel wearing black armbands. The minute's silence was adhered to with haunting reverence, then broken into loaded, rapturous applause. Behind Ines Pereira's goal, Portugal fans held aloft a series of cards spelling out the message: 'Descansa Em Paz Diogo Jota' (rest in peace Diogo Jota), before chanting his name once again. The effect was the Wankdorf transformed momentarily into a place of communion. In these moments of subtraction, there is desire to see life give back. But 90 seconds later, Spain's Esther Gonzalez flitted in behind Portugal's high defensive line, taking down a raking pass from left-back Olga Carmona with her shoulder before bundling the ball beyond Pereira. Five minutes later, 19-year-old Vicky Lopez poked home a low-driven cross from Mariona Caldentey. Portugal were always going to struggle, as most pre-tournament predictions forecasted. The reigning world champions had inflicted a 7-1 defeat to Portugal in April. Two months later, Spain played with the same sublime majesty, tangling Portugal's defence into desperate ribbons and their attack into a non-event. Advertisement By half-time, the scoreline read 4-0, goals from Alexia Putellas and Gonzalez arriving in the final seconds of the first-half. Meanwhile, Portugal failed to register a single shot or corner, the number of touches in Spain's box a total of two, the number of passes completed in Spain's half totalling eight. By full-time, Portugal managed two shots at goal, none on target. 'This is life,' was the assessment of one Portugal fan before kick-off following the news of Jota and Silva's passing. The appraisal was not crude, but rather honest, profound even. The passing of those young and outward facing has a habit of wreaking a pausing effect on life as the rest of us reflect on our own mortality. But then a game of football must be played, a goal scored, then one, two, three, four more, life carrying on amid death. 'Today is a really sad day because two of us lost our lives, so young,' said Portugal head coach Francisco Neto after his side's 5-0 defeat. 'This is not a good day. If we had the possibility to change everything we would.' There is pride to be taken here for Portugal, to not only show up but keep running, chasing, scrapping against the tournament favourites who resisted any impulse to let up due to circumstances. So too is pride owed to Portugal's fans, who continued to chant throughout it all, red and green flags aloft, the beat of a lone drum imbuing the 29,000 plus in attendance with an unceasing rhythm as those in Portugal colours hoped for something bordering on miraculous from this match, this life. With 75 minutes gone, it looked like Portugal, whose second-half display was marginally more competitive, might get a sliver of one, only for Ana Capeta to sky her shot from inside the box. A handful more chances came, none taken. And still Wankdorf Stadium heaved with Portuguese song, as if any other noise outside of a goal celebration might border on sacrilege. Advertisement Afternoon sun escaped into black night and Cristina Martín-Prieto made it 5-0 in injury time, but one Portuguese fan's placard caught the eye. 'Muito mais que futebol' it read — 'much more than football'. And as Portugal players broke from their post-match huddle to applaud the travelling supporters, who in turn presented them with a large black banner bearing Jota's name, its message felt all the more prescient for a nation's whose football teams run through it like a main artery. When asked about Jota in his post-match press conference, Neto took a moment to compose himself. His path first crossed Jota's in the national team's under-19s. From there, their paths continued to intersect, Jota following the women's national team with an ardent zeal. 'He always knew the results, followed the players,' Neto said. 'This is the culture we have in Portugal, what we're building inside our federation and our country.' Top photo: Manuel Winterberger/Eurasia

Sources Hint at How Often Taylor Swift Will Go to Travis Kelce's Games for the Upcoming NFL Season
Sources Hint at How Often Taylor Swift Will Go to Travis Kelce's Games for the Upcoming NFL Season

Yahoo

time25 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Sources Hint at How Often Taylor Swift Will Go to Travis Kelce's Games for the Upcoming NFL Season

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have been enjoying their alone time to the fullest, especially after his NFL schedule and her multi-year Eras tour. But soon, Kelce's schedule is about to be packed again with NFL games, and everyone is wondering: How often will we see Swift at his games? Despite her world tour, she was able to go to the games quite a bit, but now, insiders claim we're going to be seeing Swift a lot more at the games! More from SheKnows Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce's NHL Date Night Reveals How They Collaborate on This, per Lip Readers 'Taylor is really looking forward to the upcoming NFL season. Not just because she loves supporting Travis, but because for the first full season since they started dating, she's not juggling a packed tour schedule,' says both sources and insiders to People. 'This fall will be completely different. It's the first season where she's not constantly flying back and forth or working around an entire touring calendar.' They added, 'Her schedule is much more open now that the Eras Tour is wrapped and she's genuinely excited to have the time and flexibility to show up for Travis more consistently.' While the insiders and sources couldn't give an exact amount, they did say that fans should expect a lot more (and a lot more of her iconic Chiefs looks)! 'Taylor plans to be at as many of his games as possible,' they said. 'They've both had such demanding schedules for so long, so having this stretch of time where things aren't quite as chaotic feels like a welcome change. It's a chance for them to settle into more of a routine and they're both really happy about that.' For those who don't know, Kelce and Swift have been dating since July 2023, but didn't make their romance known until months later, when Swift arrived at one of his games. (Kelce even talked about his crush on her on his podcast with his brother months prior to her going to one of his games.) Back in Jan 2024, Kelce spoke on the Pat McAfee Show via Today about Swift, saying, 'We just have fun with it. We enjoy every single bit of it. I love it when Taylor comes and supports me and enjoys the game with the fam and friends. But it's been nothing but just a wonderful year.'Best of SheKnows 13 Times Meghan Markle Reminded Us So Much of Princess Diana 24 Times Kate Middleton Perfectly Recreated Princess Diana's Iconic Fashion Every Time Paris Jackson's Bold Red Carpet Fashion Took Our Breath Away

Projecting Gonzaga's Lineup and Rotation After Adding Spanish Guard Mario Saint-Supery
Projecting Gonzaga's Lineup and Rotation After Adding Spanish Guard Mario Saint-Supery

Yahoo

time33 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Projecting Gonzaga's Lineup and Rotation After Adding Spanish Guard Mario Saint-Supery

Projecting Gonzaga's Lineup and Rotation After Adding Spanish Guard Mario Saint-Supery originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs made a big splash on Monday, landing a commitment from 6'4 Spanish guard Mario Saint-Supery for the 2025-26 season. Advertisement Saint-Supery has been linked to Gonzaga for over two months, and his arrival in Spokane for Hoopfest over the weekend all but solidified his commitment, even before Gonzaga's press release announcing the signing. The 6'4 guard is the latest in a long line of high profile international additions for Gonzaga, which includes Rui Hachimura, Filip Petrusev, Domantas Sabonis, Przemek Karnowski, Killian Tillie, Joel Ayayi, and Ronny Turiaf among others. Saint-Supery gives Gonzaga another ball-handler to join a new look backcourt that includes Colgate transfer Braeden Smith, Arizona State transfer Adam Miller, Grand Canyon transfer Tyon-Grant Foster, as well as returners Emmanuel Innocenti and Steele Venters. Below is a look at Gonzaga's projected starting lineup and rotation with the team's roster very likely set ahead of the 2025-26 season: Advertisement Projected Starting Lineup C: Graham Ike (17.3 PPG last year) PF: Braden Huff (11 PPG last year) SF: Tyon Grant-Foster (14.8 PPG last year at Grand Canyon) SG: Adam Miller (9.8 PPG last year at Arizona State) PG: Braeden Smith (12.5 PPG in 2023-24 at Colgate) The pairing of Ike and Huff in the starting lineup didn't happen until the final three games of Gonzaga's season, but it worked beautifully. It was done first as a way to counter the size of Saint Mary's in the WCC championship, which resulted in a big win for the Zags. The team deployed the lineup again in a blowout win over Georgia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and once more in the team's season-ending loss to eventual runner-up Houston. There's no reason these two won't start together again this upcoming season. Advertisement Grant-Foster didn't perform quite as well last year as he did in his first season at Grand Canyon, when he was named WAC Player of the Year after averaging 20.1 points and 6.1 rebounds, but an early season ankle injury likely had a lot to do with that. For Gonzaga he will slide in nicely into the role filled by Khalif Battle last year as a driving wing who puts pressure on the rim, generates points from the free throw line, and impacts the game defensively with his length and veteran experience. Miller is a well-travelled guard who spent time at Illinois, LSU, and most recently Arizona State, where he averaged 9.8 points while shooting 42.9% from three last year for the Sun Devils. His history as an outside shooter is a bit spotty, but he's always been a good scorer and should fit nicely as a veteran addition for the Zags backcourt. Smith spent last year redshirting as the point guard in waiting behind Nembhard, and the Colgate transfer who averaged 12.5 points and 5.6 assists while winning Patriot League Player of the Year will be an outstanding replacement at the one. Bench/Rotation 6'7 wing Jalen Warley (7.5 PPG in 2023-24 at Florida State) Advertisement 6'7 wing Steele Venters (15.3 PPG in 2022-23 at Eastern Washington) 6'4 guard Mario Saint-Supery (6.3 PPG with BAXI Manresa in Spain) 6'5 guard Emmanuel Innocenti (1.7 PPG last year) 7'0 center Ismaila Diagne (3.4 PPG last year) 6'7 wing Davis Fogle (No. 32 in ESPN Top 100 for 2025 class) 6'10 center Parker Jefferson (No. 164 in 247Sports Composite Rankings for 2025 class) Warley is a point forward type who doesn't do a ton of scoring but is a great facilitator and defender, using his disruptive length and high basketball IQ to make plays. If Steele Venters is healthy the sharpshooter could be a perfect 'addition' to the Zags, after he agonizingly sat two consecutive seasons with knee and foot injuries, respectively. Advertisement Saint-Supery has extremely high upside, but as an international freshman who didn't arrive in Spokane until late June it's unlikely he plays a big role for the Zags right away. As the year goes on the 6'4 guard - who has been likened to Ricky Rubio for his creative passing and fluidity - could start to push for more time on the floor and it wouldn't be a surprise if he's a huge part of the team in 2026-27. Innocenti is very similar stylistically to Warley and best served as a key bench piece for coach Few and the Zags. He provides tenacious on-ball defense and while his offensive game is still developing, the potential is there. Speaking of potential, Diagne showcased incredible upside against Santa Clara late in the regular season, and his tremendous athleticism and size make him an extremely tantalizing piece of this roster, and one who should see more playing time as a sophomore behind the two starting bigs. Fogle is from Anacortes, WA and grew from 6'2 to 6'7 while in high school which ballooned his stock from unheralded high schooler to top 50 prospect. The addition of Grant-Foster could push Fogle into a redshirt situation if he is willing, because the path to playing time in year one is quite blocked. Advertisement Jefferson is a mobile big man prospect with plus floor vision, soft hands, and good footwork around the rim. In other words, the exact type of player Gonzaga has developed extremely well in coach Few's soon-to-be Hall of Fame tenure in Spokane. He's likely a bit player this season, if he doesn't redshirt, but if he puts his time in he could be a future star in Spokane. What's Next Adding Miller and Jefferson filled two key holes for Gonzaga, and Grant-Foster gives them much-needed scoring punch in the backcourt. The final need for the Zags was a young backup point guard, and with Saint-Supery now in the mix it seems quite likely the Bulldogs are done making roster additions for the upcoming season. Related: Gonzaga Basketball 2025-26 Non-Conference Schedule Tracker This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2025, where it first appeared.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store