
France Captain Griedge Mbock 'Impatient' for Euro 2025 Debut in Quarterfinal
Les Bleues have been boosted by the return of Mbock for Saturday's quarterfinal against Germany after the experienced defender missed the whole of the group stage due to a calf injury.
Although it's not as if they fared too badly without her. France topped one of the toughest groups in the tournament with three wins, including over defending champion England.
"I feel really good," Mbock said on Friday. "I was away from the pitch for quite a long time, but today I feel good and I'm going to be back to the pitch. I took all the energy that the team gave me, that helped me to hold on for this time of absence. I'm impatient to start this competition on the pitch and, simply, to be able to contribute."
The winner will face world champion Spain or Switzerland in the semifinals.
The 30-year-old Mbock has made 92 appearances for France — starting 81 of them — since her debut 12 years ago.
But at Euro 2025, she was restricted to a place on the substitutes' bench and only then so could she cheer on the team from the sidelines.
"It's very good news," France coach Laurent Bonadei said. "She suffered a bit in silence for all this time, far away from the pitch.
"However, she was present with her teammates in order to give very good advice. That is why I included her on the bench, because she's captain, she's very precious in the locker room also and she'll be ready to start the game tomorrow."
France is on an 11-match winning streak, but the quarterfinals have always been somewhat of a stumbling block for Les Bleues.
France has only twice made it into the semifinals of a World Cup or Euros: at the 2011 World Cup, where it lost to the United States, and at Euro 2022, where it fell to Germany.
Les Bleues have been eliminated in the quarterfinals in six of the past eight World Cups or Euros.
"I like talking about overcoming barriers, and I think that, since October, this team has been overcoming barriers at each step," Bonadei said. "We had the friendly games, we had the Nations League and now our group here, which was labeled the group of death and this team advanced and managed to overcome barriers.
"So I have a lot of confidence in this team to overcome this next barrier."
As well as being boosted at the back by Mbock, France knows it can rely on its ruthless attack.
France bagged 11 goals in its three group stage matches — scored by nine different players.
Moreover, Germany will be weakened in defense. Captain Giulia Gwinn was ruled out of the tournament after injuring her knee in her team's opening win and her replacement, Carlotta Wamser, is suspended for the quarterfinal after being sent off in Germany's 4-1 thrashing by Sweden.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily ! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience UEFA Women's EURO France Germany
recommended
Item 1 of 2 Get more from the UEFA Women's EURO Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Eagles email survey to season-ticket holders about new stadium, renovations at Lincoln Financial Field
In an email to season-ticket holders on Thursday, the Philadelphia Eagles sent a survey about potential renovations to Lincoln Financial Field or the possibility of a brand new stadium. "As we look to the future, we're committed to delivering the best-in-class gameday experience for Philadelphia Eagles fans," the email read. "To help guide this vision, we're exploring potential updates to Lincoln Financial Field — including both renovation options and the possibility of a brand new stadium in the region." The Eagles' lease with the city is set to expire in 2032. The survey sent to fans comes as Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie expressed potential interest in bringing a Super Bowl to Philadelphia, but that would require adding a retractable roof to the stadium. "I don't have a strong opinion on it, because you're torn," Lurie told CBS Sports at Super Bowl media night earlier this year. "I love outdoor football. I love it. I love the cold games. I like the hot games. I like the snow games. On the other hand, Philadelphia deserves to host the Super Bowl, NCAA Final Four, and lots of great events. It's an incredible sports city, so yes, you got to balance all those things." The Linc opened in 2003, and the 2025 season will be the 23rd football season at the stadium. In that span, the Birds have gone to four Super Bowls and won two. The Eagles have done renovations to the Linc since opening, but they would need a roof to host an event like the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl hasn't been hosted in an open-air stadium with cold weather since it was at MetLife Stadium in 2014. The Linc recently hosted the FIFA Club World Cup and will host the World Cup in 2026, and the city will host other events like NCAA Tournament games and the 2026 MLB All-Star Game. The South Philly Sports Complex is set to undergo a makeover over the next several years and that could include a new Eagles stadium if the team decides to go that route. Earlier this year, the Flyers and Sixers announced they would open a new shared arena to replace the Wells Fargo Center. The Sixers had initially pushed to build a new arena in Center City, but the deal fell through. In the last 10 years, four NFL teams — the Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings — have all opened new stadiums. Each of them are either a dome or have a retractable roof. Philadelphia's NFC East rival, the Washington Commanders, is also working to build a new stadium.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Alexia Putellas says Euro 2025 has shown how much women's football has improved
Ahead of the semi-final between Spain and Germany, Alexia Putellas reflects on how this Euro 2025 has shown the improvement in the level of the women's game.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Venezuelan team denied entry into U.S. for Little League's senior tournament
One of Little League's international tournaments will be played without its planned field. The Cacique Mara team from Maracaibo, Venezuela was denied visas into the United States and will be forced to missed the Senior League World Series for players between 13 and 16 years old, Little League confirmed in a statement to South Carolina's WSPA. A team from Victoria, Mexico will reportedly take their place as the tournament's Latin American team in Easley, South Carolina. The full statement: 'Little League® International has been notified that the Cacique Mara Little League team from Venezuela was unfortunately unable to obtain the appropriate visas to travel to the Senior League Baseball World Series in Easley, South Carolina. While this is extremely disappointing, especially to these young athletes, the Little League International Tournament Committee has made the decision to advance the second place team, Santa Maria de Aguayo Little League (Victoria, Mexico), to participate in the Senior League Baseball World Series and ensure the Latin America Region is represented in the tournament and that the players, coaches, and families from Mexico are able to have a memorable World Series experience.' The Senior League World Series is held each year in Easley with six teams from the United States and six American teams. A different team from Maracaibo won the tournament last year. The Venezuelan team was reportedly deemed ineligible for visas due to a June executive order from President Donald Trump which limits entry into the U.S. from certain countries. Venezuela is one of the countries that currently faces a limited ban. The Venezuelan team, which was attempting to procure its visas in Bogota, Colombia, posted its own statement on Instagram calling the decision a "mockery" via a machine translation. Team Venzuela beat the Mexican team it's being replaced by in the Latin American regional tournament last month. The president of the team had his own reaction, as translated by World Baseball: 'The players are demoralized. All they know how to do is play baseball. They want to compete and honor Venezuela and Latin America. They don't pose any threat; they're 15-year-old kids who want to win the World Cup,' said Kendry Gutiérrez, president of the Cacique Mara Little League, the Maracaibo, Zulia-based league that sponsored the team. While the Senior League World Series is not a high-profile tournament, an international team being denied entry into the U.S. will be cause for concern for some given how many international sporting events the country is set to host over the next three years, headlined by the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Summer Olympics in 2028. Trump's executive order does specifically grant exceptions to 'any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State.' However, that leaves room for uncertainty on what constitutes a "major" sporting event, turning Secretary of State Marco Rubio into a significant athletic authority. Earlier this month, a Cuban women's volleyball team was denied visas into Puerto Rico under similar circumstances.