Clàudia Pina scores twice as Spain beats England 2-1 in Nations League
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — World champion Spain beat European champion England 2-1 on Tuesday in the UEFA Women's Nations League in their last competitive game before the Lionesses defend their title next month.
Spain substitute Clàudia Pina turned the game around by scoring twice within minutes of coming on in the second half after England led thanks to Alessia Russo's goal in the 22nd.
Barcelona forward Pina struck in the 60th and 70th minutes at Espanyol's stadium to ensure Spain topped their Nations League group despite losing 1-0 to England at Wembley Stadium in February.
Spain, which also beat England in the 2023 Women's World Cup final, advances to the semifinals in October. The draw is made Friday and will involve defending champion Spain, France, Germany and Sweden.
The European Championship is the priority this year, and the 16-team tournament kicks off July 2 in Switzerland.
England is in a tough group with France, the Netherlands and Wales. Spain is drawn with Portugal, Belgium and Italy.
Playing in her 50th game for England, Russo's goal was her 22nd for her country. The Arsenal forward was in the Women's Champions League winning team last month, dethroning Pina's Barcelona.
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Muslims look forward to the annual Eid feast. Many Africans are now struggling to afford it
KARA, Nigeria (AP) — Muslim families across west Africa are grappling with the steep cost of rams for the traditional sacrifice that is central to the celebration of Eid al-Adha, a struggle that mirrors the region's deepening economic and humanitarian crises. At the Kara livestock market in southern Nigeria's Ogun state, ram sellers and buyers are in a bind. Prices have at least doubled compared with last year, slowing sales for what is usually a busy market packed in the lead-up to Eid. 'The ram that I bought for 200,000 naira ($127) last year, this year we started negotiating from 600,000 naira ($380),' said Abiodun Akinyoye, who came to buy meat for the festival. The U.N. World Food Programme said last month that over 36 million people are struggling to meet basic food and nutrition needs in West Africa and Central Africa, a number expected to rise to 52 million during this year's lean season from June to August. More than 10 million of the most vulnerable people across the region have been uprooted by conflict, the WFP said, added to other major drivers like food inflation and climate conditions like extreme weather. 'We are at a tipping point and millions of lives are at stake,' said Margot van der Velden, WFP's regional director. With a majority of Muslim populations in most of the worst-hit countries, families who previously bought rams to take part in the annual joyful festival are finding it difficult to sustain that lifestyle with some spending significantly more of their disposable income on trying to fulfill the religious rites. 'Everyone is suffering,' Nigerian ram seller Jaji Kaligini said as he lamented the cost-of-living crisis fueled by President Bola Tinubu's economic policies, such as a sudden removal of subsidies. 'We don't know what to do.' In countries like Niger, where growing insecurity have worsened the living conditions, the military government banned ram exports this year to stabilize local supply. While that has helped availability, it has affected tightened supplies in neighboring Nigeria and Benin. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. 'There's enough livestock (in Niger),' said Hasoumi Daouda, who was at a local market to buy ram. 'But it's the financial crisis that makes them too expensive to buy.' The challenge of hardship is also raising the question of how obligatory the ram sacrifice is for Muslims. The tradition is not mandatory for those who 'genuinely cannot afford it,' Bukola Hameed, a Nigerian Islamic scholar, said. However, those who can afford it also have 'a duty to share their meat with poorer neighbors,' another Islamic scholar, Mikail Adekunle, added. —– Adebayo reported from Abuja, Nigeria
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Wisconsin's budget talks stall. Here's how it could affect the 2026 governor's race
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A breakdown in negotiations over a tax cut and other spending measures in Wisconsin threatens to put the 2026 race for governor on hold, with the Democratic incumbent saying he won't announce his decision on seeking a third term in the swing state until after a budget deal is done. Gov. Tony Evers and Republicans who control the Legislature have been meeting in private since April trying to hammer out a deal ahead of the July 1 deadline. But those talks broke down late Wednesday, both sides said.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Wisconsin's budget talks stall. Here's how it could affect the 2026 governor's race
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A breakdown in negotiations over a tax cut and other spending measures in Wisconsin threatens to put the 2026 race for governor on hold, with the Democratic incumbent saying he won't announce his decision on seeking a third term in the swing state until after a budget deal is done. Gov. Tony Evers and Republicans who control the Legislature have been meeting in private since April trying to hammer out a deal ahead of the July 1 deadline. But those talks broke down late Wednesday, both sides said. The routine budget-writing process comes as Wisconsin is poised to be in the national political spotlight again next year with the race for governor and a fight over control of the Legislature. Evers has drawn the ire of President Donald Trump's administration and winning back the governor's office is a priority for Republicans. New legislative district maps enacted in February 2024 are more favorable for Democrats, leading them to pick up seats in the November election. They are optimistic that they can swing at least one house of the Legislature in 2026, making it easier for a Democratic governor to enact their agenda. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is also considering a pair of lawsuits that seek to redraw the state's congressional boundaries where Republicans hold six of eight seats. Two of those six seats are targets for national Democrats in 2026 and new maps would only increase their chances of victory as they try to take control of the House away from Republicans. Evers is midway through his second term as governor and has repeatedly said he won't make a decision about whether to run for a third one in 2026 until after the budget is done. That has essentially frozen the field on the Democratic side, while one Republican has already launched his candidacy and others are expected to get in. The governor's spokesman, Sam Roecker, declined to comment on whether the stalled talks will affect the timing of Evers' decision. There was optimism that the frosty relationship between Evers and Republican legislative leaders was thawing a bit as they met in secret for more than two months to work on the budget. But hopes of a quick deal seemed to evaporate late Wednesday with both sides announcing a stalemate after meeting three days straight. Evers said he supported proposals to cut income taxes for the middle class and eliminate income taxes for some retirees, but Republicans could not get behind Democratic priorities, including lowering child care costs and increasing funding for K-12 schools and the University of Wisconsin. Evers said it was Republicans who decided to stop negotiating, even though he supported tax cuts similar to ones he has vetoed in the past. 'I was ready to make that concession in order to get important things done for Wisconsin's kids,' he said in a statement. Assembly Republican leaders said they remained open to more talks with Evers, but in the meantime the Legislature's budget committee would continue its work 'with the goal of finishing on time.' The committee was scheduled to resume its work on Thursday. It has already gutted many of Evers' priorities, including legalizing marijuana. Senate GOP leaders said they were confident the Legislature would pass a budget that Evers will sign into law. Unlike in many states, the July 1 budget deadline in Wisconsin is soft because if a new plan isn't in place by then current spending levels continue. And once the Legislature passes a budget, Evers can put his mark on it through his broad veto powers that allow him to make dramatic changes in spending.
