Soccer-Creative talents ready to raise the stakes in Women's Euro final
OBERENTFELDEN, Switzerland (Reuters) -With Lauren James of England and Aitana Bonmati of Spain set to clash in Sunday's Women's Euro final, the match will showcase two of the modern game's premier creative dribblers vying for one of football's biggest prizes.
Both sides boast a host of players who are more than comfortable with the ball at their feet and capable of bringing the crowd to theirs every time they take on an opponent, as well as defenders ready to stop them.
"You have to try to read the situation -- what's the right thing to do? Can you go at two (players) or should you pass the ball? We just have to analyse where the space is and what's possible," Caroline Graham-Hansen, a teammate of Bonmati's at Barcelona, told Reuters.
"Just believe in yourself. Like, if you have two (players marking you), somebody else has more space, so just try to exploit that advantage or disadvantage that they try to give you," she added.
Graham-Hansen is one of many dribblers who have lit up the Women's Euros with her skills which she discovered and sharpened whileplaying with friends as a child.
"I just enjoyed dribbling. Going out, playing with the ball made me happy, it was something fun to do every time. I guess the playfulness of just enjoying the ball alone is part of my game today too," Graham-Hansen explained.
Both James and Bonmati love to run at defenders, using changes of pace and direction to wrong-foot opponents and open up space for themselves. But though the world's top dribblers are often given license to attack in unorthodox ways, they still have to fit into tactical systems.
With so many teams trying to win the ball and then play in transition, the dribblers have to weigh up when to back themselves and when to play it safe.
"It's about trying to make the other team make mistakes, and the most difficult thing is obviously to dribble when there's a high risk of losing the ball, but you have to try. If you can beat your defender, it's always a big advantage," Graham-Hansen said.
Sunday's final will be the most high-pressure game of the tournament, but Graham-Hansen said that dribbling specialists are well-used to performing in such circumstances.
"Obviously you feel the pressure -- it's possible that you don't feel it, but it's still as much fun when you win, so it's worth it," she said, smiling.
(Reporting by Philip O'ConnorEditing by Christian Radnedge)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Motor racing-Leclerc puts Ferrari on pole in Hungary
Formula One F1 - Hungarian Grand Prix - Hungaroring, Budapest, Hungary - August 2, 2025 Ferrari's Charles Leclerc celebrates after qualifying in pole position REUTERS/Jakub Porzycki
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Rugby-Schmidt not tempted to stay on despite Wallabies beating Lions in tour finale
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Autumn Internationals - England v Australia - Allianz Stadium Twickenham, London, Britain - November 9, 2024 Australia head coach Joe Schmidt before the match Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia coach Joe Schmidt said he would be sticking to his plan to stand down next July despite his team showing some genuine promise by winning the final test against the British & Irish Lions 22-12 on Saturday. Robbie Deans was sacked as coach after his Wallabies side lost 2-1 to the Lions in 2013 but encouraging performances during this series, capped by the third test victory, meant Schmidt was faced with questions about staying on. Schmidt originally signed a short-term deal up until the end of the Lions series because of his desire to spend more time with his family in New Zealand and help look after his youngest son, who has severe epilepsy. In April, he agreed to extend the deal until next July when he is scheduled to hand over the reins to Queensland Reds coach Les Kiss. "I'm looking forward to Les Kiss coming in and taking over," the 59-year-old said when asked about extending again until the 2027 World Cup, which Australia will host. "I actually apologise to the players. A little while ago, I bit one of their heads off, and my son had had a bad day. I can normally separate the two things, but it does impact me when he's had a bad day. "I know that I've a short enough shelf life and need to be more present at home. I haven't been home for two months. "As much as I just think they're a great group of young men. There's other things that I need to make sure I tick off." In victory as in defeat, Schmidt is not given to hyperbolic comments about his team and he merely said that he had been impressed by how they bounced back after losing the second test, and the series, to a late try in Melbourne last week. He also gave a little insight into the thoroughness of his preparations after Saturday's match was suspended for 40 minutes due to a lightning warning in the area. That the Wallabies came out firing after the delay while the Lions were a bit flat was clearly no accident. "We had been warned that there might be lightning, so we had a little bit of a plan," Schmidt said. "We wanted to make sure that players kept moving. So we had different guys rotating onto the bikes. "We had four balls in the changing room that we've just thrown around just so they could stay connected, and the rest of the time it was really just trying to get us organised for the restart of the game. "The players stayed dialled in really well." (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Swimming-Walsh blocks out criticism of US team's performance at world championships
Swimming - World Aquatics Championships - Women 50m Freestyle - World Aquatics Championships Arena, Singapore - August 2, 2025 Gretchen Walsh of the U.S. during heat 11 REUTERS/Hollie Adams (Reuters) -Gretchen Walsh admits she struggles to understand the flak being directed at the U.S. team over their performance at the world championships in Singapore and said the swimmers have been competing under extremely difficult circumstances. The U.S. team were hit by an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis during a training camp in Thailand just before the championships, with several swimmers travelling late to Singapore and other having to pull out of events. On Friday, six-time Olympic champion Ryan Lochte shared an image on social media of a tombstone with the inscription: "In loving memory of United States Swimming. They set the bar high -- until they stopped reaching for it." He also added a caption referencing the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, saying: "Call it a funeral or call it a fresh start. We've got 3 years." U.S. swimming great Michael Phelps then shared Lochte's post and added: "Is this the wake-up call USA swimming needed?" Asked about the criticism Walsh, who won the 50 metres butterfly title on Saturday to add to her 100 crown in Singapore, said she was trying to ignore it. "I was made aware, and it's frustrating, but I think that personally, I am just trying to block it out and take on the meet with everything I can and just show up and race like I know how... "I think we've been dealing with a lot so it's hard to get the criticism in the first place because I don't think people quite understand the magnitude of everything going on behind the scenes. "But showing up, giving my best, and coming out a world champion twice now has been everything, and I'm just happy to keep doing it and happy that I'm feeling like myself again in the water." The U.S. top the medal standings with eight golds, one ahead of rivals Australia with one final day of competition to come. The U.S. have won only one individual gold in the men's events, Luca Urlando claiming the 200 butterfly title. Jack Alexy, who was part of the team that won the mixed 4x100 mixed freestyle gold in a world record time on Saturday, said U.S. athletes were always held to the highest of standards. "It's definitely fuel to the fire for the next couple years," added Alexy, who also has a silver and two bronze medals from his events in Singapore. "And the theme going into this meet was setting off the tone right for LA 2028. So I think we're continuing to do a better job at that, especially after tonight, and I'm really excited for the future." (Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
