Rampant England And France Reach Women's Euro 2025 Quarter-finals
Georgia Stanway started England on their way from the penalty spot in the 13th minute and further goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones made sure of passage to the last eight.
England will face Sweden in Zurich on Thursday, a repeat of the semi-final at the last Euros three years ago which the Lionesses won 4-0.
But the Swedes look a tough proposition after topping Group C with a perfect nine points and swatting aside Germany on Saturday.
"We just wanted to be confident and enjoy it and I think we obviously play better football when we do that. I think there was more flow to the game tonight, there was better connections," said midfielder Keira Walsh.
"(Sweden are) going to be a really tough opposition but we're just going to keep trying to focus on what we're doing, keep being confident, playing good football."
France meanwhile will take on Germany in Basel in the last quarter-final on Saturday, and are on the same side of the knockout draw as world champions Spain who face hosts Switzerland on Friday.
The French finished the group stage three points ahead of England after making it three wins from three thanks to Delphine Cascarino's decisive double.
San Diego Wave forward Cascarino has been excellent in Switzerland, and she made sure that France would top the group with the key goals in a superb comeback from a goal down.
France, who opened the scoring through Sandie Toletti in the 22nd minute, trailed at the break to a Victoria Pelova strike and Selma Bacha's clumsy own goal.
But Marie-Antoinette Katoto levelled for France just after the hour and the match was done six minutes later thanks to Cascarino's fine finishes.
First Cascarino lashed France back ahead with a sumptuous, dipping long-range strike, before rolling in the fourth after Sandy Baltimore watched her shot ricochet off both posts.
Sakina Karchaoui completed the scoring from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
"I'm having a good Euros, and it's a real pleasure to play in a major tournament. I'm pleased and I hope that we can go a long way," Cascarino told reporters.
In St Gallen, England knew a win would be enough to seal a spot in the next round regardless of what happened in Basel, and once Stanway slotted home her penalty after being brought down by Carrie Jones there was no way back for Wales.
Eight minutes later Toone doubled England's lead after Wales failed to clear and the Manchester United forward tapped home after her initial effort was blocked on the line by Lily Woodham.
Toone then turned provider on the half-hour with a perfect searching cross for Hemp, before Russo rolled home from close range just before half-time to get off the mark for the tournament.
Mead drilled home England's fifth in the 72nd minute, but Hannah Cain gave Wales fans something to cheer about by lashing a fine consolation goal past Hannah Hampton.
And Beever-Jones completed the rout one minute from the end to send England through on a high. Delphine Cascarino (L) netted twice against the Netherlands on Sunday AFP
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Int'l Business Times
20 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Rampant England And France Reach Women's Euro 2025 Quarter-finals
Holders England reached the quarter-finals of Women's Euro 2025 on Sunday after thrashing Wales 6-1 and taking second place in Group D behind France, who won 5-2 in a thrilling match with the Netherlands. Georgia Stanway started England on their way from the penalty spot in the 13th minute and further goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones made sure of passage to the last eight. England will face Sweden in Zurich on Thursday, a repeat of the semi-final at the last Euros three years ago which the Lionesses won 4-0. But the Swedes look a tough proposition after topping Group C with a perfect nine points and swatting aside Germany on Saturday. "We just wanted to be confident and enjoy it and I think we obviously play better football when we do that. I think there was more flow to the game tonight, there was better connections," said midfielder Keira Walsh. "(Sweden are) going to be a really tough opposition but we're just going to keep trying to focus on what we're doing, keep being confident, playing good football." France meanwhile will take on Germany in Basel in the last quarter-final on Saturday, and are on the same side of the knockout draw as world champions Spain who face hosts Switzerland on Friday. The French finished the group stage three points ahead of England after making it three wins from three thanks to Delphine Cascarino's decisive double. San Diego Wave forward Cascarino has been excellent in Switzerland, and she made sure that France would top the group with the key goals in a superb comeback from a goal down. France, who opened the scoring through Sandie Toletti in the 22nd minute, trailed at the break to a Victoria Pelova strike and Selma Bacha's clumsy own goal. But Marie-Antoinette Katoto levelled for France just after the hour and the match was done six minutes later thanks to Cascarino's fine finishes. First Cascarino lashed France back ahead with a sumptuous, dipping long-range strike, before rolling in the fourth after Sandy Baltimore watched her shot ricochet off both posts. Sakina Karchaoui completed the scoring from the penalty spot in stoppage time. "I'm having a good Euros, and it's a real pleasure to play in a major tournament. I'm pleased and I hope that we can go a long way," Cascarino told reporters. In St Gallen, England knew a win would be enough to seal a spot in the next round regardless of what happened in Basel, and once Stanway slotted home her penalty after being brought down by Carrie Jones there was no way back for Wales. Eight minutes later Toone doubled England's lead after Wales failed to clear and the Manchester United forward tapped home after her initial effort was blocked on the line by Lily Woodham. Toone then turned provider on the half-hour with a perfect searching cross for Hemp, before Russo rolled home from close range just before half-time to get off the mark for the tournament. Mead drilled home England's fifth in the 72nd minute, but Hannah Cain gave Wales fans something to cheer about by lashing a fine consolation goal past Hannah Hampton. And Beever-Jones completed the rout one minute from the end to send England through on a high. Delphine Cascarino (L) netted twice against the Netherlands on Sunday AFP
DW
2 days ago
- DW
Euro 2025: Germany progress but have big problems – DW – 07/12/2025
A shambolic 4-1 defeat to Sweden did not stop Germany from qualifying for the Euro 2025 knockouts. But it further revealed a number of significant issues that coach Christian Wück must address quickly. It all started so well for Germany. Lea Schüller had twice gone close before she dropped deep and found Carlotta Wamser, replacing injured captain Giulia Gwinn at right back, who weighted a perfect through ball for Jule Brand to score the seventh minute opener. With Klara Bühl a constant threat, Germany's attack was fluid and menacing. Less than half an hour later, nobody was thinking about their attack. First, a heavy touch from Wamser and a total dereliction of duty from the rest of the German defense allowed Stina Blackstenius to run unchallenged in to the box and score. Next, a sharp run from Smilla Holmberg ended with a fortunate deflection to give Sweden the lead. Though their tournament progression was all but assured before the game, Germany panicked. Goalkeeper Ann-Kathrin Berger, the most experienced of Germany's defense, gave a simple pass to opponent Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and got away with it. Moments later, Rytting Kaneryd was in again, this time finding Fridolina Rolfö whose shot was stopped by the hands of Wamser. The makeshift fullback was sent off, and Rolfö scored the resulting penalty. Though the speed of the implosion was a surprise, Germany's defensive frailties were clear from their wins against Poland and Denmark earlier in the group stage. Partly this is an issue of personnel. Berger, at 34, was a backup to Merle Frohms before her retirement, Wamser has spent most of her nascent career playing further forward and center back Rebecca Knaak, substituted at halftime, has just 7 caps at the age of 29. Germany coach Christian Wück has put his faith in Knaak, who had not played for her country until his appointment last year, but now must decide whether to replace her with Kathrin Hendrich, a 33-year-old who has been a regular in the German squad for some time and has plenty of tournament experience. His decision to omit another former Germany regular, leftback Felicitas Rauch, from the tournament squad will also now come under further scrutiny. "Not picking me is one thing. Not informing me and not even giving me a reason is something I simply don't understand. I would like to see much more transparent communication here," the 29-year-old wrote on Instagram after she was left out. The absence of star defensive midfielder Lena Oberdorf is also starting to be felt, with Sjoeke Nüskens and Elisa Senss struggling to control matches for 90 minutes. Wück cut his teeth with Germany's male youth teams and the scrutiny of a major tournament is a new challenge for him. In his time as senior women's coach so far, he has tried to introduce a progressive style of play building up from the back, often most evident in how much Berger plays out with the ball. His tactics also often oblige his defenders to deal with opponents in one on one situations when faced with counterattacks. While debutants Poland and a limited Danish side weren't able to take advantage of that, World Cup semifinalists Sweden were, adding a fourth when Lina Hurtig was allowed to tap in unchallenged on 80 minutes. It is only the second time Germany, who have won the tournament a record eight times, have lost a group game and the first time they have conceded four in a Euros macth. With Wamser now suspended from the round of 16 match against the winners of group D (England, France or the Netherlands, who all play on Sunday), Berger looking shaky and Knaak struggling with the Swedes, Wück has some big decisions to make.
Int'l Business Times
4 days ago
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Wrexham Rise Showcases English Football Pyramid In US, Says Anton Ferdinand
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