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The Guardian
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Women's Euro 2025: the best pictures from a dramatic tournament
Norway's Ada Hegerberg (left) celebrates an own goal by Switzerland's Julia Stierli (bottom) at St Jakob-Park on the opening day of the tournament. Photograph: Michael Buholzer/AP Cristiana Girelli and Emma Severini of Italy battle for possession with Marie Detruyer and Sarah Wijnants of Belgium during their Group B match at Stade Tourbillon in Sion. Photograph:Norway and Finland battle at Stade Tourbillon, a beautiful stadium nestled in the Swiss Alps. Photograph: Jan Kruger/Uefa/Getty Images Poland's goalkeeper Kinga Szemik stretches to make a save during the Group C match between Poland and Sweden Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images Grace Clinton (centre) holds off Daniëlle van de Donk, Damaris Egurrola and Victoria Pelova during England's Group D match against the Netherlands. Photograph: Fran Santiago/Uefa/Getty Images France's Marie-Antoinette Katoto eyes the ball during the Group D match against Wales in St Gallen. Photograph: Sébastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images Lauren James looks on ruefully after missing a chance against the Netherlands but it was a dominant 4-0 win for England in the group stage. Photograph: Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images Switzerland and Finland fans mingle outside the Stade de Genève. Photograph: Bernadett Szabó/Reuters Norway's Signe Gaupset (left) celebrates with Elisabeth Terland after scoring the opening goal against Iceland in Thun. Photograph: Peter Klaunzer/AP Amber Tysiak celebrates Belgium's second 'goal' against Portugal in Group B, before it is disallowed after a VAR review. Photograph: Stéphane Mahé/Reuters Germany's Carlotta Wamser handles the ball against Sweden in Zurich. Wamser was shown a red card and Sweden were awarded a penalty. Photograph: Annegret Hilse/Reuters The braided hair of France's Kadidiatou Diani whips across her face during the warm-up before the Group D match against the Netherlands. Photograph: Bernadett Szabó/Reuters Delphine Cascarino (left) scores France's fourth goal against the Netherlands under pressure from Dominique Janssen. Photograph: Fran Santiago/Uefa/Getty Images Netherlands v France was a thrilling 5-2 win for the latter, despite Victoria Pelova's early equaliser for the Dutch. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters Some textbook Italian passion on show as Elena Linari and Emma Severini belt out the national anthem before their quarter-final against Norway. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Reuters Hegerberg (right) battles for the ball with the Italy goalkeeper Laura Giuliani. The striker scored a fine goal but also missed a penalty for Norway. Photograph: EurasiaCristiana Girelli scored both goals in a 2-1 win to send Italy past Norway and into the semi-finals. Photograph: Martial Trezzini/EPA A Sweden fan waves the national flag before the quarter-final clash with England at Stadion Letzigrund. Photograph:Lucy Bronze lashes her penalty past Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk during a dramatic shootout which England won 3-2. Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP Sweden's Smilla Holmberg and Fridolina Rolfö console each other after their painful defeat to England. Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images Switzerland fans on a pre-match fan march to Stadion Wankdorf in Bern for the hosts' quarter-final against Spain. Photograph: Thomas Hodel/EPA Switzerland and Barcelona midfielder Sydney Schertenleib feels the nerves before the meeting with Spain. Photograph: Maja Hitij/Uefa/Getty Images Switzerland's Viola Calligaris and Géraldine Reuteler embrace after their quarter-final defeat. Photograph: Philipp Kresnik/SheKicks/SPP/Shutterstock Germany's Ann-Katrin Berger makes a remarkable save in extra time against France during their quarter-final. Photograph: Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Germany win a penalty shootout? Of course. The players celebrate following the team's narrow victory against France. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Uefa/Getty Images England's Chloe Kelly (right) and Michelle Agyemang both scored dramatic goals in extra-time and normal time respectively to send England past Italy into the Euros final. Photograph: Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Germany's Sophia Kleinherne (right) hurts herself as she makes a last-ditch tackle on Spain's Salma Paralluelo. Photograph: Sébastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images Spain's Aitana Bonmatí (right) scores from an acute angle in extra-time to sink Germany and set up another final with England. Photograph: Michael Buholzer/AP Spain's players are hyped up to reach the final and celebrate in from of their fans. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA After her trademark run-up, Chloe Kelly laces the winning penalty past Spain's Cata Coll during the shootout to clinch the trophy for England. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters Two England heroes, Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang, take stock of their achievement after the victory over Spain. Photograph:
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First Post
21-07-2025
- Sport
- First Post
Explained: Why the rainbow armband is dividing opinions at Women's Euro 2025
The rainbow armband at Women's Euro 2025 is sparking debate, with some teams proudly wearing it to support LGBTQ+ rights while others opt for UEFA's 'Respect' armband, citing broader inclusion. The controversy echoes similar debates from the 2022 Qatar World Cup. read more The rainbow armband, which is meant to show support for LGBTQ+ rights and diversity, is creating mixed reactions at the ongoing Women's Euro 2025 in Switzerland. It is dividing opinions among players and fans despite being a symbol of inclusion. Some captains like Switzerland's Lia Walti, Norway's Ada Hegerberg, England's Leah Williamson, and Wales' Angharad James have proudly worn the rainbow armband. Even England defender Lucy Bronze added a rainbow wristband during their quarterfinal win against Sweden. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read: Why is rainbow armband dividing opinions? But not everyone is wearing it. Spain's Irene Paredes chose not to wear the colourful band, and France's captain Griedge Mbock Bathy wore a plain armband with the word 'Respect' instead. UEFA has given teams a choice between the rainbow armband and the 'Respect' version. France explained their decision, saying the rainbow armband focuses too much on just one issue, whereas the Respect band is of wider range. 'Highlighting a single issue also potentially excludes the others. We cannot champion a single cause through our diverse group because there are so many causes to defend,' Mbock said. More from Football 'Our team is so diverse that we cannot highlight just one cause. I think that the armband with the word 'respect' really represents what we want to convey as a message and that is the most important thing,' she added. Out of 16 teams in the tournament, nine have worn the rainbow armband. 'Standard yellow and blue armbands are provided to all teams and rainbow armbands are available upon request,' UEFA told Associated Press. This means that the teams who chose to wear the rainbow armband made an intentional decision. Also Read: This debate is not new. A similar controversy happened during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where FIFA banned the rainbow 'One Love' armband. German players famously covered their mouths in the team photo after their first match to protest the ban, saying they were being silenced. FIFA banned the armband because same sex relationships are not legal in Qatar. Qatari fans later responded with their own protest by holding pictures of Mesut Ozil, referencing racism he faced in Germany. Germany was a big supporter of rainbow armbands but later some voices, like coach Julian Nagelsmann, asked for fewer political statements in football because they distract from the game.
Telegraph
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Why so many penalties are being missed at Euro 2025
An incredible nine penalties were missed in England's quarter-final shoot-out with Sweden. Some were saved, while some missed the target completely. That game was not an outlier. Missing penalties has been a theme of Euro 2025. Of the 41 spot-kicks taken at the tournament so far, only 24 have been scored, a conversion rate of only 58.5 per cent – and before Saturday night's shoot-out between France and Germany, it was as low as 48 per cent. Spain missed two against Switzerland, with Mariona Caldentey firing wide before Alèxia Putellas's effort was saved. Ada Hegerberg, meanwhile, put two penalties wide in separate fixtures for Norway. Germany's Sjoeke Nüsken also had her spot-kick saved against France in normal time on Saturday before finding the net in the shoot-out. A golden chance missed for Norway 🇳🇴 Ada Hegerberg misses her second penalty of the tournament. #WEuro2025 — Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) July 16, 2025 The low conversion rate is intriguing given players have had considerably greater success in previous tournaments. In Euro 2022, eight of the 10 penalties taken during 90 minutes were scored, a conversion rate of 80 per cent. There were no shoot-outs at that tournament. The average was slightly lower at the 2023 World Cup. Of the 70 penalties taken during both 90 minutes and shoot-outs, 48 were scored, a conversion rate of 68.6 per cent. The 2015 World Cup has the highest conversion rate of the past eight tournaments, with 84.4 per cent of penalties scored in both matches and shoot-outs, while Euro 2025 so far has the lowest percentage. So what are some of the possible explanations for the significant drop this year? Pressure takes toll in latter stages Statistics show that conversion rates decrease after the quarter-final stage. At Euro 2017, seven of eight penalties taken during 90 minutes were scored while eight from nine during shoot-outs were converted. But once the two semi-final games and final were taken into account, the overall conversion rate for the tournament dropped to 73.1 per cent. In fact, that is the case for every tournament since 2011, which does not bode well for this Euros as it heads to the semi-final stage. It is perhaps not surprising, given that the stakes increase further into the tournament. There is also the impact of the increased attention on and exposure of women's football. Geir Jordet, a professor in football and psychology, and the author of Pressure – Lessons from the Psychology of the Penalty Shootout, tells Telegraph Sport: 'Our research on penalties with men show that with increased pressure comes reduced shot performance. 'With the explosive interest in the women's game these past four to five years, these players are now asked to perform on behalf of their countries with a level of expectation and outside investment in the outcome that they may not have experienced at this level before. 'While Premier League players on the men's side are used to this type of interest every weekend, the women players are not, and it is possible that this makes it harder and that some of these players underperform as a result.' Putellas, Caldentey and Hegerberg have all taken high-pressure penalties before. But it is interesting that all three missed against the host nation, Switzerland, who had the majority of fans in the stadium. Hegerberg also missed in Norway's quarter-final with Italy. Goalkeepers improving Poor penalties are often linked to good goalkeeping and Jordet believes the increased professionalism in the women's game has given goalkeepers an analytical edge. Sweden's Jennifer Falk had information about England's penalty-takers on her water bottle, a technique Jordan Pickford has used in numerous shoot-outs for England's men's team. Ann-Katrin Berger had similar on her bottle for Germany's shoot-out against France. Those notes said dive left for the decisive last penalty; she did and she saved, having pulled off another spectacular stop in extra-time. England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton also referenced the importance of data, joking that she did not have any on Falk when the Sweden goalkeeper surprisingly stepped up – and missed – in the shoot-out. There are undoubtedly greater resources available to female goalkeepers now than in 2011 and the standard of players in that position has increased significantly. There is also much more data and research available. 'In the England v Sweden shoot-out, the goalkeepers moved to the correct side more than 70 per cent of the time, indicating that they had successfully figured out the penalty-takers,' Jordet says. 'A correct guess will increase the chance of a save by 30 to 40 per cent. 'Under pressure, people – and penalty-takers – tend to fall back to what is known and many will then lean on the shots they are most comfortable with, making them predictable for goalkeepers.' Players should consider flexible approach While goalkeepers do their homework, a way for penalty-takers to combat this is to employ a more flexible goalkeeper-dependent technique. This is where they look at the goalkeeper moving to one side before the shot, and then roll the ball to the other side. 'Very few female penalty-takers actually use this technique,' Jordet says. 'None of the players in the England v Sweden shoot-out did so, and those goalkeepers were successful because they moved very early to a side, and hence could quite easily make their saves because the penalty-takers rigidly stuck to their pre-decided corner. 'However, Spain's Mariona Caldentey actually used the goalkeeper-dependent technique against Switzerland, looking at the goalkeeper as she moved towards the ball. 'The Swiss goalkeeper had definitely studied Caldentey because she came equipped with the antidote against this type of strategy by standing still for an extremely long time, forcing the forward to just go for a side – and the shot was not particularly strong.' Not one, but two missed penalties 😬 It didn't matter in the end, but a couple of moments to forget for Spain! — ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 18, 2025 It is interesting that the conversion rate at the men's Euro 2024 tournament was up by nearly 10 per cent from the 2022 World Cup and 17 per cent from Euro 2020. That perhaps has to do with the increased use of the goalkeeper-independent technique. 'In the men's game, the best penalty- takers are now fully flexible and unpredictable,' says Jordet. 'Specialist penalty-takers such as Harry Kane and Robert Lewandowski alternate technique, sometimes goalkeeper-independent – pre-decided corner – and sometimes goalkeeper-dependent – react to goalkeeper. I expect we will see this also in the women's game going forward.'
Al Jazeera
20-07-2025
- Sport
- Al Jazeera
Which teams are in the Women's Euro 2025 semis, and who will they face?
A last-minute winner, two thrilling shootouts, missed penalties and countless saves – the quarterfinals of the UEFA Women's Euro delivered everything one could ask for. The drama now rolls on to the final week with four teams left in the hunt for the European crown. Here's how the Euro 2025 semifinals line up: ⚽ First semifinal: England vs Italy When: Tuesday at 9pm (19:00 GMT) Where: Stade de Geneve, Geneva A long-cherished dream became a reality for Italy on Wednesday when captain Cristiana Girelli's 90th-minute header ended their 28-year wait for a place in the semifinals of the Women's European championships. Coming into the contest as the underdogs, Italy stunned Norway 2-1 as Girelli scored twice while Ada Hegerberg netted once for the Norwegians after missing a penalty for the second time in this year's tournament. 'I felt something different, something special. I have seen in the eyes of my teammates a special light,' the 35-year-old Girelli said after the game. 'If you have a flame, you have to continue to live. We suffered a lot, but we fought until the end.' Their fairytale run now faces its next test against holders England, who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat, winning 3-2 in a dramatic penalty shootout against Sweden on Thursday. Eleven minutes from full-time the Lionesses – trailing 2-0 and on the brink of elimination – mounted a rapid comeback, scoring two goals in two minutes to send the match into extra time. In the penalty shootout, which featured 14 attempts, defender Lucy Bronze slammed her spot kick into the roof of the net as the seventh penalty taker, and goalkeeper Hannah Hampton made two saves as England coach Sarina Wiegman breathed a sigh of relief as her side qualified for the final four at Euro 2025. 'It was hard. One of the hardest games I've ever watched. Very emotional. We could've been out four or five times during the game,' Wiegman said. England are unbeaten in their last five matches against Italy, all friendlies, with four of those ending in victories. The winner of the first semifinal will face either Spain or Germany in the final. ⚽ Second semifinal: Germany vs Spain When: Wednesday at 9pm (19:00 GMT) Where: Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich Spain kept their quest for a maiden Women's Euro title alive by knocking out hosts Switzerland 2-0 in Friday's quarterfinal despite failing twice from the penalty spot. The world champions were made to work hard against a stubborn Swiss defence in the first half before super sub Athenea del Castillo scored the opener shortly after the hour mark, and Claudia Pina doubled the lead with a superb curling effort. Spain's victory kept their 100 percent winning record at Euro 2025 intact. 'Maybe we'd prefer to face Germany again because of what happened at the Olympics,' del Castillo said after the match, referring to their 1-0 defeat to Germany in the bronze medal match at Paris 2024. Athenea may just get the revenge she hinted at: Germany are through, and Spain will now meet their Olympic nemesis in the semifinals. The Germans defeated France 6-5 on penalties in Saturday's thrilling semifinal, pulling off a superb comeback from a goal down despite playing with 10 players for most of the match. In the 13th minute, German midfielder Kathrin Hendrich was issued a straight red card after she pulled the hair of France captain Griedge Mbock. With the match tied 1-1 after extra time, the contest was decided on penalties. Germany's goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was the hero, firing home from a crucial spot kick herself before pulling off a decisive penalty save to seal the upset victory against France. 'There is a very hard and tough opponent [Spain] we have to face [in the final]. Everybody really gave their ultimate effort here, and we need to regenerate. We have to make sure we recover,' said the 34-year-old Berger, who produced a string of outstanding saves throughout the match. Germany are unbeaten in eight meetings with Spain, winning five and drawing three with a goal count of 18-3.
The Independent
19-07-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Why have there been so many missed penalties at Euro 2025?
Just what is going on with penalties at Euro 2025? Ahead of Saturday's quarter-final between France and Germany, only 12 of the 25 penalties taken at the tournament had been scored, including just five of the 14 in England's shoot-out victory over Sweden. The following night, Spain missed two penalties in their 2-0 victory over Switzerland, with Mariona Caldentey and Alexia Putellas both failing to score from the spot in what was ultimately a comfortable victory for the world champions. Norway striker and former Ballon d'Or winner Ada Hegerberg also missed two penalties during the tournament, including in her country's quarter-final defeat to Italy on Wednesday. Both of Hegerberg's penalties missed the target completely. England and Sweden's penalty shoot-out also featured the lowest conversation rate in Women's Euro history, with 36 per cent scored. The only other shoot-out to have a conversation rate under 50 percent was the previous time a knockout match went to penalties, which was Denmark's win over Austria in the 2017 semi-finals. While England and Sweden's penalties attracted criticism and some ridicule on social media, both goalkeepers played their part: Hannah Hampton made two saves, including to keep England in the tournament, while Jennifer Falk saved four kicks, but, bizarrely, also blazed her penalty over the bar when she had the chance to send Sweden into the semi-finals. 'I think both keepers made a few incredible saves a piece in that shoot-out,' England defender Esme Morgan said on Saturday. 'The word I would just use is ridiculous. I've never seen anything like it before, and I was thinking, goodness me, what is going on, but thankfully it turned in our favour.' Penalty conversation rates tend to be lower during shoot-outs at major international tournaments, where the pressure is extreme. Some studies have shown that average conversion rates in penalty shoot-outs is around 75 to 80 percent, with similar results for men and women. The three penalty shoot-outs at the 2023 Women's World Cup all saw conversion rates of between 64 and 66.6 per cent. Nine of 14 penalties were scored during the last-16 match between Sweden and USA, 13 of 20 were scored between Australia and France and six of nine were scored between England and Nigeria. The penalties taken at last year's men's Euros tended to be of a high quality, with France scoring all five of their penalties against Portugal and England scoring all five of their penalties against Switzerland. Both shoot-outs saw just one player miss. Slovenia, however, missed all three of theirs in defeat to Portugal, who only had to score their three to win. But the past two campaigns in both the Premier League and Women's Super League in England indicate that, while success from the spot may vary between seasons, conversation rates between men and women are similar when the first-choice taker stands over the ball during a regulation match. In the Women's Super League last season, 28 penalties were scored out of the 31 awarded, a conversion rate of just over 90 per cent. In the season before, 18 out of 23 were scored (78.2 per cent). The Premier League saw a record 93 out of 104 penalties scored during the 2023-24 season, at a conversation rate of 89 per cent. In the following season, 68 penalties were scored from 82 attempts (83 per cent). England had practised their penalties before the Sweden quarter-final, with Beth Mead expressing frustration that some players couldn't deliver on the day. The exceptions were Alessia Russo, Chloe Kelly and Lucy Bronze, who scored her first penalty for England by going straight down the middle. 'I think we're all frustrated in the sense that we had our system, we've practised them every day, we've got our routines, and sometimes it doesn't go to plan,' said Mead after she missed England's third penalty. 'I'm just happy we're on the good side of it today.' 'We practised penalties a lot in the lead up to the tournament, maybe it was just one of those crazy days, something in the air,' Morgan said. 'But I'm sure we'll continue to practice and make sure we're prepared should that situation arise again.' Of the 13 penalties that have been missed at Euro 2025, it should be noted that three have come against the host nation Switzerland. Hegerberg missed her first penalty in the opening game in Basel, with Caldentey and Putellas also failing to convert against the hostile home fans in Bern. There was also the strange sight of Sweden's goalkeeper stepping up to take their decisive fifth penalty of the shoot-out, with head coach Peter Gerhardsson later confirming that the players had wanted the decision to be taken out of their hands and had asked the coaching staff to draw up a list of penalty takers, from one to 11. While that was a surprising decision, which certainly shocked England's Hampton, the reality of a penalty shoot-out is someone has to miss. Against England, it was the unfortunate 18-year-old Smilla Holmberg who missed Sweden's decisive effort. By the next morning Holmberg had received a text from Sweden football legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with Holmberg's father revealing that Ibrahimovic told her to keep believing in herself and to take the next one. "She is strong and she has received a lot of support from both the team, supporters, friends and relatives, she even got a text message from Zlatan here this morning," Holmberg's father Ola Persson told Swedish radio. "The most important thing is that no-one defines a career by those misses.'
