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The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Putellas at the double as rampant Spain hit rain-soaked Belgium for six at Euro 2025
Spain, looking ominously ruthless, continued their rich goalscoring form to reach the knockout stages of the 2025 European Championship as they put six goals past Belgium on a rain-soaked evening in Thun. The world champions were twice pegged back by equalisers, but Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir's side were eventually overpowered and were eliminated by Portugal's 1-1 draw with Italy on Monday night, a result that also ensured Spain's place in the last eight. Spain had scored five times in their opening victory against Portugal last Thursday and went one better in their second outing. This Group B match was being contested in the pretty town of Thun, where surfers love to ride the Aare river, in the centre of the old town, including earlier on Monday afternoon, as the heavy downpours of rain only strengthened the river's force. Each time the surfers fell and were swept downstream, they would swim back upstream, to try their luck again, adjacent to the tournament fan zone. The scene proved rather reminiscent of Belgium trying to resist wave after wave of Spanish attacks in the second half, but it felt as though every time Belgium clawed themselves back into the match, a fresh torrent of Spanish brilliance swept them away again. Alexia Putellas began the relentless scoring when she rounded off a neat team move, after superb play from Vicky López, to clinically tuck the ball home. Justine Vanhaevermaet briefly stunned the pre-tournament favourites as she headed in from a corner, but Spain were soon back in front when Irene Paredes headed in to make it 2-1, towards the end of a first half where Olga Carmona had also driven a powerful strike narrowly wide. The crowd were momentarily sensing a monumental shock might be on the cards, when Hannah Eurlings sprinted in behind Spain's defence and slotted in, but almost immediately after the restart, Esther González met Putellas's outstanding pass to restore Spain's lead and make it 3-2. By this point, the Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, still returning carefully to full fitness after contracting viral meningitis before the tournament, had been brought on as a half-time substitute and she was showing her usual creativity and style in midfield. Her head coach, Montse Tomé, said: 'Aitana could play but I think we must be patient. According to the medical team, she is fine, but we don't want to risk her. As we have other players who allow us to keep the level. I believe Aitana will be 100%.' Spain were mounting pressure and shortly after the hour Mariona Caldentey tucked in from close range, before a marvellous strike from Clàudia Pina in the 81st minute, curled into the far corner from distance, made it 5-2 with a goal that will undoubtedly be included in the goal‑of-the-tournament shortlist. Putellas said of Pina's strike: 'Her goal was special, as always. Honestly, she's so good, it was a perfect goal, it was impossible to stop it.' Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion Putellas, who was named player of the match, showed her class with a fine finish for her second of the game and Spain's sixth, and Tomé's team continue to look like they will justify their status as favourites. The Barcelona midfielder said: 'The team had an excellent performance. We have room for improvement but the team is feeling fine, we feel comfortable that if something doesn't work, we can change and adapt.' Tomé's side will top Group B if they continue their form against Italy in their final group match, and the head coach was full of praise for Putellas, in particular, adding: 'Alexia has a high performance for the whole team. She thinks collectively. She understands the spaces, she flows, and you see she enjoys it. I'm glad for her and also for the rest of the team.' Gunnarsdóttir, appeared crestfallen by her team's fate but was also proud of their endeavour in attack. Trying to see the bigger picture, the Icelandic coach said: 'When I was hired to coach the team, it was about more than leading the team to the Euros – it was about building a team that can compete regularly against the top teams in Europe. 'I've only been here for five months. I've learned so much. I know I have a lot more to learn [but I] really feel we're going in the right direction. I would never have taken this job if I didn't believe the Red Flames could be a top nation in Europe. 'I walked into the locker room today and I really wanted to cry. I loved seeing my players giving everything they had. I'm going to be happy with a lot of things but it's going to take some time until I get to a point where I see it.'
Irish Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Putellas on the double as rampant Spain hit Belgium for six at rain-soaked Euro 2025
Spain 6 Belgium 2 Spain continued their rich goalscoring form and closed on the knockout stages of Women's Euro 2025 as they put six goals past Belgium on a rain-soaked evening in Thun. The world champions were twice pegged back by Belgian equalisers, but Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir's side were eventually overpowered and Belgium will now be eliminated unless Portugal beat Italy in Monday's late kick-off. Spain, who had scored five times in their opening victory against Portugal last Thursday, went one better in their second outing and will now be guaranteed a quarter-final spot unless Portugal beat the Italians and both of those sides also overturn huge goal-difference deficits with victories on Friday. This Group B match was being contested in the pretty Swiss town of Thun, where surfers love to ride the Aare river, in the centre of the old town, including earlier on Monday afternoon, as the heavy downpours of rain only strengthened the river's force. Each time the surfers fell and were swept downstream, they would swim back upstream to try their luck again, adjacent to the tournament fan zone. The scene proved rather reminiscent of Belgium trying to resist wave after wave of Spanish attacks in the second half, but it felt as though every time Belgium clawed themselves back into the match, a fresh torrent of Spanish brilliance swept them away again. Alexia Putellas began the relentless scoring when she rounded off a neat team move, after superb play from Vicky López, to clinically tuck the ball home. Justine Vanhaevermaet briefly stunned the pre-tournament favourites as she headed in from a corner, but Spain were soon back in front when Irene Paredes headed in to make it 2-1, towards the end of a first half which had also seen Olga Carmona drive a powerful strike narrowly wide. The crowd were momentarily sensing a monumental shock might be on the cards, when Hannah Eurlings sprinted in behind Spain's defence and slotted in but, almost immediately after the restart, Esther González met Putellas's outstanding pass to restore Spain's lead at 3-2. [ Spain thrash grieving Portugal in Women's Euro clash Opens in new window ] By this point, the Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, still returning carefully to full fitness after suffering from viral meningitis before the tournament, had been brought on as a half-time substitute and she was showing her usual creativity and style in midfield. Spain were mounting pressure and eventually, shortly after the hour mark, Mariona Caldentey tucked in from close range, before a marvellous strike from Claudia Pina in the 81st minute, curled into the far corner from distance, made it 5-2 with a goal that will undoubtedly be included in the goal-of-the-tournament shortlist. Putellas, who was deservedly named as the player of the match, showed her class with a fine finish to add her second of the game and Spain's sixth, and Montse Tomé's team continue to look like they will justify their status as favourites.
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Putellas at the double as rampant Spain hit rain-soaked Belgium for six at Euro 2025
Spain continued their rich goalscoring form and closed on the knockout stages of Women's Euro 2025 as they put six goals past Belgium on a rain-soaked evening in Thun. The world champions were twice pegged back by Belgian equalisers, but Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir's side were eventually overpowered and Belgium will now be eliminated unless Portugal beat Italy in Monday's late kick-off. Spain, who had scored five times in their opening victory against Portugal last Thursday, went one better in their second outing and will now be guaranteed a quarter-final spot unless Portugal beat the Italians and both of those sides also overturn huge goal-difference deficits with victories on Friday. This Group B match was being contested in the pretty town of Thun, where surfers love to ride the Aare river, in the centre of the old town, including earlier on Monday afternoon, as the heavy downpours of rain only strengthened the river's force. Each time the surfers fell and were swept downstream, they would swim back upstream, to try their luck again, adjacent to the tournament fan zone. The scene proved rather reminiscent of Belgium trying to resist wave after wave of Spanish attacks in the second half, but it felt as though every time Belgium clawed themselves back into the match, a fresh torrent of Spanish brilliance swept them away again. Alexia Putellas began the relentless scoring when she rounded off a neat team move, after superb play from Vicky López, to clinically tuck the ball home. Justine Vanhaevermaet briefly stunned the pre-tournament favourites as she headed in from a corner, but Spain were soon back in front when Irene Paredes headed in to make it 2-1, towards the end of a first half which had also seen Olga Carmona drive a powerful strike narrowly wide. The crowd were momentarily sensing a monumental shock might be on the cards, when Hannah Eurlings sprinted in behind Spain's defence and slotted in, but almost immediately after the restart, Esther González met Putellas's outstanding pass to restore Spain's lead at 3-2. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion By this point, the Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí, still returning carefully to full fitness after suffering from viral meningitis before the tournament, had been brought on as a half-time substitute and she was showing her usual creativity and style in midfield. Spain were mounting pressure and eventually, shortly after the hour mark, Mariona Caldentey tucked in from close range, before a marvellous strike from Claudia Pina in the 81st minute, curled into the far corner from distance, made it 5-2 with a goal that will undoubtedly be included in the goal-of-the-tournament shortlist. Putellas, who was deservedly named as the player of the match, showed her class with a fine finish to add her second of the game and Spain's sixth, and Montse Tomé's team continue to look like they will justify their status as favourites.
The Guardian
24-06-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Women's Euro 2025 team guides: Belgium
This article is part of the Guardian's Euro 2025 Experts' Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 16 countries who qualified. is running previews from two teams each day in the run-up to the tournament kicking off on 2 July. The year started with a big surprise and shake-up of the national team setup with the longtime coach Ives Serneels sacked after 14 years in the post. He had taken Belgium to Euro 2025 but the playoff wins against Greece and Ukraine were unconvincing and made the Belgian FA wonder if the team was still improving under him. The answer was no and in came Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir and under her the team finished third in an extremely tough Nations League group made up of Spain, England and Portugal. She moved to a 5-4-1 out of possession and is trying to make Belgium a team that thrives on quick transitions. In the striker Tessa Wullaert and the right wing-back Jill Janssens Belgium have two fast players who are good at running in behind the defence. In attack the 5-4-1 switches to a rather adventurous 3-4-3 with the left wing-back Davina Philtjens joining midfield, Janssens joining the attack and Hannah Eurlings leaving her inverted position in midfield to become a left-winger. During the short international breaks, Gunnarsdóttir and her team have focused on what happens in both penalty areas and at set pieces. There is still work to be done in possession, though. 'In the weeks before Euro 2025, all the focus will be on our buildup play,' she said. 'We still have to improve a lot there.' During the Nations League campaign, Belgium often panicked slightly when they had the ball, especially when building from the back. However, they picked up six out of a possible nine points from their final three games against England, Spain and Portugal, including a notable win against the reigning European champions. That helped increase the interest around the team and in May, against Spain, a record crowd of 8,054 showed up. Three players – Saar Janssen, Laura De Neve and Féli Delacauw – will all miss the tournament with serious knee injuries and Sari Kees, normally a rock in defence, has had her own injury problems but made the final squad. The most recent friendly, against France, ended with a rather chastening 5-0 defeat. 'The first half was the most disappointing 45 minutes we have played since I took over,' Gunnarsdóttir said. 'I take full responsibility. I had my team train a full week on specific patterns in possession that I would like to see against Italy [their first game at Euro 2025], but in doing so I failed to prepare them for this friendly.' Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir is enjoying her first months at the helm of a national team after a remarkable 14-year-spell in charge of the Swedish side Kristianstads. The 48-year-old Icelandic coach has lived so long in Sweden that she now considers it home: she is a fluent Swedish speaker and has gained citizenship. She took a year out in 2024 to look after her mother, who had suffered a stroke, and decided to take the Belgium job after a long walk on the beach. Part of the reason? Her dog had run off and straight into the arms of a Belgian couple – as good a sign as any that she should take the job. Gunnarsdóttir is a tactically impressive coach who puts a lot of emphasis on set pieces. Few countries will have such a standout player as Belgium. The 32-year-old Inter striker Tessa Wullaert is the country's record scorer, having found the net 92 times and is not slowing down: recently scoring against Spain, England (twice) and Portugal (twice). She normally has two defenders marking her but if she feels she is not getting involved enough she will drop deeper into midfield and start play from there. Any team that can keep her out of the game will either draw or beat Belgium. Sign up to Moving the Goalposts No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women's football after newsletter promotion The forward Mariam Toloba is 25 but has just had her big breakthrough with Standard Liège, being voted player of the year in the Belgian Lotto Super League. 'A couple of years back, I wouldn't have thought this would be possible,' she said recently. 'But I turned a page and started believing more and more in my own abilities.' She grew up playing football in the street and is an excellent dribbler, especially in confined spaces, and has a powerful shot. She is joining Nantes this summer and may start the tournament on the bench, but keep an eye out for her when she comes on. The Lotto Super League is not near the level of neighbouring countries. Attendances are low and, as an example, ballgirls or boys are often not present at games so the players have to go and get the ball themselves. Last season, the Belgian top flight had 27 full-time professionals and is 21st in the Uefa coefficient ranking. Only six of the 23 players selected for the Euros play at home. Reaching the knockout phase. Spain should be out of reach but the Red Flames have beaten their other group opponents, Italy and Portugal, in the past few years. The Belgium team guide was written by Wim Conings for Het Nieuwsblad.
