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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Euro 2025: Lionesses do talking on pitch with statement victory as Sarina Wiegman's tinkering pays off
Georgia Stanway had vowed England would do their talking on the pitch against the Netherlands - and they certainly did just that. After their defeat to France, the Lionesses' campaign to retain their European crown roared back into life with a statement performance. Lauren James struck twice, with Ella Toone and Stanway also getting on the scoresheet to secure a 4-0 win that puts England on the cusp of the knockout stages. Sarina Wiegman's side face Wales in their final Group D game on Saturday and, if France do them a favour against the Dutch, a draw should be enough to book a spot in the quarter-finals. Before this evening, England were staring down the barrel after that opening defeat to Les Bleues, but this was a reminder of why they have never lost back-to-back games during Wiegman's reign. All of Wiegman's big calls paid off, including those made long before a ball was kicked in Switzerland. The decision in May to make Hannah Hampton No1 over Mary Earps had caused a stir - and the latter's retirement - but England's opening goal against the Dutch explained some of the reasons behind it. Hampton started the move with a stunning pass from deep that set Alessia Russo in behind the Dutch defence. The biggest compliment you could pay Hampton? The pass was so good you almost assumed Keira Walsh must have played it. Russo then found James to score, as another of Wiegman's calls came off. The Chelsea winger hadn't kicked a ball since April, but was still named in the squad for the Euros. After struggling as a No10, Wiegman moved James out wide and she thrived in that space against the Netherlands. James' first goal was a thing of beauty, the 23-year-old cutting in from the right flank before arrowing the ball into the top corner with her left foot. The goal came midway through the first half and it was no more than the Lionesses deserved. Wiegman's decision to move Jess Carter to the heart of defence and Alex Greenwood to left-back gave England a stable base. They looked far more solid and in the first half, they had over 60 per cent possession. The Dutch had one shot on goal, however it was off target. Going forward, England looked a real threat. Russo went close with two headers, while Lauren Hemp's own effort went just over the bar. When the second goal did come, fittingly, it was Stanway who provided it. The Bayern Munich midfielder said she was 'fed up with talking' on Monday ahead of this game, and the way she lashed the ball into the bottom corner just before half time suggested as much. The second half followed the pattern of the first. The Dutch could not stop England's domination and it felt a question of when, not if, the next Lionesses' goal would come. Russo seemed determined to score it and she was unfortunate to have a header ruled out, with Leah Williamson offside in the build-up. There was no goal for the Arsenal striker, but there was a hat-trick of assists as Wiegman was, again, justified in one of her big calls. Russo's close friend Ella Toone had been brought into the XI for her major-tournament debut after being left out of the team for the opening game against France. The midfielder vindicated her selection against the Dutch, scoring England's fourth after Russo found her in the box. Before that, James had got her second. It lacked the finesse of her first, but was opportunistic as she profited on some lacklustre defending. Hampton started the move with another brilliant long pass and, after Toone's shot was blocked, James slotted the rebound. The Chelsea forward was taken off less than 10 minutes later, by which point this game was dead. England's Euro 2025 campaign, however, is alive.
France 24
14-07-2025
- Sport
- France 24
Spain the stars as Women's Euro 2025 heads into knockouts
The most talented squad at the tournament, Spain rattled in 14 goals, including four for leading scorer Esther Gonzalez, on their way to topping Group B and remain red-hot favourites to win their first European crown. Alexia Putellas has bolstered her claim for a third Ballon d'Or as the shining light of a Spain outfit which has sprinkled stardust over the competition. Barcelona star Putellas scored three goals and set up four more in Spain's three group games as she brought her sparkling club form to her national team. Putellas told AFP last week that she is "enjoying" the tournament after roaring back to her best form last season following an injury nightmare which began with an ACL tear just before the start of the last Euros three years ago. "It was a tough time, like any injury that any athlete has if it's serious. They leave you with those lessons and you savour every moment," said Putellas. "Maybe when you enter a cycle of competing, competing, competing, you don't stop to appreciate everything. But I'm enjoying every day here at the Euros." The stars seem to be aligning for Spain who also have current Ballon d'Or holder Aitana Bonmati fully match fit after she started her first match of the tournament in Friday's 3-1 win over Italy. Bonmati's chances of playing in Switzerland briefly looked in doubt when she was struck with a bout of viral meningitis days before Spain's opening group match against Portugal. But she recovered quickly enough to feature in the 5-0 hammering of the Portuguese and the following 6-2 beating of Belgium before making the starting XI for Italy. "She did a good job coming off a difficult situation, and she was really looking forward to starting some games," said Spain coach Montse Tome. Spain will also have a full week to prepare for their clash with their Swiss hosts, which will be played on Friday in front of a passionate crowd in Bern. England threat? However, for all that Spain are free-flowing and full of goalscoring dynamos, they can be got at, as shown in matches against Belgium and Italy who both created a series of opportunities against the high Spanish defensive line. Among the teams standing in Spain's way are England and Sweden, who face off in a blockbuster quarter-final which is also a replay of the Lionesses thumping last-four victory on their way to winning the last Euros. England and Sweden are both on the other side of the knockout draw from Spain, who will face one of Germany or dark horses France in the semi-finals if La Roja get past the Swiss. And the Swedes laid down a marker with Saturday's 3-1 win over Germany which sealed top spot in Group C, a sensational performance which suggested they could get revenge on England for defeat in 2022. But England coach Sarina Wiegman cut a confident figure after her team demolished Wales 6-1 on Sunday and is unconcerned about the path to the final. "I think that in tournaments, that it's really tricky to think 'we want to go that way (in the draw) because then we might have this and this'. If you start thinking like that, that's very tricky," she told reporters. "What you're trying to do is win every game and then see where you finish in the group and then you'll play who's against you or in front of you and that's what it is. If you want to be successful in the tournament, you should be able to win every single game." France, like England, scored 11 times in the group stage and with the hot form of Delphine Cascarino will be a handful for any team after winning Group D, the toughest in the tournament, with a perfect nine points.
