Latest news with #Euros2024
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wiegman: 'The team connection helped Beever-Jones score a hat-trick'
Sarina Wiegman 'really disappointed' not to have Mary Earps for Euros after goalkeeper's shock retirement England boss Sarina Wiegman is 'really disappointed' not to have Mary Earps for the European Championship this summer after the goalkeeper's shock retirement. The 32-year-old has been Wiegman's number one choice in goal for previous tournaments, with England winning Euro 2022 and then reaching the final of the 2023 World Cup, where Earps won the Golden Glove. Earps announced her international retirement on Tuesday and will no longer be available for the upcoming Euros.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Beever-Jones hits rapid hat-trick as England pummel Portugal 6-0 in Nations League
It doesn't matter how you get your chance to shine, what matters is you take it, and on Friday night at a balmy Wembley Stadium Chelsea forward Aggie Beever-Jones did just that in a 6-0 defeat of Portugal. Alessia Russo has nailed down the No 9 shirt following the retirement of Ellen White after the Euros in 2022, but a fitting substitute and challenger to her has been missing. Beever-Jones staked her claim in front of 48,531 fans, her hat-trick in a five-goal first-half blitz coming in only her second England start. It was a heartening win for the Lionesses as they focus all eyes on the Nations League and this summer's Euros in Switzerland. It also keeps England two points behind Spain in Nations League Group A3 before the rivals go head to head on Tuesday. Sarina Wiegman's England ship, so used to sailing under clear skies, hit choppier water this week, the retirement announcement of Euro 2022 winner Mary Earps, just 39 days out from the team beginning their title defence, sending shockwaves through St George's Park. Wiegman implied in April that Hannah Hampton had leapfrogged Earps in the pecking order, when she described the Chelsea goalkeeper as being 'a little bit ahead'. It was hoped that Earps would act as the elder stateswoman of a group of young keepers and provide substantial backup to Hampton, with Anna Moorhouse and Khiara Keating currently uncapped. Earps' exit is undoubtedly a blow, as was the absence of Millie Bright, unavailable through choice for being 'mentally and physically at my limits'. However, nothing buries bad news as well as good news and an emphatic win over Portugal, with five first-half goals from a starting XI looking a little different from how it will shape up in Switzerland. Spain, who beat Belgium 5-1 on Friday night, will offer a far greater test in Barcelona of where England are before their European title defence but, on the evidence here, the squad depth at Wiegman's disposal is a major advantage. It took just three minutes for Beever-Jones to put the home team ahead. Jess Park's dogged pressure on Andreia Norton forced the ball free from the feet of the wing-back and Beever-Jones pounced, putting it coolly beyond goalkeeper Inês Pereira. Two minutes later and England had their second. Jess Carter, fresh from a Concacaf Champions Cup win with Gotham FC, won the ball and fed Lauren Hemp on the left and it was worked from Beever-Jones to Mead. Her shot was blocked but the ball fell to Lucy Bronze, who headed into an empty net. Beever-Jones' second arrived courtesy of Bronze, the latter's cross into the middle turned in by the head of the unmarked forward. Mead joined the party for England's fourth. Park shrugged off Dolores Silva before releasing the Arsenal forward, who nutmegged Catarina Amado and fired in. 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 Beever-Jones's hat-trick was completed in the 33rd minute, making her the second England women's player to score a Wembley treble after Mead. A long ball from Leah Williamson, one of five of Arsenal's Champions League winners in the squad, alongside Mead, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly, found the forward, who took a couple of touches before firing in low at the near post. It would be easy, and a little lazy, to describe Portugal, ranked 22 in Fifa's world rankings, as pushovers. They were poor defensively but this is a team who have been a small thorn in the side of Wiegman's England side. The Lionesses were held to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture in February and a 0-0 draw in a friendly on the eve of the World Cup in July 2023. In fact, England's last victory against the Portuguese came towards the end of Phil Neville's tenure, a sloppy 1-0 win amid a sea of draws and defeats in October 2019. England calmed down a little in the second half, but three changes around the hour re-energised the players, who have clawed their way to the end of a long season only to be straight back in with their national team. Kelly added the team's sixth, fellow substitute Alex Greenwood sending a pinpoint pass from back to front to Mead, whose cross was headed home. There were no more goals but it was an emphatic and entertaining performance, the off-pitch drama comfortably excluded to leave England focused on preparing for the Euros.
The Sun
7 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Mary Earps sparks row with bombshell England retirement just five weeks before Euros leaving Sarina Wiegman furious
MARY EARPS announced her shock retirement from international football with immediate effect. And it means the goalkeeper will not line up between the sticks as England aim to retain the Euros this summer - leaving boss Sarina Wiegman seething. 7 7 Earps, 32, played a key role in the Lionesses' runs to the Euro 2022 title and 2023 World Cup final. The ex-Manchester United star was crowned a two-time Fifa Women's Best Goalkeeper and even BBC Sport Personality of the Year after her penalty save in the 2023 World Cup final defeat to Spain. PSG stopper Earps was in a battle with Chelsea's Hannah Hampton for the No1 spot in Wiegman's starting XI for the upcoming Euros in Switzerland. Hampton was picked in England's last three Nations League matches - against Spain and the double header against Belgium. However, just five weeks out from the tournament and the day after the team met for their training camp at St George's Park, 53-cap ace Earps dropped the major bombshell news of her quitting. She said: "I have taken the difficult decision to retire internationally. It has been the greatest honour and privilege of my life, to wear this badge, represent my country and play alongside such an incredible group of players. "I've spent a long time making this decision and it's not one I've made lightly. "For me, ultimately this is the right time for me to step aside and give the younger generation an opportunity to thrive. "Winning the Euros in 2022 was the best day of my life, and I'm rooting for the girls to do it again this summer." But the shock announcement so close to the Euros left Wiegman furious, with the Dutchwoman ready to call on her experience and leadership in Switzerland. Mary Earps wins SPOTY as Lioness makes history after England World Cup final run, The Lionesses face France, the Netherlands and Wales in Group D. Now, though, Hampton looks set to be the unchallenged No1. A curtly Wiegman said: "I had hoped that Mary would play an important role within the squad this summer, so of course I am disappointed. "Mary has been clear on her reasons why she has made the decision and it is something we need to accept." 7 7 7 7 7
The Guardian
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
France drop Renard, Le Sommer and Dali in shock cull before Women's Euros
France have dropped their captain Wendie Renard, their vice-captain Eugénie Le Sommer and the experienced midfielder Kenza Dali for their upcoming Nations League games with little prospect of either making a return for this summer's Euros. Laurent Bonadei's side face Switzerland and Iceland in the international window. There had been reports of the trio being left out but the announcement still came as a shock to many. France are one of the favourites for the European Championship in Switzerland but have been drawn in a tough group with England, the Netherlands and Wales. 'These are tough choices,' Bonadei said. 'They are difficult to make and difficult to announce to the players. It's a decision that's hard to hear, hard to understand and almost impossible for them to accept because they're legendary players for the French team. 'I didn't make this decision on the spur of the moment. You'd think, given the timing, that this is crazy but it's not. As Einstein said: 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.' I want different results for this team so I have gone with a different selection.' France have never won a major tournament and were eliminated by Brazil in the quarter-finals of last summer's Olympics in Paris. Renard, Le Sommer and Dali were all in that squad. Bonadei refused to confirm whether they were definitely out for the Euros but did say: 'It's something I've been thinking about since the start of the season. When I announced at the start of the season that everyone had a chance, that no one was indispensable, in my mind it wasn't just about giving young players a chance but also players who had suffered psychologically after the Olympic Games and making sure that everyone was involved.' Le Sommer and Renard have partly paid for their lack of playing time over the last few national team gatherings. The forward, who has 200 caps for Les Bleues and was due to be honoured for that feat in Nancy before the game against Switzerland on 30 June, played just 27 minutes in Les Bleus' last four matches. Renard missed three of those through injury with her former OL teammate Griedge Mbock shining alongside Maëlle Lakrar against Ada Hegerberg's Norway. 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 'Things happened naturally, with a mix of generations in the first few games and we racked up four wins from four Nations League matches. In those four games the playing time for these players was fairly limited. My thoughts were refined, in consultation with my staff, so I made my decision,' Bonadei said before explaining that he called each of them on Tuesday to let them know about his decision before Thursday's announcement.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Georgia Stanway opens up her race against time to make Euro 2025 after England star's gruelling recovery from injury - and her unusual creative side hustle
After months of anxious waiting, England fans were given a reason to smile last week when the news broke that Georgia Stanway is due to return to the Lionesses squad. A cornerstone of Sarina Wiegman 's midfield and ever-present during the 2023 World Cup, Stanway has been sidelined since January after suffering a lateral collateral ligament (LCL) injury to her right knee during training with Bayern Munich. Now, speaking for the first time since her recall, the 26-year-old lifts the lid on her gruelling rehabilitation journey amidst a race against time to be fit for England's Euros title defence this summer. 'Rehab was emotionally, mentally and physically battering,' she tells Mail Sport. 'You don't realise the toll that it takes on you until you are in it. There were weeks where I never did anything socially or with my teammates outside of football because I was just tired 24/7. 'Obviously post-surgery, you're just in the gym because that's the biggest time that you can work on the deficits. I think for me the Euros was always in my mind, that's something that I wanted to work towards.' Since her surgery at the end of January, Stanway has undergone 70-80 rehab sessions, focusing not only on her knee but also strengthening her entire body. And in particularly positive news to those with the hopes of watching Wiegman's side lift another major trophy this summer, Stanway says: 'Based on test results, I'm fitter and stronger than I've probably been in a very long time.' Although Stanway wasn't involved in Bayern Munich's final title push, she fully embraced the celebrations – joining Harry Kane in singing 'Sweet Caroline' atop a balcony in Munich's Marienplatz, clad in traditional lederhosen, as both the men's and women's teams celebrated their respective league triumphs. As for the Lionesses, they have faced consistency issues in recent months, exacerbated by the extended absences of Stanway and Manchester City duo Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood - who have both also been named for the upcoming Nations League fixtures. But Stanway is keen to clarify that her call-up was not a hasty decision. 'Of course, people will say I've not been able to play a game but that's unfortunately due to the timing in which the injury happened and the Bayern season ending last weekend meant that I wasn't quite ready. If we were to play this weekend, it would be another story. Hence why I am available for the Nations League. I know that I've still got a lot of time, I've got a lot of time to get back to the level (I was at). 'I'm in full contact training, everything's normal for me. It's been nice to be back with the girls, and I've got just under two weeks of solid training to try and do my best to get some minutes. 'And if I'm not fully at it by the Nations League, I've still got probably four weeks until the Euros begin. But yeah, that's my aim is to be fully fit and at the level by the Euros, and then it's up to Sarina, whether she picks me or not.' As for staying fit over the next few weeks, does that include turning out for Bayern at the inaugural World Sevens Tournament - the new 'grand slam' series of seven-a-side games which is set to feature her Lioness teammates Mary Earps and Ella Toone later this week? 'No, I'm not going to play,' Stanway says. 'I could play but I don't want to risk it. I know that Sevens is a completely different environment, and to be honest, I'd probably get far too competitive. We're all going to travel which is pretty cool, and support the ones that will play, but I'll be in training like normal.' Despite being sidelined, Stanway was an enthusiastic participant in her title celebrations Despite the gruelling nature of her training regime, Stanway has also used the time away from playing football to hone her tattooing craft, a pastime she has described as 'therapeutic' for her. Not only that, but the England No. 8 says that she's open for business. 'For the last few weeks I've probably tattooed two to three people a week, which is pretty cool. At one point I didn't have any clients, so I ended up tattooing all of my left leg, because that was the only leg that I could reach as I had a brace on the other leg. 'It's kept me at peace really. It's given me something else that I can focus on. The feeling when you've tattooed something and you enjoy your creation, it's like football. 'The satisfaction of having a good game or the satisfaction of scoring or the team winning. You can almost replicate that in tattooing - the fact that somebody gives you the reaction that they enjoy what you've done on their skin.' Stanway says she is keen to bring her tattooing equipment into the England camp but there's a few 'rules and regulations' she needs to check first. 'A few people have already offered for me to tattoo them. There's quite a lot of the team that have got them already. Lucy Bronze has spoken about it, but to be honest, I think I could find clients easily.' Stanway spoke to Mail Sport as part of her partnership with Celsius energy drinks - another essential she says she'll be bringing with her to camp. 'I've always been a big fan of energy drinks, I'd always have one before a game and I like everything Celsius stand for in terms of making sure that you're focused in every aspect of life. For me whether it's in my sport, whether I'm tattooing, whether you just need that extra push going into training, I get that from Celsius.' As for her hopes for England's huge summer ahead? 'Like we've done in previous tournaments, we take each game as it comes, we don't get too carried away. We try and keep all the noise in-house and nothing gets in, nothing gets out kind of thing. We do have a target on our back. We want to go under the radar, just do our job, and then see what happens at the end of it.'
