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Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Portugal out of Euro 2025 after defeat by Belgium
Belgium have only won three of their nine games under Elisabet Gunnarsdottir [Getty Images] Portugal's faint hopes of reaching the Euro 2025 quarter-finals ended as they were beaten by Belgium in their final group stage game. To go through as Group B runners-up, they needed to beat Belgium, and hope Italy lost to Spain with a six-goal swing. Advertisement But Belgium, already eliminated after defeats by Spain and Italy, took control after three minutes in Sion as captain Tessa Wullaert turned home a low cross from Jill Janssens. Though Telma Encarnacao equalised for Portugal with three minutes remaining, Belgium secured all three points through Janice Cayman, who struck deep in stoppage time. After Portugal went behind early to Wullaert's goal, Ana Capeta passed up two gilt-edged chances to equalise - first failing to lift the ball over Lisa Lichtfus before the break and then failing to beat the Belgium goalkeeper at her near post minutes after the restart. Portugal were handed a reprieve when Mariam Toloba's goal for Belgium was chalked off for a foul on Andreia Jacinto in the build-up, after referee Tess Olofsson reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor. Advertisement Belgium and Toloba were denied a second again when the striker headed Wullaert's cross against the woodwork before Encarnacao's equaliser. Amber Tysiak thought she had given Belgium the lead again in stoppage time, only for it be ruled out for offside after a video assistant referee review - but then came Cayman's dramatic winner. With Spain beating Italy 3-1 in the other fixture, Belgium took third place in Group B with three points - one behind the Italians - while Portugal finished bottom with one point. What was the main talking point? It was another game filled with plenty of late drama for Portugal, who had maintained hopes of going through when Diana Gomes scored late to rescue a 1-1 draw against Italy on Monday. Advertisement But in their final group outing, Francisco Neto's side took time to recover from Wullaert's early goal for Belgium. Though much improved after the restart, Portugal had to ride their luck before Encarnacao's late equaliser but that was far from the final twist in the game. Tysiak's goal for Belgium was ruled out for offside in added time before Cayman scored, after seeing her initial attempt blocked in front of the goal by Carole Costa, to help Gunnarsdottir's side end their campaign on a positive note. Portugal, meanwhile, completed a difficult and emotional campaign, that was overshadowed by the tragic deaths of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva in a car crash days before the Euro 2025 opener against Spain. Advertisement Which players stood out? Wullaert continues to shoulder Belgium's goalscoring responsibility 14 years on from her international debut, scoring her 94th goal for her country. The former Manchester City striker, 32, scored five goals during the qualification campaign to help Belgium reach their third successive European Championship. And in what could be her final Euro appearance, Belgium's all-time record goalscorer not only bagged her first goal in the competition since 2017 but also created plenty of chances for her team-mates after drifting into wide areas. She has been involved in 19 goals in her past 13 appearances for Belgium, with 11 goals and eight assists. Advertisement Wullaert, along with match-winner Cayman, have started every game for their country at the Euros since their tournament debut in 2017. While Portugal goalkeeper Patricia Morais could make little impact on her 100th international appearance, her counterpart Lichtfus was key to Belgium's victory by making six saves. The standout stats The result means Portugal are yet to reach the knockout rounds of a major tournament, exiting at the group stage at the Euro 2017, Euro 2022, World Cup 2023 and now Euro 2025. Only Russia (15) have played more games at the European championship without ever keeping a clean sheet than the Portuguese (nine), who have conceded 23 goals in total, an average of 2.6 per game, which is the highest of any nation to appear at more than one edition of the tournament. Advertisement Both of Belgium's most recent competitive wins have come against Portugal with them also winning 3-0 in a Nations League fixture in June. What is next for these teams? Belgium will return to Nations League action in October when they bid to stay in League A by beating the Republic of Ireland in a two-leg promotion/relegation play-off. Meanwhile, Portugal, who finished last behind Spain, England and Belgium in their Nations League group last month, have already been relegated to League B. Where next?
Reuters
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Belgium end Portugal's quarter-final dreams with a 2-1 victory at Euro 2025
SION, Switzerland, July 11 (Reuters) - Belgium's Tessa Wullaert and Janice Cayman struck in a dramatic 2-1 victory over Portugal in their final Group B game at Euro 2025 on Friday that extinguished the Portuguese team's dreams of advancing to their first European knockout round. Belgium, who had already been eliminated from quarter-final contention before kick-off, finished third in Group B, while Portugal, who needed a win to advance, were fourth. Spain and Italy both went through after the Spaniards won their match 3-1. Belgium, who had two goals disallowed after VAR checks, had a dream start as Wullaert scored in the third minute after Jill Janssens raced down the right flank before slotting a low cross to the captain. Wullaert steered her shot into the far corner past goalkeeper Patricia Morais. The Belgians, quarter-finalists in 2022, held strong under an onslaught of desperate Portuguese attacks until Telma Encarnacao bagged an equaliser in the 87th minute to breathe some hope into the Portuguese side. But Cayman sealed Belgium's victory with a 96th-minute goal that happened largely thanks to terrible Portugal defending, when she pounced on a loose ball and fired home. Belgium's Mariam Toloba and Amber Tysiak both had goals disallowed in a roller-coaster second half, Toloba for a foul in the build-up and Tysiak for offside. Belgium lost midfielder Jassina Blom, who was carried off on a stretcher in the first half with an apparent knee injury and reappeared later on crutches. Portugal had kept alive their Euros campaign with a dramatic come-from-behind 1-1 draw with Italy, but there were no late-game heroics on Friday and tears flowed after the final whistle. Portugal had an emotional start to their tournament, opening against world champions Spain on the same day that Portugal and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota died with his brother in a car crash. Dozens of Jota shirts and signs dotted the Portugal crowd on Friday.
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.
