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RTÉ News
15-07-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
What Euro 2025 has taught Ireland about Belgium ahead of October's Nations League play-off tie
October has been marked down in the calendar for quite some time for the Republic of Ireland. After finishing second in their UEFA Women's Nations League group, the Girls in Green were guaranteed a promotion/relegation play-off against a League A team and out of the hat came Belgium. Since the draw was made, Ireland have played world number one USA twice, losing 4-0 back-to-back in Colorado and Cincinnati late last month. Belgium, meanwhile, were busy featuring at the ongoing Euro 2025 and their group in Switzerland was particularly tricky. A 1-0 loss to Italy got them off on the wrong foot, before their elimination was confirmed following an entertaining and high-scoring defeat to World Cup holders and tournament favourites Spain. However, they finished on a high note with a 2-1 win over Portugal. So with that in mind, what can Ireland take from the Belgians' performances at the European Championships ahead of October's two-legged showdown? "Obviously the first game (against Italy) was disappointing for them and when we were watching it, we were kind of thinking, 'We're not miles off this' and we could even beat them," Shelbourne midfielder and former Ireland international Rachel Graham told this week's . "Against Spain, it's obviously a big task for them and they're not going to set up against us how they set up against Spain. You're just going to do your best to keep Spain out. "And (Belgium) did get two goals against Spain and they're a big threat from setpieces. (Justine) Vanhaevermaet I think is six-foot-one. With the retirement of Louise Quinn, I don't think there's anybody who's going to really challenge her in the air, so that's going to be something that's going to be difficult for us." Graham added that the tournament will also have allowed the Belgians to gel together further and the final group game victory over Portugal showed another facet of the threat they will pose. "It was a much better showing than what they had shown in the first two games," she said of a side spearheaded by Inter Milan striker Tessa Wullaert. "It's probably when I was watching thinking, 'God, we do have a tough game against us now in October'. "They looked good when they were breaking away on the counter-attack. That's where we've looked a bit vulnerable in our recent few games, so definitely an area where we need to tidy up on especially now our back four has chopped and changed a bit and we still don't have an out-and-out right back which could prove to be an issue again in October."
Straits Times
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
We won't fear group leaders Spain, says Italy defender Oliviero
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Women's Nations League - League A - Italy v Wales - Stadio Brianteo, Monza, Italy - February 21, 2025 Italy's Elisabetta Oliviero during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Massimo Pinca/File Photo ST. GALLEN, Switzerland - Italy go into their clash against Spain at the Euros on Friday with no fear of the Group B leaders, defender Elisabetta Oliviero said, despite her side needing at least a draw to ensure they progress alongside the Spaniards. The Italians looked set to join Spain in the last eight, but they conceded a late equaliser in their last game which gave Portugal a 1-1 draw and leaves Italy with some work to do. They will be sure of reaching the quarter-finals if they avoid defeat by Spain or if Portugal do not beat Belgium. "It's not a joke -- I'm telling you, we don't have any (fear) because it's not a matter of fear," Oliviero told reporters. "Tomorrow we play our game with a lot of respect, but I repeat, we will play for (against) Spain like any other nation we will meet, or any other situation. "Spain has weak points, yes, like everyone, and we will definitely study them. Football is a special sport, that's the beauty of it. We will see many things on the pitch." Spain's embarrassment of attacking riches has seen them net a staggering 11 goals in two games so far, thrashing Portugal 5-0 in their opener and following that with a 6-2 drubbing of Belgium to book their place in the quarter-finals. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump's ambassador nominee to Singapore Anjani Sinha has a rough day at Senate hearing Singapore Singapore to hire more than 1,000 new educators annually in the next few years, up from 700 Singapore COE prices rise for all categories Singapore Govt watching job situation for fresh graduates closely, exploring further support: Gan Siow Huang Singapore Man who killed cats by throwing them off HDB blocks has jail term doubled to 27 months Singapore $43k fine for undischarged bankrupt doctor who failed to disclose assets worth over $4m Singapore Female primary school teacher charged over alleged sex acts with underage male student Singapore People working in air-conditioned spaces prefer 24 deg C and warmer: Survey Spain's Alexia Putellas and Esther Gonzalez have both scored three times so far in the tournament and the goalkeeper tasked with stopping them in training is not surprised at their form. "When they score those goals in matches I'm not surprised, because they do exactly the same in training," Spain's Adriana Nanclares told reporters on Wednesday. "In the end it's a luxury to have them, it speaks a lot about the individual ambition of each of them." The two sides meet at Bern's Wankdorf Stadium on Friday. REUTERS
Belfast Telegraph
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
NI boss Tanya Oxtoby opens up on observer role at Women's Euros… and how she's using it to boost her side going forward
The Australian is one of eight observers at the tournament who are monitoring matches in-depth from a coaching perspective. Content collected by the Technical Observers is stored in an educational database and they have access to statistics and video assistance to ensure they deliver detailed reports on the latest developments in coaching. Oxtoby is also involved in selecting the Player of the Match for each game and will be key in the process of selecting the Team, Player and Young Player of the Tournament as well as the best goals alongside the other observers, with the reports she contributes to used by Uefa and national Associations to help develop the women's game. Outlining her role at the Euro Finals, for which Northern Ireland qualified for the first time three years previously under Kenny Shiels, Oxtoby explained: 'The crux of the role is attending the games and observing the tactical trends that occur during each game and then feeding that back into the performance analysis team at Uefa. 'It's a really elaborate operation that's going on behind the scenes, and it's great to see that investment in the women's game in terms of the expertise that's been brought in to work as technical observers as well. 'From a development point of view, it allows me to see a number of different teams and nations that we could possibly be drawn against in the Nations League and qualifying and get a real good understanding of their trends and the way in which they like to play.' Northern Ireland failed to qualify for the Euro 2025 Finals having lost a Play-Off 7-0 on aggregate to Norway back in the winter of 2024. However, Oxtoby's role does allow her to assess prospective opponents – including Iceland, who are involved in the Finals and who Northern Ireland will face in a two-legged Nations League Promotion/Relegation Play-Off in October. Should Oxtoby's side come out on top, they will gain promotion to League A for the next edition of the Nations League, which could boost their chances of qualifying for another major tournament in the coming years. Oxtoby joins a panel of observers that includes former Germany midfielder and assistant boss Britta Carlson, ex-Barcelona Femeni boss Lluis Cortes, former Austria head coach Irene Fuhrmann, former Wales boss Jayne Ludlow, ex-Romania star Ioan Lopescu, former Scotland and Finland chief Anna Signeul and ex-Norway manager Martin Sjogren – who was in the opposite dugout when Northern Ireland faced the Norwegians in their first-ever European Championship Finals game. Oxtoby travelled to Switzerland having also observed the VBet Women's League Cup Final which was won by Cliftonville Ladies, who staged a thrilling comeback from two goals down to overcome Glentoran Women 4-2 at Seaview on Sunday, June 29. Caitlin McGuinness' double initially sparked the Reds' revival in response to Emily Wilson's first-half brace for the Glens before late Marissa Callaghan and Carla Devine finishes sealed the deal, with Kascie Weir sent off for the east Belfast side in second-half stoppage-time. On that clash, former Chelsea assistant manager Oxtoby said: 'It was a great advert for our women's domestic game. There was some exceptional talent on show and it really was a game of two halves. 'It was great to see such a competitive fixture in the Final and, with some of the talent coming through, the future really is bright.'
The 42
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Ranking the 8 teams most likely to win the Euros
8. Italy Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The Italian women's team don't have quite the same rich footballing tradition as their male counterparts. They have not gone further than the quarter-finals at the World Cup and have never won the Euros. The closest Italy came in the latter competition was a runners-up spot in 1993 and 1997. They have not fared so well recently, with group stage exits at the last two tournaments. The Azzurri would do well to surpass that achievement this time around, with a tricky-looking group that also features Spain, Portugal and Belgium. Their status as 13th in the Fifa rankings suggests they are one of the best sides in the competition, and they got on relatively well in qualifying, losing only once and topping a League A group that also featured Netherlands, Norway and Finland, all of whom have ultimately qualified for this tournament. 7. Denmark Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Another side who have never tested glory, with their best performance coming in 2017, when they reached the final. The Danes are not expected to repeat that performance in 2025, but their squad still boasts some quality players. Bayern Munich attacker Pernille Harder was a Ballon d'Or runner-up in 2018 and has 78 goals from 162 international appearances, while Roma's Sanne Troelsgaard is closing in on 200 caps for her country. 6. Netherlands Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The champions at the 2017 tournament, since then, the Netherlands have not been able to eclipse that achievement, though they came close in 2019, reaching the World Cup final. There is a sense that the team have been in slight decline thereafter, with disappointing quarter-final exits at the 2022 Euros and 2023 World Cup, although the latter defeat was a narrow extra-time loss to eventual champions Spain. That explains why they are not among the strong favourites to triumph, as well as a qualifying campaign that saw them finish second in their group behind Italy. Their squad has plenty of experience, with Lineth Beerensteyn, Vivianne Miedema, Jackie Groenen, Daniëlle van de Donk, Sherida Spitse, Jill Roord and Dominique Janssen all having won over 100 caps. But whether they have enough quality to overcome the main contenders looks doubtful. 5. Sweden Advertisement Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The champions back in 1984, Sweden, are among the best of the dark horses. Their qualifying passage was not exactly straightforward. They finished third, albeit in a very difficult group alongside France, England and Ireland. Their playoff pathway was considerably less taxing, picking up 12-0 and 8-0 aggregate wins over Luxembourg and Serbia. The Swedes also have several top players with vast international experience, including Linda Sembrant, Magdalena Eriksson, Jonna Andersson, Kosovare Asllani, Sofia Jakobsson, Fridolina Rolfö, Amanda Ilestedt, Stina Blackstenius and Lina Hurtig. The latter trio were all part of Arsenal's matchday squad for their recent Champions League final 1-0 triumph against Barcelona, with Blackstenius scoring the winning goal. 4. Germany Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo No team has a more impressive Euros history than Germany. They have won the competition eight times, and only two sides (Italy and Norway) have made more appearances in the competition. Norway are the only other team to have been champions on multiple occasions (twice, in 1987 and 1993). However, the Germans are not the dominant force of old. Although they made it to the final in 2022, before losing after extra-time against England, they flopped at the last World Cup, failing to emerge from a group that included Colombia, Morocco and South Korea. It won't be easy to surpass that feat this time, as they have been paired with Poland, Denmark and Sweden. Yet the two-time world champions came through qualifying with relative ease, winning five out of six games and topping their group ahead of Iceland, Austria and Poland. Managed by Christian Wück since last year, they also have a couple of players who are considered among the absolute elite of the game. Bayern Munich pair Giulia Gwinn and Lea Schüller, as well as Chelsea's Sjoeke Nüsken, all made the top 30 in the voting for the 2024 Ballon d'Or Féminin. 3. France Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Despite losing to Ireland at Páirc Uí Chaoimh, France marginally topped a very difficult qualifying group ahead of England, Sweden and the then-Eileen Gleeson-managed team. Getting out of their group at the Euros proper won't be easy either, as they have been drawn again with England, along with the Netherlands and Ireland's playoff conquerors, Wales. Any team that can escape that group has to be considered among the favourites, and France are well placed to lay claim to that status. In striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto and midfielder Grace Geyoro, both of whom represent PSG, they boast unquestionably two of the world's best players. Yet their record in the competition is less than spectacular. In eight appearances, their best performance was reaching the semi-finals in 2022, when they were knocked out by Germany. Managed by Laurent Bonadei (a former assistant coach of the Saudi Arabia national team under Hervé Renard), they have also exited at the quarter-finals in the last three successive World Cups, and their current Fifa ranking of 10th indicates they may again have to settle for a knockout stages exit, though a victory away to England in qualifying illustrates they are capable of competing with the very best on their day. 2. England Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The holders and fancied by many pundits to retain their trophy. The fact that English football has the reigning European champions in club football, Arsenal, bodes well for the national team's hopes, and the Gunners only finishing second in the Women's Super League, 12 points adrift of Chelsea, is a testament to the rude health of the country's domestic competition. Manager Sarina Wiegman is one of the most acclaimed coaches in the world. They also boast top-class talent such as Lauren James, Lucy Bronze, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo, who was recently nominated for the PFA Player of the Year and could be a Ballon d'Or contender, particularly if England emerge as winners, after already helping inspire Arsenal's Champions League success. The Three Lions weren't entirely convincing in qualifying, dropping points in three of their six games, but they should get out of a group featuring France, Netherlands and Wales, and they will at least hope to continue their impressive recent record — they have made the final of the last two major tournaments and are aiming for a sixth successive semi-final appearance. 1. Spain Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo The reigning world champions are the team to beat, and on paper at least, most people would agree they have the most talented squad of all the sides at the tournament. Qualifying was a relative breeze as they topped their group and won five out of six matches. Five of their players occupied the top 11 spots of the 2024 Ballon d'Or voting, including Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmatí, who claimed the top prize. Still, they are far from a sure thing. They have never won the Euros before or even made the final — their most impressive performance saw the team reach the semi-finals nearly 30 years ago, in 1997. La Roja have also been beset by off-field problems in recent times, most notably the unwanted kiss involving player Jenni Hermoso and former football chief, Luis Rubiales, in the aftermath of the World Cup final win. The controversial coach Jorge Vilda, who fell out with several Spanish players, has departed and is now in charge of Morocco. His former assistant, the ex-Barcelona player Montserrat Tomé, has taken over as national team manager. Regardless of the past issues, if this golden generation of Spanish players can perform to their full potential, it is difficult to conceive of anyone stopping them.
The Star
01-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Bonmati back with Spain at Euro 2025, although her status remains unclear
Soccer Football - Women's Nations League - League A - Portugal v Spain - Estadio Capital do Movel, Pacos de Ferreira, Portugal - April 4, 2025 Spain's Aitana Bonmati during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Miguel Vidal OBERENTFELDEN, Switzerland (Reuters) -Aitana Bonmati has rejoined Spain's squad for the Women's European Championship in Switzerland after being discharged from hospital following a bout of viral meningitis in a big boost for the world champions two days ahead of their opening match. Spain's football federation shared photos on social media of the Barcelona midfielder arriving at the team hotel late on Monday. It remains unclear, however, when she will be fit to play. Bonmati, the Ballon d'Or winner for the past two years, missed Spain's 3-1 victory over Japan in a friendly on Friday as the team prepared for their Group B match against Portugal on July 3. She had posted a photo from her hospital bed on social media on Sunday, giving a thumbs-up and stating: "Fortunately, everything is going well. I hope to return soon." Bonmati has scored 30 goals in 78 appearances for Spain, and was a key player in their victory at their 2023 Women's World Cup. (Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
