Latest news with #LilyWoodham
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Wales will 'come back fighting' after Euro 2025 opening loss
Defender Lily Woodham insists Wales will not be "too down" and "come back fighting" following defeat to the Netherlands in their opening game of Euro making their debut at a major finals, were beaten 3-0 by the 2017 European champions in Wilkinson's side face another tough game on Wednesday in St Gallen against France, who beat reigning champions England 2-1."We can't get too down about it," Seattle Reign's Woodham said of the defeat to the Dutch."It was a big occasion for us, and not to make excuses at all, we were a bit shaky"We know in ourselves what we need to do better and that's something we'll definitely work on as a group."We'll look at it, review it and try and be positive for the next one. We'll come back fighting."Now we know the reality of these major tournaments and what you've got to give and the work rate you have to put in."The teams that we are playing against are top level and have been here before." Hayley Ladd said defeat against the Netherlands was a "harsh reminder" of playing at a major finals."It was a nervy opening game," the Everton player said."Obviously q difficult score line in the end but it's the start to our journey here and we know we've got lots to improve on and still really positive as well."At least we've got a foundation now to build and grow with these next two games."We obviously know the standards of this level of football now and that's probably a harsh reminder as well that we've really got to be at our very best to compete with these teams."I feel we're capable of that - we just need to go up a few levels."
Straits Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Welsh women carry on tradition of oddball team photo
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Wales women's major tournament debut at Euro 2025 might not have gone the way they hoped, but the team are winning over fans with their unusual team photo, carrying on a tradition started by Gareth Bale and the men's team in 2016. Wales were beaten 3-0 by the Netherlands on Saturday, but it was their tongue-in-cheek photo that got football fans talking. If traditional team snapshots have players standing arm-in-arm in two tight rows, striking identical poses usually with their game faces on, the Welsh one is none of the above. Lily Woodham is off to the side holding the team flag and Rhiannon Roberts is crouched in the otherwise all-standing back row. Only Josie Green and Hannah Cain are arm-in-arm. There is zero sense of formation, random spaces between players, and they all wear cheeky grins. "The team photo is indeed a tradition, by accident," a Wales team spokesman told Reuters. "Our teams aren't the best at organising themselves for team photos and it's seen amongst our men's and women's teams -- it's not really forced or overly arranged to be a mess." At the 2016 men's European Championship, Wales reached the semi-finals where they lost to eventual winners Portugal. They also went viral on social media for a haphazard pre-match photo, which the players insisted was accidental. A string of positive results followed, so rather than attempting to conform, they did the opposite and exaggerated their oddball photo setup. It has become part superstition, part running joke. "That's a nice tradition, wholesome, funny, harmless...I love it," someone posted on Reddit's soccer page. Another poked fun at the team's result against the Netherlands, writing: "Awesome. Also the gaps are representative of their defence right now." Wales, drawn into arguably the toughest group of Euro 2025, play France on Wednesday before facing England. REUTERS
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Wales players 'buzzing' at Ingle's Euro 2025 return
Wales' players are "buzzing" about the return of cap centurion Sophie Ingle who says she is fit to start Wales' first major tournament former Wales captain and Women's Super League (WSL) record appearance-maker has not played a competitive game for more than a year after undergoing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) the 33-year-old midfielder says she is feeling "like herself again" and is ready to start when Rhian Wilkinson's side face the Netherlands in Lucerne on Saturday."We're all super excited for Sophie. We know what she's been through," defender Lily Woodham told BBC Sport Wales. "She's worked so hard to get back for this moment and to have her both on and off the field, I think she just offers a different level of experience and ability."As younger players we've always looked up to Soph, and off the pitch she's someone you can always go and speak to with problems. On the pitch you can you can see what she brings to us. So we're buzzing she is back." 'I feel like myself again' Ingle told the BBC last week that she was relieved to have been selected in Wales' 23-player squad and would be ready to play if selected, but having now arrived in Switzerland, the former Chelsea midfielder believes she is ready to play from the off against Netherlands."I'm feeling really good," she explained. "Every day I'm on the pitch I feel more confident and more myself, and a lot of the girls this week have said 'it looks like you haven't been out for nine months' which is obviously a compliment and gives me more confidence."Sometimes you don't really know how you're playing or how you look when you run or how you look when you're kicking a ball, but to get that feedback off the girls is a really nice moment."Then when I'm watching my clips back after training, I do feel like myself again and moving around the pitch really nicely."Ingle admits there is a big sense of relief to have made the squad, especially as there was no guarantee she would recover in time."I think because they always say on average, it's nine to 12 months [to recover from an ACL injury]. But as you've seen over the last year, especially with some of my teammates at the club, they've gone over the 12-month mark," she said."The nine to 12 month recovery, that's just an average. And it all depends on your body, how your surgery went, what actually was wrong with your knee, because sometimes it's not just the ACL. But I just think as soon as the girls qualified in December, that was always going to be my target." 'A great character' Striker Kayleigh Barton says the return of Ingle has made the entire Wales squad happy as they bid to try and cause an upset in Switzerland, in a tough Euro 2025 qualifying group that also includes England and France."Sophie's a professional and from the moment she suffered the injury she had a goal in her mind and knew what she wanted to achieve," Barton said."So it's fantastic that we have someone like Sophie back with us in the squad because of her presence, not just on the pitch but off the pitch."She's a great character, she's always smiling so she's like that every single day, and I'm just so happy she's reached her goal of getting back and that she's back with the team."Ingle has won multiple honours in a glittering club career with Chelsea, but expects Saturday to be a career highlight when Wales' players step out in Lucerne in front of their friends and family."Yeah, I can't wait. Can't wait to see the fans there," she said. "I think the families are more excited than us."I think we get a lot of messages from our families saying they can't wait to get out here and likewise with the fans. "To see the flood of red in the background of the goal, hearing the anthem again and being a part of it with the girls is just going to be really special."
BBC News
06-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Send in your questions for Wales women's football stars
We want to hear your questions for Lily Woodham, Josie Green and Elise Hughes - football stars who play for Cymru, the Wales national team. Newsround will be chatting to the Welsh players ahead of an exciting time for the women's team. Cymru will make their first ever appearance in an international tournament with Euro 2025 this summer. Send in your questions in the comments!
