Latest news with #VictoriaPelova
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Euro 2025: Netherlands ready to believe in miracles and win big against France to advance
Netherlands's Victoria Pelova, right, during the Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and the Netherlands in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP) France head coach Laurent Bonadei and England head coach Sarina Wiegman, left, greet each other before the Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between France and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Netherlands head coach Andries Jonker stands by the touchline during the Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and the Netherlands at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Netherlands' Vivianne Miedema reacts after a missed chance to score during the Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and the Netherlands at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Netherlands' Vivianne Miedema reacts after a missed chance to score during the Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and the Netherlands at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Netherlands's Victoria Pelova, right, during the Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and the Netherlands in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP) France head coach Laurent Bonadei and England head coach Sarina Wiegman, left, greet each other before the Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between France and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) Netherlands head coach Andries Jonker stands by the touchline during the Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and the Netherlands at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) Netherlands' Vivianne Miedema reacts after a missed chance to score during the Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and the Netherlands at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) BASEL, Switzerland (AP) — Posed with the question 'Do you believe in miracles?' at the Women's European Championship, the Netherlands said it does. The Dutch likely must beat an in-form France by three clear goals on Sunday to reach the quarterfinals, needing to make up ground after a 4-0 beating by England. Advertisement 'Miracles exist,' Netherlands coach Andries Jonker said in translated comments on Saturday. 'After a very heavy 4-0 defeat there is one thing you can do, rise up again.' The scenario in Group D is that France sits top on six points, and England is expected also to end on six points by beating Wales in the final round of games played at the same time on Sunday evening in Switzerland. That would leave just one Dutch path to finish runner-up to England in the standings — a big win over France to lift them in a three-way tiebreaker between the six-point teams. The decider would be goal difference for those three teams in games against each other while excluding their results against Wales. 'Remember Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain,' Jonker said, citing the men's Champions League epic in 2017 that is known in soccer lore as 'La Remontada,' the comeback. Advertisement Barcelona lost 4-0 in Paris in the first leg of the round of 16, then won 6-1 at home to advance. 'There is no other option,' added Jonker, once an assistant coach at Barcelona, but to deliver an unforgettable game and performance. France coach Laurent Bonadei saw no disrespect when told of Jonker's comments — and countered with humor. 'That's normal, that's his role,' Bonadei said of his counterpart's confidence, though noted his own team's threat after scoring six goals across its two wins so far. 'It's maybe not 3-0 that he needs to win, but 5-2 or 6-3,' said the France coach, whose team needs only a point to top the standings. 'It will be a beautiful game. I would prefer to be in our place than theirs.' Advertisement Of course, if tournament debutant Wales was to stop England winning — not miraculous, though unlikely after losing to the Netherlands and 4-1 to France — then a win of any kind for the Dutch would be enough to advance. 'Wales is so eager to beat England,' said the Netherlands' veteran No. 10 Daniëlle van de Donk, who also was asked if she believed in miracles. 'I believe in our team,' van de Donk said in translated comments, 'and in football anything is possible.' ___ AP soccer:
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Alessia Russo wants England to play without fear despite pressure against Netherlands
Alessia Russo wants England to play without fear despite pressure against Netherlands By Laura Howard, Sportsbeat Alessia Russo says England want to be as free as possible when they play the Netherlands on Wednesday despite the pressure to get a result. The Lionesses lost their opening Group D match 2-1 to France, meaning a result against Oranje Leeuwinnen is a must if they want to keep hopes of progressing to the knockout stages alive. Advertisement It heaps the pressure on England but Russo insists they must play without fear if they are to be successful in the face of a technically astute Dutch side. 'It's massively [important]. We have so many great players and we want everyone to be as free as possible out on that pitch on Wednesday night and going forward,' she said. 'It's a big part of what we are as a team. We have players that can create something out of nothing. 'Making sure that everyone is in a good headspace going into that game is important and that's what we've been doing as a team. 'Ultimately, you have to have a game plan, but we've got individuals who can create a bit of magic as well.' Russo herself is one such player, a fact the opposition will know all too well with several familiar faces on the team. Advertisement Club teammates Victoria Pelova and Daphne van Domselaar will likely feature on Wednesday, while there is plenty of Women's Super League representation in the Dutch squad. It means Russo will come against the goalkeeper she trains week in, week out against at Arsenal but the 26-year-old is solely focused on England's capabilities. 'She's a world-class goalkeeper and someone that is a very talented player but as a team we're very focused on how we can create and the positions that we want to find ourselves in on the night,' she explained. 'We're aware that they have lots of talented players and Daph's definitely one of them but we've been looking at ourselves and how we can best prepare.' Advertisement Alongside Van Domselaar, Russo lifted the Champions League trophy in Lisbon in May having also featured in the past two major tournament finals at international level. Just like knockout football, Wednesday marks a must-win encounter as England would find their chances of progression severely dented if the result goes any other way. But the England forward is yet to experience such pressure so early on in an international tournament. 'It's a different scenario but one that we as a team are ready for. Every tournament makes me learn something different and brings out different parts of my game and my mentality,' said Russo. Advertisement 'You have to adapt and you learn a lot from these experiences. We've also got players like Lucy [Bronze] and Alex [Greenwood] who have been to lots of major tournaments and have that wealth of experience. 'We can lean on them at times as well. We've played in high pressure moments before and ultimately we know that this is one of them too, but we're looking forward to that.'
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
England wildcard Michelle Agyemang in a hurry to make Euro 25 impact
'It's easy to look at the time and think there's not enough left,' says England wildcard Michelle Agyemang. 'That's the beauty of the game. It only takes 10 seconds to make an impact. Any time is good enough for me so I'm grateful for that opportunity.' The 19-year-old forward is true to her word – it took her only 41 seconds to score on her England debut, reducing the deficit against Belgium from 3-1 to 3-2 in April. On Saturday, she was given four minutes of normal time against France to make a difference. She made an impact but, despite a battling final 10 minutes, the Lionesses couldn't salvage a point. 'There's fire in the belly,' says Agyemang of the mood in camp since that opening-game defeat put their European title defence in jeopardy. 'You can see that everyone's willing to go and get the result that we need in the next game. It's been the same goal from day one. We still want to win the tournament and that one result doesn't necessarily change anything. There's still something that we're going after, which is the trophy. The Netherlands game is a stepping stone in our way and we want to get past that and get towards the trophy.' It's a big stepping stone – the Netherlands are a formidable force. The 2017 champions boast a stellar lineup, many of who are familiar to Agyemang, with Victoria Pelova and Daphne van Domselaar at Arsenal with her and Daniëlle van de Donk, Jill Roord, Dominique Janssen and Vivianne Miedema former Gunners. 'We know that they have quality but we do as well,' says Agyemang. 'We believe in ourselves that we can go and get the job done. We know that we have a big game ahead of us. We have what we need so we just need to go and execute the way we know we can and then we'll get what we deserve.' Agyemang is almost unnervingly confident for someone so young. On the pitch her persona is different. 'She's a really sweet girl,' says Lucy Bronze. 'She's so sweet and unassuming as a person but then on the pitch she's probably one of my favourite ones to play against because I can just run into her dead hard. She likes to give it back. She's been told that she needs to go a little bit easier but I said: 'No, just keep it up Micha, I prefer it, I want you to give everything, it makes it harder for us.'' Agyemang laughs when Bronze's comments are relayed to her. 'It's an interesting one because we did have that conversation, me and Sarina,' she says. 'I've been working on that in training and I think I've improved but Lucy was saying she thinks it's a super-strength of mine. I know Lucy is physical as well, so we like going at it in training and it's fun to have that type of opponent and then you can reflect it in the game. I like it and she likes it as well.' Sitting surrounded by a large group of the English media, Agyemang has had to adapt quickly to her rising profile. Three years ago she was a ball girl at Wembley for England's 4-0 win against Northern Ireland and now she is at her first major tournament. For some time, her talents have been talked about, both in the England youth ranks and at Arsenal. Handling the hype and the pressure that comes with it is taken somewhat in her stride. 'When I was younger I didn't really like the cameras and stuff like that but I think it's a part of the game and the way the women's game is growing – you will have to speak,' she says. 'You can't hide from the cameras. I'm working on it. 'For me, in terms of pressure, I think most of the pressure comes from myself. I don't try to listen to the noise. I appreciate the support from everyone. I think focusing on what I can do is most important, and then the noise will come around no matter what happens. I just focus on how I can improve my game and how I can help the team is my most important thing.' 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 Where can she improve her game? 'That's a good question,' she says, pausing for thought. 'Getting that consistency. When I get on the pitch, being able to be as effective in minute one, even if that's the last minute of the game, or if I'm starting, getting that consistency from minute one to 90. Just being able to affect the game from minute one to the end.' Has she planned a celebration for her first major tournament goal? 'No,' she says. 'I always used to find it quite embarrassing. When I did celebrate I'd always look back and think it was really cringe. So I refrain from celebrating. If it comes out, if it comes out. It's not pre-planned at all.'
The Herald Scotland
06-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Rhian Wilkinson wants Wales to bounce back from opening setback
Victoria Pelova then doubled the advantage just three minutes into the second half before Esmee Brugts wrapped the three points up as Wales slipped to defeat in their opening game. Wales are the lowest-ranked side in the competition, but Wilkinson believes her team can take confidence from the loss in preparation for Wednesday's meeting with France. ⏰ FT | 🏴 0-3 🇳🇱 Defeat in our opening game at #WEURO2025 in Lucerne. — Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) July 5, 2025 'I think all of us as a group are going to have learned something about how we have to suffer in moments of a game,' Wilkinson said in her post-match press conference. 'We have to hang on and we can't capitulate our chains, our connection as a group has to be really tight. We saw moments where we just got a bit stretched and they took advantage of that. 'I do think the players themselves – it sounds strange when you lose 3-0 – but they'll have gained a bit of confidence in this. 'We'd rather lose by three or four nothing and try and play than just sit back. You could say we were defensive in the first half, but it was for a real purpose, we had a game plan and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. 'It almost got us to half, so in that way I don't think it was completely off-base but we'll keep pushing.' Wales are currently bottom of the Group D standings following their defeat, with Wednesday's opponents France in second place after beating England 2-1 on Saturday night. They conclude their group campaign with a clash against England and Wilkinson is hoping the team can take lessons into their upcoming matches. Cymru yn creu hanes 🏴 First Women's EURO game ✅#WEURO2025 — UEFA Women's EURO 2025 (@WEURO2025) July 5, 2025 She added: 'We have to create more opportunities and make sure those moments of lapses get fewer and fewer. 'This is the world stage, this is the big event and it's intimidating, it's the first game, but equally this is what we want. It comes with lessons like this. 'We've got two more big games and we've got to show up again and hopefully learn from how we finished that game because we really stepped up in the last 20 to 25 minutes.'
Glasgow Times
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Wales boss Rhian Wilkinson rues timing of goals conceded against the Netherlands
Manchester City's Vivianne Miedema opened the scoring for the Dutch in first-half stoppage time before Victoria Pelova doubled their tally after the break in the 48th minute to put the tie beyond doubt. Barcelona forward Esmee Brugts added the extras as Wales opened with a heavy loss. 'It was a tough game. We know we're in a hard group but, equally, it's about Wales showing up and showing who we are as a team and a country,' Wilkinson told the BBC. Diolch Y Wal Goch ♥️ You played your part in history with incredible support. It means everything to us. — Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) July 5, 2025 'Getting into the half at 0-0 would have gone a long way. In the second half, that quick goal definitely hurt us.' Wales will need to get points on the board against France in St Gallen on Wednesday if they are to progress from Group D. They then face the Lionesses in their final group game as they bid for silverware in Switzerland. 'We're going to have to grow and learn from this,' she added. 'We're looking forward to the next game now.' Wales failed to register a shot on target in the match, and midfielder Jess Fishlock pointed towards Miedema's 100th international goal and Pelova's effort early in the second half as the turning points. Vivianne Miedema opened the scoring with her 100th international goal (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP) 'To concede just before half-time and then so quickly after half-time, probably lapses of concentration and at this level, you switch off and you get punished,' Fishlock told the BBC. 'We are probably going to be a little bit disappointed in ourselves that we didn't get in and regroup the way we normally do. But this is the level and we have to get used to it real fast. 'What I do know is that we are going to regroup and get better as this tournament goes on. I think we have learned we can't switch off and we have to be better on the ball. 'At this level you have to keep the ball and move the ball and create space. We'll figure it out.'
