Latest news with #WankdorfStadium
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Portugal rose and sang for Diogo Jota as they declared their love for Liverpool's No 20 - the epitome of who they are as a nation, writes TARA ANSON-WALSH
They moved through the streets in silence, placards held high declaring their love for Liverpool 's No 20. The drummer at the front of the troop refrained from using his instrument and the people refrained from using their voices. There were no words readily available to articulate their sense of loss, and so they gathered to pay their respects in unspoken unity instead. The news of Diogo Jota 's death had sent shockwaves through the footballing world, but nowhere were the reverberations felt more acutely than among the Portuguese fans gathered in Bern for the Women's European Championship opening group stage game between Spain and Portugal. 'It's so new, it's hard to believe it's real,' one fan outside the Wankdorf Stadium, wearing a bucket hat embroidered with the Portuguese flag, told Mail Sport. They may have been heading to a women's match, but this was a moment where the entire football community stood together as one. Switzerland is home to one of the largest Portuguese communities – the third largest group of foreign nationals after Germans and Italians – and they raised signs that proclaimed: 'You took the name of Portugal beyond borders. Now it's our turn to raise your name.' Among the crowd there were vintage Liverpool shirts – Gerrard on the back and Carlsberg on the front – on show. There were even a couple of Pacos de Ferreira shirts, the club where both Jota and Andre Silva spent spells. The people moved towards the stadium and went to their seats to fly their red and green flags and sing their songs and never stopped. Even when the world champions struck within two minutes, inflicting the most excruciating of blows. Not even when their team let in four more goals. Both teams wore black armbands, and the fans kept singing, urging them on with unwavering support. In the 20th minute they rose to sing the song of the player who wore No 20 on his back for one of the world's greatest teams. Jota was no stranger to the women's football world either. On International Women's Day last year, he described how Brazilian legend Marta is the role model he hopes his daughter and two sons would grow up admiring, along with tennis legend Serena Williams. As Portugal's head coach Francisco Neto said, Jota was 'someone who followed the Navegadores (Portugal women's team) closely'. He added: 'We had to bring the group (of players) together this morning. It was a difficult moment for everyone. We're deeply saddened – there aren't many words. All we can say is that he will never be forgotten.' One fan, Pedro Macedo, 22, who was from Porto himself, the birthplace of the two brothers, described how he had followed Jota's journey his whole life - from Pacos de Ferreira to Porto to Wolves and then to Liverpool. 'I was brushing my teeth then my mother was in the kitchen and said 'Diogo Jota died'. I thought it was fake news but then I turned on my television and every Portuguese channel was talking about it,' he said. 'It was a shock for me because I liked his way of playing and for me, he was the best example of the Portuguese player. He battled hard, he had good technique and his offensive play was great.' And that's just it. There was an undeniable sense that Jota's people feel that he was the epitome of who they are as a nation. Determined, grounded and compassionate. Another Portugal fan, Antonio Rodrigues, 28, said he found the news shocking particularly because he and Jota were the same age - 'it's like a friend of yours has died'. He added: 'I know a lot of professional players play for money, but he played for Portugal and for his image, and I like that side of him. 'He was a classic Portuguese. We Portuguese love our land and everything that we do is for our land. Today the Portuguese people are here to support our Portuguese team - it's a new thing in the football and we are so connected. 'With these little things we are connected, and we are strong. We are little in country but we are very big in everything. In football, in personality, and you can ask who you want, how are the Portuguese and they tell you what I tell you. 'It's a hard game for Portugal but today they will play with another strength.'
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
‘Much more than football' – Portugal pays respect to Diogo Jota at Euro 2025
An hour before kick-off for Portugal's UEFA Women's Euro 2025 group stage match against Spain and eyes begin to gravitate towards Wankdorf Stadium's west stand towards a large piece of cardboard fastened to the bottom of the upper stand. 'You took the name of Portugal beyond borders,' it reads in earnestly sprawled black marker ink. 'Now it's our turn to raise your name.' Advertisement The placard's unfurling was silent yet arresting, much like the news it was in response too: Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva's, 26, tragic passing in a car crash in the early hours of Thursday morning in Spain. In the fading afternoon heat, a small group of Portugal fans walked to Bern's northern flank in mini-pilgrimage, hoisting placards as tribute to Jota and Silva, chanting their names into the sky. If the day was not poignant enough, the evening's match-up against Spain added further texture, with the Porto-born forward's last career game coming against Spain in the men's Nations League final earlier this summer. As kick-off beckoned, more placards appeared, attempting to voice the parts of loss and love that feel inexpressible in these moments. The teams emerged from the tunnel wearing black armbands. The minute's silence was adhered to with haunting reverence, then broken into loaded, rapturous applause. Behind Ines Pereira's goal, Portugal fans held aloft a series of cards spelling out the message: 'Descansa Em Paz Diogo Jota' (rest in peace Diogo Jota), before chanting his name once again. The effect was the Wankdorf transformed momentarily into a place of communion. In these moments of subtraction, there is desire to see life give back. But 90 seconds later, Spain's Esther Gonzalez flitted in behind Portugal's high defensive line, taking down a raking pass from left-back Olga Carmona with her shoulder before bundling the ball beyond Pereira. Five minutes later, 19-year-old Vicky Lopez poked home a low-driven cross from Mariona Caldentey. Portugal were always going to struggle, as most pre-tournament predictions forecasted. The reigning world champions had inflicted a 7-1 defeat to Portugal in April. Two months later, Spain played with the same sublime majesty, tangling Portugal's defence into desperate ribbons and their attack into a non-event. Advertisement By half-time, the scoreline read 4-0, goals from Alexia Putellas and Gonzalez arriving in the final seconds of the first-half. Meanwhile, Portugal failed to register a single shot or corner, the number of touches in Spain's box a total of two, the number of passes completed in Spain's half totalling eight. By full-time, Portugal managed two shots at goal, none on target. 'This is life,' was the assessment of one Portugal fan before kick-off following the news of Jota and Silva's passing. The appraisal was not crude, but rather honest, profound even. The passing of those young and outward facing has a habit of wreaking a pausing effect on life as the rest of us reflect on our own mortality. But then a game of football must be played, a goal scored, then one, two, three, four more, life carrying on amid death. 'Today is a really sad day because two of us lost our lives, so young,' said Portugal head coach Francisco Neto after his side's 5-0 defeat. 'This is not a good day. If we had the possibility to change everything we would.' There is pride to be taken here for Portugal, to not only show up but keep running, chasing, scrapping against the tournament favourites who resisted any impulse to let up due to circumstances. So too is pride owed to Portugal's fans, who continued to chant throughout it all, red and green flags aloft, the beat of a lone drum imbuing the 29,000 plus in attendance with an unceasing rhythm as those in Portugal colours hoped for something bordering on miraculous from this match, this life. With 75 minutes gone, it looked like Portugal, whose second-half display was marginally more competitive, might get a sliver of one, only for Ana Capeta to sky her shot from inside the box. A handful more chances came, none taken. And still Wankdorf Stadium heaved with Portuguese song, as if any other noise outside of a goal celebration might border on sacrilege. Advertisement Afternoon sun escaped into black night and Cristina Martín-Prieto made it 5-0 in injury time, but one Portuguese fan's placard caught the eye. 'Muito mais que futebol' it read — 'much more than football'. And as Portugal players broke from their post-match huddle to applaud the travelling supporters, who in turn presented them with a large black banner bearing Jota's name, its message felt all the more prescient for a nation's whose football teams run through it like a main artery. When asked about Jota in his post-match press conference, Neto took a moment to compose himself. His path first crossed Jota's in the national team's under-19s. From there, their paths continued to intersect, Jota following the women's national team with an ardent zeal. 'He always knew the results, followed the players,' Neto said. 'This is the culture we have in Portugal, what we're building inside our federation and our country.' Top photo: Manuel Winterberger/Eurasia
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Aitana Bonmati returns for Spain a week after viral meningitis hospitalisation
Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati played the final nine minutes of Spain's 2025 European Championship group stage win over Portugal on Thursday, returning four days after being discharged from hospital following a viral meningitis diagnosis. Bonmati, 27, entered the field in the 81st minute at the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern in place of goalscorer Vicky Lopez in Spain's fifth and final change of the game. The world champions were leading 4-0 at the time of her introduction and went on to add a fifth in stoppage time. Advertisement Bonmati missed Spain's final pre-tournament friendly against Japan on Friday, posting a photo of herself watching the game from a hospital bed with a cannula in her arm. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) later confirmed her diagnosis, before she was discharged on Sunday and re-joined the Spain squad on Monday. Uncertainty remained over her availability ahead of their Euro 2025 group stage opener against Portugal. The midfielder returned to individual training at the beginning of the week, and Spain head coach Montse Tome said ahead of Thursday's game that while she was progressing well and keen to play, they had to manage her carefully. 'I want to convey Aitana's desire to play; we have to slow her down. According to the medical staff, her progress is positive. Obviously, her health is the most important thing, but her progress is positive.' According to the British National Health Service (NHS), viral meningitis typically takes seven to 10 days to fully recover from. It is unclear when Bonmati was first diagnosed. Spain were 5-0 winners over Portugal, with goals from Alexia Putellas, Lopez and two from Esther Gonzalez giving Tome's side a 4-0 half-time lead. Cristina Martin-Prieto added a fifth in the 93rd minute to leave Spain top of Group B, level on points with the winner from the earlier game, Italy, but ahead on goal difference. Spain return to action against Belgium on July 7 before facing Italy on July 11 to close out the group stage.
Al Arabiya
4 days ago
- Sport
- Al Arabiya
World Champion Spain Routs Portugal 5-0 in Their Euro 2025 Opener
Esther González scored twice, and world champion Spain delivered a statement of intent by routing Portugal 5–0 in their Women's European Championship opener on Thursday. The 32-year-old González became the oldest player to score for Spain minutes before 18-year-old Vicky López became the youngest. Spain captain Alexia Putellas also scored for La Roja, showing she's ready to lead the team to success after missing Euro 2022 with a knee injury. Spain lost to eventual winner England in the quarterfinals of that tournament. Substitute Cristina Martin-Prieto completed the scoring with a header in stoppage time. González wasted little time before opening the scoring after 87 seconds with a flick past Inês Pereira. It quickly became apparent the Portugal goalkeeper would have a busy game. She did. Only 24 minutes were played when the fans started a Mexican wave around the nearly 30,000-capacity Wankdorf Stadium – normally home to Swiss Super League team Young Boys. The club also has a women's team, which is also called Young Boys. Spain dominated possession in a textbook first-half display. Teammates' work off the ball ensured there was always a passing option. No player had the ball for long as it zipped around, and the Portuguese players were left to chase it. But Spain coach Montse Tomé may have concerns about her team's second-half performance, as her players' level of control dropped. Martin-Prieto's late goal was the only addition. The game was preceded by a moment's silence for Portugal and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, killed in a car crash with his brother the night before.
