Latest news with #Wiegman
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
How to watch England vs Italy live: Stream link, TV channel, team news, prediction
Reigning champs England face underdogs Italy in an intriguing semifinal at the women's European championships in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday. MORE — EURO 2025 schedule, scores Sarina Wiegman's England made it through to the final four after an epic, almighty scrap with Sweden in the quarterfinals, as the Lionesses won 3-2 on penalty kicks. They had trailed 2-0 in the first half but launched an incredible comeback late in the second half to take the game to extra time, as the reigning champs eventually won on penalty kicks as goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was the hero. England have been far from their best so far in this tournament but they've done enough to make it to the semifinals and are the favorites to advance. Italy have absolutely nothing to lose and Andrea Soncin's side have made it to this stage of the competition for the first time since 1997. They upset Norway 2-1 in the quarterfinals and the Italians are direct, tough to play against and will have no problem with sitting deep and then looking to hit England on the counter. Everybody expects England to advance but Italy are dangerous. How to watch England vs Italy live, stream link and start time Kick off time: 3pm ET, Tuesday How to watch, TV channel: Fox Sports England focus, team news Sarina Wiegman will be hoping for a straightforward victory for England after the rollercoaster of emotions the quarterfinal against Sweden delivered. Captain and star center back Leah Williamson should be fit after an ankle injury, while Wiegman has some huge calls to make in attack. Chloe Kelly and Michelle Agyemang had a massive impact off the bench against Sweden and are pushing for starts. Will Wiegman go for it and start Agyemang up top with Alessia Russo from the start? Italy focus, team news The Italians have scored first in all of their games at this tournament and that has been key on this dream run to the semifinals. Veteran Cristiana Girelli scored twice to lead the Azzurre to an unexpected win against Norway and Italy's star striker and captain holds the key to their hopes. They were beaten 3-1 by fellow semifinalists Spain in the group stage but Italy have shown they can hang in there in games against the top teams. If they score early against an England side which has struggled defensively in this tournament, the shock is well and truly on. England vs Italy prediction This will be a lot closer than most predict, but England's quality in attack will be too much for Italy to handle. It could go to extra time, but England will advance. Just. England 2-1 Italy.
Powys County Times
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Powys County Times
England captain Leah Williamson trains ahead of Euro 2025 semi-final
England captain Leah Williamson trained with Sarina Wiegman's squad in Zurich the morning before their Euro 2025 semi-final with Italy. There had been doubts over whether the Arsenal centre-back would be available to play in Geneva on Tuesday night after rolling her ankle during extra-time in the defending champions' dramatic penalty shootout victory over Sweden. All 23 players in Wiegman's squad were out for training at Sportanlage Au ahead of their sixth consecutive major tournament semi-final, including Jess Carter, who on Sunday announced she would be stepping back from social media after she was the target of racist abuse. Semi-final week! 💪 — Lionesses (@Lionesses) July 21, 2025 Williamson's fellow defender Esme Morgan said on Saturday she would be prepared to play whatever role Wiegman asked of her, including stepping in for Williamson if necessary. But she added: 'We are very optimistic that Leah will be available. I want what's best for the team and that's absolutely having our captain on the pitch for us.' Wiegman will address the media at her semi-final press conference at 5.45pm UK time.
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
England 'finishers' roles speak volumes as Lionesses' resilience keeps Euros dream alive
England dug deeper than they have all tournament to force extra-time and penalties against Sweden in Zurich before squeaking into the European Championships semi-finals Sarina Wiegman's 'finishers' played a crucial part in England's Euro 2022 win, but their contribution against Sweden on Thursday night was just as dramatic. And it shows how the resilience of this squad runs right through the group - from those who played the full 120 minutes to those called into action to change the game. Few substitute appearances will ever be as decisive as Chloe Kelly's match-winning arrival in the final at Wembley three years ago, but she ran it close in Zurich. Roughly three minutes passed between Kelly entering the field and England drawing level from 2-0 down, and the Arsenal star had a part in both goals. Not only that, but her penalty - converted under the most extreme pressure - kept the Lionesses alive before Lucy Bronze eventually stepped up to help end a shoot-out that looked as though it could go on forever. Kelly wasn't the only finisher to make a key impact, though. Fellow subs Beth Mead and Michelle Agyemang combined for the equaliser after fine work from Kelly down the left, and extra-time sub Niamh Charles got a key deflection on Lina Hurtig's header at the death to ensure all that hard work wasn't for naught. 'What we can control is the team just fighting to get back into the game and that is what you can see,' Wiegman said after the match, adrenaline still running through her veins an hour after her team sealed victory. 'I think that's a quality that is so strong in this team, that togetherness and fighting back. It shows so much resilience. 'Then we changed it and brought in other players like Michelle, Chloe and they brought different things to the game that really helped the team in that moment. Also, Sweden in that moment, had to adapt to some different things we did and before they could, it was 2-2. 'That is so powerful from this team. That luck as well, yes, at least three times I thought we were out.' Kelly's pressure kick kept England alive, but it was one of the starters - right-back Bronze - who scored the decisive kick. 'Lucy Bronze is just one of a kind, I have never, ever seen this before in my life,' Wiegman said. 'I'm a very lucky person that I've worked with so many incredible people and incredible football players, and there are so, so many, but what she does and her mentality, and how she did that penalty and the goal, at the far post, she gets it in the net. But that's not what defines her. What defines her is that resilience, that fight. I think the only way to get her off the pitch is in a wheelchair.' Wiegman spoke ahead of the match about the Lionesses practicing penalties, while Sweden boss Peter Gerhardsson said his side hadn't done the same. And Wiegman's comments were reinforced by captain Leah Williamson - despite Sweden keeper Jennifer Falk keeping out four of England's spot-kicks. '"[We prepared] loads, I know there were a few more misses than normal but everybody does,' Williamson said. 'It's something you have to box off before a tournament. There's so much science about it nowadays. It's the easiest and the hardest thing in the world.'
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
When do England play next? Lionesses semi-final details after dramatic penalty win
England beat Sweden in the quarter-finals of the Women's European Championship on Thursday and Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses will take on Italy for a place in the final England kept their hopes of retaining the Women's European Championship alive after beating Sweden via a dramatic penalty shootout. The Lionesses missed most of their seven spot kicks but remarkably still advanced to the semi-finals, having come from 2-0 down in normal time. Lucy Bronze and Michelle Agyemang both scored in a three-minute turnaround as Sweden's lead was vanquished late on. Bronze was one of only three England players to score their penalties, with four of their team-mates failing to convert. Sweden had the chance to win the shootout after four efforts each when goalkeeper Jennifer Falk boldly stepped up to take one. But fittingly for the chaotic shootout, she skied the ball over the bar. The Lionesses - helped by goalkeeper Hannah Hampton saving two penalties - were more clinical from there on out and made the Swedes, who won all three of their group matches while conceding just one goal, pay the price. Sarina Wiegman's defending champions will now face Italy for a place in the final. The Italians finished second in their group behind tournament favourites Spain. They edged past Norway on Wednesday thanks to Cristiana Girelli's 90th-minute winner. When do the Lionesses play next? England face Italy at 8pm BST on Tuesday, July 22. The fixture will be played at the Stade de Geneve in Lancy, just a few kilometres away from Geneva. The winner of the contest will go through to the final of Euro 2025 against one of Spain, Switzerland, France or Germany. That match will be held at the St Jakob Park in Basel at 5pm on Sunday, July 27. England won the last Euros final in 2022, famously beating Germany at Wembley. Wiegman and her players will be dreaming of repeating their heroics from three years ago but must first recover from a taxing night in Zurich. Which TV channel will show the game? ITV have the rights to broadcast live coverage of England's semi-final in the UK and the match will be shown on ITV1. Fans can also live stream the game via the ITV Hub. Wiegman revealed post-match that she was 'very emotional' after a 'crazy game'. "Today I thought about three times we were out," the Dutch coach admitted. She also gave an update on captain Leah Williamson, who limped off in the second half of extra-time after she rolled her ankle. "She'll be assessed tomorrow," Wiegman confirmed. "I don't know [how she is, but] she couldn't stay on the pitch anymore." Wiegman wasn't impressed with how England started the match, as they found themselves 2-0 down after 25 minutes. "We wanted to start the game a lot better than we did," she acknowledged. "That's not a good start. "Then really quickly they scored a second goal and we were struggling coming into the game. Then you think we wanted to think about how could we help the team. Then we started playing a bit better but we didn't create much. In the second half we were on the ball a lot more."
South Wales Argus
4 days ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Sarina Wiegman hails Sweden clash 'most chaotic' of her career
The Lionesses came back from two goals behind to draw 2-2 in normal time before winning 3-2 in a penalty shootout that saw nine misses before Lucy Bronze buried her sudden death spot-kick and Smilla Holmberg sent hers over. It means England will face Italy in their semi-final on Tuesday but Wiegman was unable to think ahead as she tried to process the emotions of a tense night in Zurich. 'I'm very hyper,' she said. 'I'm still very emotional and I think the adrenaline is still in my body. It was a crazy game. 'That was absolutely the most chaotic game I've been a part of. I can't remember anything like this.' England went a goal down inside two minutes when Kosovare Asllani capitalised on a mistake at the back to slot home the opener. It was just the first warning side of a poor first-half from the England team who appeared to revert to the ways of their first match against France which saw passes go astray. England would concede a second on 25 minutes as Stina Blackstenius raced onto Julia Zigiotti Olme's throughball to strike, leaving Wiegman to admit it was not the start they hoped for. 'Of course we wanted to start the game a lot better than we did. In the first two or three minutes we were 1-0 down and that's not a good start of course,' she reflected. 'Then really quickly they scored the second goal and we were really struggling with coming into the game. 'You want to start playing football but we didn't do that. So then you start to think how can I help the team to start playing better? 'In the second-half I thought we did start playing a bit better but we didn't create that much. 'When you're in the 18-yard box and you put the ball in, they're so good defensively that you have to go either far post or create something at the edge of the box and we were struggling with that. 'So you just need a couple of players with different attributes in the game that are changing the picture.' Those players came in the form of a triple substitution in the 70th minute as Beth Mead, Esme Morgan and 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang all entered the field. But it was Chloe Kelly who created real impact when she came on eight minutes later to assist Lucy Bronze's header and set up Mead to nod down for Agyemang's equaliser. 'They bring something different to the game,' explained Wiegman. 'That really helped the team in that moment. 'Also, Sweden at that moment had to adapt to different things that we do and before they could adapt it was 2-2. So that was the power of that today. 'Niamh Charles also came in and she had a crucial header to win that duel and keep it 2-2. 'That's really hard to come in, in that intensity and to show up and do the right things is really impressive. That shows the strength of this team.' It was a strength they carried into a penalty shootout after the 30 minutes of extra-time had remained goalless. England missed four of their seven penalties, with Alessia Russo, Chloe Kelly and Lucy Bronze the only to convert. But thankfully for them, Sweden were even more wasteful from the spot. 'I thought we were out twice today,' confessed Wiegman. 'There were so many penalties that I was really concerned. That needs a bit of luck that they then miss. 'In the Finalissima and against Nigeria we had really good shootouts and today we weren't good enough, let's put it that way. 'So of course I was concerned because we were missing and I know players are capable of taking a penalty because they're really good. 'You can talk about reasons, the fatigue, the whole picture, I think it was just really hard. But of course we were concerned. 'We have trained penalty shootouts and we know what players are capable of and we will of course prepare but it will not be a big focus ahead of Italy.'
