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BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Scotland 0-1 Austria: What Andreatta said
Scotland boss Melissa Andreatta: "There's one thing to be training and doing what we're doing, players executing what we're asking of them in a training session and it's another thing to do it in a match, particularly one with that context behind it. "I think I have a good baseline now to understand where we're at and some areas to work on to get where we want to be. "We were the better team in many moments in that second half but we all know in international football you have to be doing that consistently. That's what it takes in tournament football to go deep and that's what we want this team to be. "I really believe in this group and what's it's going to take now is a lot of work to continue to find the areas I can help this team to realise their potential and go to another level. The belief isn't down, I'm not shaken by the result, I'm even more passionate about supporting this team to realise their goals. "In the second half I saw more of that ability to break lines, get into good areas in the final third and create chances. That's the positive part and that's something we want to keep building on. "Me as a person, the past is the past now and I'll always look forward, take those learnings and think what we can do next. "That's what I've learned about this group, something we both share is this deep commitment to being the best we can and willing to do whatever it takes to do that. The belief is still there, it's just going to be a lot of hard work."
BBC News
29-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Andreatta on 'legend' Corsie, Scotland leadership & squad belief
New Scotland head coach Melissa Andreatta has been talking with the media before her first game in charge, the Nations League A visit of Austria to Hampden on are the key points:On captain Rachel Corsie, who retires after the double-header against Austria and the Netherlands: "What a legend! It's been super humbling to to work with her and the professionalism of Rachel is what's really stood out and her willingness to share her experiences with both players and staff."Andreatta adds: "All she's focused on is her role and what the team needs to do to play the way we want to."The Scotland boss believes the loss of Corsie's leadership going forward will tell but says the transition has been "occurring naturally" in her absence: "People have had to step up and there's actually been a lot of support around the leadership group to do that. In their own right they're leaders at club. So they've had a lot of opportunity to lead both at club and country."The former Australia assistant insists Scotland can stay in the Nations League top tier despite a poor run of adds: "I only see opportunity and yes, there's going to be tough times and there's a lot of progress to be made, but we believe we have what it takes and we're going to fight."Andreatta admits it's natural that confidence may have dipped given recent results but the players "believe they can do something and it's just putting all the pieces together in order for us to match that belief with the performance and the results".
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
From Linköping to Lisbon: retracing Blackstenius' steps to Arsenal icon status
Of the many enduring images of Arsenal's celebrations after their Women's Champions League triumph over Barcelona, one in particular emphasised the magnitude and rarity of the contribution made by their goalscorer, Stina Blackstenius. The Arsenal striker was photographed holding the trophy aloft alongside Alex Scott, the scorer of the only goal in their only previous European final 18 years earlier, and as the pair posed together, it hit home that Blackstenius had scored one of the two biggest goals in the club's history. The 29-year-old Sweden striker's name will now be immortalised in Arsenal Women folklore and, despite predominantly playing as a substitute in the past two seasons, she has developed a knack for delivering in the biggest moments, scoring the winner in the 2024 League Cup final and in the 2023 League Cup final. Advertisement Related: Mary Earps made indelible mark with England and leaves big gloves to fill | Suzanne Wrack It might seem at odds with her Women's Super League return of just five league goals this season - she has never hit double figures in the league for Arsenal in a single campaign - but to those who have followed her career since she was in her mid-teens, her success in Lisbon was no surprise. Martin Sjögren was in charge at the Swedish top-flight club Linköping when he signed a then 16-year-old Blackstenius from Sweden's lower leagues, where she had averaged more than a goal per game, prior to their 2013 season, and he recalls: 'She was a very big talent but very, very shy. Not on the pitch, but talking to the media especially, she didn't like that and she was very shy, but that was off the pitch – on the pitch, she played with the same characteristics as she has now, she had a lot of speed, a lot of physicality and she was scoring a lot of goals. 'She was a big talent back then [prior to signing for Linköping]. During those years she had scored so many goals in the lower leagues, so more or less everyone knew about Stina and Linköping were the closest elite team from where she played, so it was quite natural for her to join Linköping. She was very physical – for her age, she had the physique already, so that's always been important for Stina, to be able to run, to tackle, to work hard. You can still see that in her, it's a big part of her game.' Just over two-and-half years after moving to Linköping, Blackstenius would make her senior Sweden debut, and since then she has gone on to score 35 times in 115 senior internationals for Sweden. Sjögren, who is coaching Hammarby, says: 'She's always been the type of player that can create chances, score chances, more or less on her own, because of her speed, and because she can finish with both her left and her right foot. Advertisement 'Still, what I saw in her years ago, I still see that today, this is what she still does, but at a much higher level. She's still the same type of player. It [Saturday's winner over Barcelona] was a nice moment especially for Stina, she's a hard worker so I really think she deserves the best.' After breaking through Linköping, Blackstenius' career would take her to the French league with Montpellier before a return to Linköping and then a 2020 switch to Hacken, who were then known as Kopparbergs/Göteborg, where she won the title in her first campaign and scored in the 2021 Swedish cup final. Soon she was a transfer target for Arsenal and the head coach who brought her to north London in 2022, Jonas Eidevall, says: 'I don't think it is a coincidence that she has scored in all three finals during her time at Arsenal. She has a really good intelligence in how to find a good position in-front of the goal.' Eidevall, who stepped down from his role at Arsenal last October and is now coaching the San Diego Wave, who are second in the NWSL, says: 'Stina had proved so many times with the Swedish national team that she is a player for the big games, scoring deciding goals in knock-out matches. 'I think she has improved her technical level dramatically since she arrived at Arsenal, which also means that she's a much more well-rounded forward who can finish in more ways and operate both behind and in front of the back line.' Speaking after the final whistle in Lisbon, Blackstenius insisted on praising the 'team performance' rather than wanting to talk about herself, and told TNT Sports: 'I just can't believe it, all of it. I just can't believe we won the Champions League and we get to celebrate.' Even in that, proudest of moments, she still came across a little shy in a live post-match interview, but in front of goal, she is fearless.
ABC News
28-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
First Nations teams to help bridge talent dearth as football codes grapple with falling Indigenous numbers
Gumbainggir woman and former Matilda Gema Simon says she would have benefited from an Indigenous pathway program when she was a kid aspiring to reach the top level. "I didn't really play a lot of soccer with other Indigenous kids (growing up). There wasn't a lot within the pathways that I kind of came up in," Simon told ABC Sport. "I feel like I had to adjust from how I was at home around my family to then going and playing in teams that didn't have other Indigenous players." Simon said when she did get the privilege to play with other First Nations players in her 16-year career in the A-Leagues and national side, it felt like family. "It gives you the opportunity to just be yourself in an environment that you might not have been able to be as comfortable in anywhere else," she said, which is why she wanted to give back through the governing body's Indigenous programs. The 34-year-old, along with former Socceroo David Williams, has been named a head coach for Football Australia's Invitational XI Girls and Boys First Nations teams, set to compete in the Emerging Matildas and Emerging Socceroos Championships in July. It comes as codes across Australia grapple with how to increase Indigenous representation at their top levels, with many putting together youth representative sides to try to foster new talent coming through their respective pathways. Last week, two Indigenous AFL greats, Michael Long and Stephen Michael, called on the AFL to address the falling numbers of First Nations players on AFL club lists. There are just 63 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander AFL players in the men's competition, down from 87 in 2020. In last year's national draft, Hawthorn's Cody Anderson was the only Indigenous player selected. In rugby union, there have been just 15 First Nations Wallabies since the team's introduction in 1899. Meanwhile, in Super Netball, there is just one contracted First Nations player across all eight teams, Sunshine Coast Lightning's Leesa Mi Mi, a Wakka Wakka woman. For the past two seasons, there has also been Donnell Wallam, a high-profile Diamonds player and Noongar woman, but she now plays in the New Zealand premiership. To foster more Indigenous talent through its pathways, Netball Australia introduced the Black Swans in 2024, a First Nations national team, who now compete in the Pacific Netball Series. Simon said she wished everyone could see the impact these Indigenous sides had on the players. 'We're all working for the same thing," she said. "It is really awesome to see the girls embrace their culture and be a part of it and be around other Indigenous players. "I only last year played in my first Indigenous team then, which is pretty special for me, even like at my age. So I'm glad that the girls have that opportunity at at such a young age." Biripi girl Andie Chaseling, who led last year's Invitational XI girls' side as captain, said being able to play in the National Youth Championships and represent their backgrounds and Indigenous culture was a huge deal. "I think it's really great how we can all come together from all over Australia," Chaseling told Football Australia. "And because we've got that connection through our backgrounds we just gel straight away and play the game we love." Williams added that these programs were more than just about football. 'I'm proud to be part of an initiative that doesn't just talk about pathways but builds them," Williams said. "I've seen the quality and potential in these young players. Now, it's about giving them the environment and the belief to thrive.'
Washington Post
28-05-2025
- General
- Washington Post
Bueckers leads Wings past the Sun for 1st win of season
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Paige Bueckers had a triumphant return to Connecticut by scoring a career-best 21 points as Dallas won its first game of the season, beating the Sun 109-87 on Tuesday night. Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, shot 8 for 10 from the field and finished with seven assists and five rebounds.
