Latest news with #WomensEuropeanChampionship
CNA
5 days ago
- Health
- CNA
Forward James named in England squad for European Championship
BURTON UPON TRENT, England : England named Lauren James in their squad on Thursday for this year's Women's European Championship despite the Chelsea striker being sidelined with a hamstring injury for over two months. James, who has seven goals in 27 appearances for England, had been in a race against time to recover before the team kick off the defence of their title versus France on July 5. Sarina Wiegman's squad suffered a blow on Wednesday when defender Millie Bright withdrew from consideration for the tournament, saying she was not physically and mentally at her best. Bright's withdrawal comes after goalkeeper Mary Earps and midfielder Fran Kirby announced their international retirement. Earps appeared to have lost her starting spot to Hampton and Kirby was told she would not be in the squad for the finals in Switzerland. Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton, Khiara Keating, Anna Moorhouse
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
Lauren James makes Lionesses Euro 2025 squad together with Michelle Agyemang
Lauren James has been included in England's final squad of 23 players for July's Women's European Championship in a big boost to Sarina Wiegman's side's hopes of retaining the trophy they won for the first time in 2022. The Chelsea forward has been sidelined since April with a hamstring injury but has been deemed to be fit enough to travel to Switzerland, where England will begin their campaign against France in Group D on 5 July. There is also a place for the 19-year-old Arsenal forward Michelle Agyemang, who scored on her debut away at Belgium in April, and the Arsenal centre-back Lotte Wubben-Moy is included too following Wednesday's withdrawal of Millie Bright. There is no place in the squad, however, for the Brighton forward Nikita Parris, and Aston Villa midfielder Missy Bo Kearns. Both players were part of the recent, larger squad for England's win over Portugal in May and their loss in Spain on Tuesday. Kearns is one of four players named on standby alongside the Brighton goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley, the Manchester City midfielder Laura Blindkilde Brown and the Aston Villa defender Lucy Parker. It means there is no place in the camp for the Brighton youngster Maisie Symonds, who received a call-up in March, nor for midfielders Laura Coombs and Katie Zelem, who were both part of England's squad for the 2023 World Cup. Wiegman's squad announcement comes after a tumultuous week for the Lionesses which have seen Mary Earps and Fran Kirby both retire from international duty, and Chelsea's Bright withdraw in order to look after her mental and physical health. The squad will travel to Switzerland on 30 June, after starting their training camp at St George's Park on 16 June. 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 Goalkeepers: Hannah Hampton, Khiara Keating, Anna Moorhouse Defenders: Lucy Bronze, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Jess Carter, Niamh Charles, Maya Le Tissier, Esme Morgan, Alex Greenwood, Leah Williamson Midfielders: Grace Clinton, Jess Park, Ella Toone, Georgia Stanway, Keira Walsh Forwards: Lauren Hemp, Beth Mead, Lauren James, Chloe Kelly, Aggie Beever-Jones, Michelle Agyemang, Alessia Russo This report will update shortly
Associated Press
03-06-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Euro 2025 host Switzerland loses to Norway in stadium close to Alpine rockslide village
SION, Switzerland (AP) — A full rehearsal for their opening day game at the Women's European Championship saw host Switzerland beaten 1-0 by Norway on Tuesday in the UEFA Nations League. The game was played at Sion, a Euro 2025 host venue about 40 kilometers (25 miles) down the River Rhone from the valley where the village of Blatten was destroyed last week by a landslide of rock and ice. The stadium observed a minute's silence before kickoff. On July 2, Switzerland will host Norway in the prime-time game on opening day of the Euros — likely not forgetting the manner of the only goal Tuesday in the fourth minute. When a Swiss defender purposely put a deflated ball out of play, Norway took the throw-in with a fresh ball and started an attack. That quickly led to a shooting chance for Vilde Boe Risa to score. 'It's not even a goal, because they haven't played with 'fair play,'' Switzerland midfielder Smilla Vallotto told broadcaster RTS. 'That motivates me for the next match. It's really not possible that they did that.' The young Swiss team coached by Pia Sundhage, who led the United States to Olympic gold medals in 2008 and 2012, is now relegated from the Nations League top tier in a group won by France, which beat Iceland 2-0 Tuesday. After hosting Norway in Basel in four weeks' time, Switzerland will play Iceland in Bern and Finland in Geneva. ___ AP soccer:
The Guardian
03-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Clàudia Pina's double for Spain means England miss out on Nations League finals
Spain demonstrated why they are the favourites to win the Women's European Championship in Switzerland as they came from behind to beat England in Barcelona and top their Nations League group. The Spain substitute Claudia Pina proved to be the matchwinner, scoring twice and causing all sorts of problems for the England defence. After England held a half-time lead thanks to Alessia Russo', the Barcelona forward equalised just inside the hour mark, two minutes after coming on, when she created room for herself to shoot inside the box with her left foot and beat Hannah Hampton. Her second goal was outstanding, struck with distance with power and finesse, with her strike bouncing in off the post and giving the new England No 1 no chance. The result ensured Spain progressed to October's semi-finals of the Nations League and England finish second in the group. It will have given the England head coach, Sarina Wiegman, plenty to ponder, with less than 48 hours before she names her final squad for July's Euros. The Dutchwoman, who has overseen 12 wins out of 12 in her two previous Euros campaigns as a head coach, named what appeared to be her strongest available starting side, but it was in the second half, when she began to introduce squad players, that Spain began to fully assert their superiority. Spain had taken control of the possession, territory and chances from the beginning of the contest but they were initially thwarted and frustrated, largely thanks to an outstanding reaction save from Hampton The keeper demonstrated her quick reactions by denying Esther González from close range after the ball dropped kindly for the Spain forward from a corner. It was England who took the lead, however, as Russo marked her 50th cap with her 22nd goal for England, latching on to Keira Walsh's ball and having the pace and composure to stretch clear of Irene Paredes and then expertly roll her finish past Cata Coll and into the far bottom corner. The hosts were indignant, believing Salma Paralluelo had been fouled by Niamh Charles in the lead-up to the goal. Paralluelo had gone to ground after attempting to turn inside and the ball had rolled to a grateful Walsh, whose subsequent through ball to find Russo's run was exquisite. The Spanish crowd were intent on making their feelings clear to the officials, but perhaps they should have been more angry at their own players' failure to play to the whistle, with at least three Spain players appearing to pause as they appealed for the foul. The home supporters had a far stronger case to feel aggrieved just a few moments later – and their whistling intensified significantly – when the ball vhit Charles's outstretched arm inside the penalty area, as she had attempted to clear Alexia Putellas' left-wing cross. In line with Uefa's regulations for this stage of the competition, there was no video assistant referee so the officials were not able to have a second look. The hosts remained on the attack and the Ballon d'Or winner, Aitana Bonmati, and her Barcelona team-mate Patri Guijarro rolled efforts wide from long range. 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 After the break, Wiegman gave the Aston Villa midfielder Missy Bo Kearns her senior England debut, replacing Georgia Stanway, and soon afterwards swapped Jess Carter for Lucy Bronze at right-back, as well as Chloe Kelly being introduced to give Beth Mead a rest. While the Lionesses began to look weaker off the ball, Spain were getting stronger, after bringing on Pina to replace Paralluelo. After Pina – who was also on target in both legs of Barcelona's 8-2 aggregate victory over Chelsea in the Women's Champions League semi-finals in April – had scored her quick double, Spain saw out the victory in relatively comfortable fashion and they will head to Switzerland in strong form, having also enjoyed a 5-1 away victory against Belgium on Friday. England will host Jamaica in a friendly in Leicester on 29 June in their final fixture in preparation for the Euros but they will now seek to defend their Euros title off the back of one win and one defeat in their two Nations League meetings with Spain, who look to be the team to beat in Switzerland.
Telegraph
03-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Four big decisions Sarina Wiegman must make this week
England's game against Spain on Tuesday is the last chance for players to state their case for a place on the plane to this summer's Women's European Championship. There are a number of key questions Sarina Wiegman must answer before she names her 23-player squad on Thursday. There are fitness concerns over certain members of the squad, while a lack of experience may count against other players battling for a place in the team. Telegraph Sport looks at the four big decisions Wiegman must make before she names the squad who will try to successfully defend England's European title in Switzerland next month. Lauren James gamble The biggest question mark hanging over the England squad is whether Lauren James will be fit. James is a unique player and undoubtedly a match-winner. On her day, she can be one of the best players in the world, but she has been hampered by injuries in the last couple of years. The Chelsea forward has not played since picking up a hamstring injury in the Lionesses' 5-0 victory over Belgium in April and previously spent three months out with a calf injury between October and January. Wiegman previously said she would be willing to take a risk on one player who may not be fully fit when she names her squad, but only one. She has indicated she is confident James will be ready. 'We're trying to get her fit,' Wiegman said. 'She's trying to get fit with all the support from Chelsea and us. She is doing really well. She needs to tick some boxes and progress. We need her to be fit and healthy and perform at her highest level.' Defensive cover England have struggled to play a settled back four throughout 2025 because of injuries and form. Millie Bright would ordinarily be one of the first names in the Euros squad, but the defender withdrew from this camp because of physical and mental fatigue. Wiegman was unable to give any assurances that Bright will be ready for the tournament, but it would be a big shock if her name was not one of the 23 on the squad list on Thursday. The likes of Leah Williamson, Lucy Bronze, Alex Greenwood and Jess Carter are all expected to be in the squad. The fact Esme Morgan started alongside Williamson against Portugal would indicate her place in the squad is probably assured, which leaves Maya Le Tissier, Niamh Charles and Lotte Wubben-Moy battling it out for the remaining places. Manchester United captain Le Tissier was one of the best performers in the Women's Super League but has struggled for game time with England because Wiegman sees her as a right-back, when she plays centre-back at club level. Asked about Le Tissier on Monday, Wiegman said: 'I think she can play both positions. With Manchester United she plays centre-back, for us she plays mainly as a right full-back. That is the position I see her, but I understand she can play centre-back, too.' Charles, meanwhile, was at one point considered the first-choice left-back, but seems to have fallen down the pecking order after Wiegman started Carter in that position against Portugal. Wubben-Moy missed a lot of the domestic season with Arsenal because of injuries and was a late call-up to the squad after Bright's withdrawal. She has, however, been to the last two major tournaments and would bring a positive influence to the dressing room. Goalkeeping experience The retirement of Mary Earps has left the Lionesses with a lack of experience in the goalkeeping department. Hannah Hampton is now the undisputed No 1 but the two goalkeepers behind her, Khiara Keating and Anna Moorhouse, are both uncapped. Wiegman was asked last week about the possibility of recalling Ellie Roebuck, who was part of the Euro 2022 and 2023 World Cup squads, but the goalkeeper has had limited game time after recovering from a stroke. The England manager seemed to indicate she was satisfied with both Moorhouse and Keating's experience of high-level club games, while Bronze added on Monday: 'We have fantastic goalkeepers here and Mary has left such a great legacy that means they're all in a great position, that they're all prepared because they had such a great mentor in the past number of years to learn from.' Is there room for a wild card? Squads are capped at 23 players, so it will be hard for some of the new faces to force their way into the squad. Michelle Agyemang, who scored 41 seconds into her debut in April, is the obvious candidate should Wiegman opt for a 'wild card'. Agyemang would bring the element of surprise, given opposition teams would know less about her because of her lack of senior-level experience, and going to a major tournament at a young age would also be beneficial for her development. The forward, who spent last season on loan at Brighton from Arsenal, was an unused substitute against Portugal and so will be desperate for even a couple of minutes against Spain to state her case. Both she and the more experienced Nikita Parris could be possible standby options if they miss out on the squad. Agyemang is also eligible to play in the Under-19s Euros this summer, but Uefa rules state she cannot play in that tournament as well as the senior competition. How England's Euros squad is shaping up On the plane Hannah Hampton, Khiara Keating, Anna Moorhouse, Leah Williamson, Lucy Bronze, Jess Carter, Alex Greenwood, Esme Morgan, Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway, Jess Park, Grace Clinton, Ella Toone, Alessia Russo, Lauren Hemp, Beth Mead, Chloe Kelly, Aggie Beever-Jones. On the plane if fit Lauren James, Millie Bright.
