Latest news with #foreignsoil
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Devon and Cornwall celebrate Lionesses' Euro 2025 win
England retaining their European title at Euro 2025 "opens up opportunities" and "allows us to have a seat at the table and put ourselves on the map", Exeter City Women's manager, Abbie Britton, is the first time an England team has won a major trophy on foreign Britton said when the Lionesses won in 2022 the "incredible" rise of women's football really said "they are history-makers, they are trend-setters, they have done everything that people have asked of them for women's football, they have really put us on the map". Chloe Kelly, who scored the iconic winner at Wembley in the final of Euro 2022, was the hero again as she converted the decisive spot-kick to seal victory after Spain had missed three in a row, with Hannah Hampton saving two of Britton said women's football was "packing stadiums out" and it had a "direct impact on what football clubs can then reinvest into those teams". "The opportunity now for young boys and girls to watch their first ever game, being at a football stadium, being in front of thousands of people, is now accessible to them and that's through women's football because it's affordable, it's a friendly atmosphere and you know it's fantastic football that these girls are putting on." Laura-Beth Medcalf, who plays for Goonhavern Ladies, said: "Everyone is so in tune with it now, it's given us a long-lasting loving legacy."It's just great that we can celebrate something as a nation all together." 'Really motivated everybody' She said her match highlight was the nail-biting success of the Lionesses has "really motivated everybody" and brought more women and girls into the game, she said she had seen the number of players competing in tournaments soar from six teams to 30 teams in the last 10 years."I think the Lionesses are such role models now for children, boys and girls, it's just lovely to see." Lisa Marley, who manages Truro City Youth which has 18 teams and accommodates them on three pitches, said there was a shortage of facilities in Cornwall."We're trying to increase the number of female teams this year."There's just simply not enough pitches available," she said. "There's work to be done in getting coaches involved, getting more female coaches available and also in making more facilities available, because that is a challenge for all teams around the area."Charlotte Whitmore, women's football player with Plymouth Argyle, was with fans at Home Park and watched the said: "We always knew the women had it in them and to watch it with all our fans... was really good."
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Euro 2025: Reaction as England retain title with dramatic shootout win over Spain
Update: Date: 07:20 BST Title: Watch highlights Content: If you missed anything, or simply want to relive it again, here are the highlights from the Euro 2025 final. This video can not be played England beat Spain on penalties to win Euro 2025 Update: Date: 07:15 BST Title: Kelly settles it with helping hand from Hampton Content: England 1-1 Spain (3-1 on pens) England cemented their place in history with a stunning penalty-shootout victory over Spain to retain their European title at Euro 2025. Chloe Kelly, who scored the iconic winner at Wembley in the final of Euro 2022, was the hero again as she converted the decisive spot-kick to seal victory after Spain had missed three in a row, with Hannah Hampton saving two of them. Mariona Caldentey's first-half header had put Spain in control, but Kelly's whipped cross picked out Alessia Russo, who headed the ball into the far corner to make it 1-1. It is the first time an England team has won a major trophy on foreign soil and seals manager Sarina Wiegman's status as one of the world's greatest with her third successive European title - achieved with two countries. Read the report here. Update: Date: 07:09 BST Title: Get Involved - Lionesses champions of Europe Content: Click 'Get Involved' at the top of this page to have your say We'll bring you all the reaction and analysis to England's triumph this morning. But we also want to hear from you. How are you feeling after the Lionesses' latest European title? How did you celebrate? Maybe you've still not recovered from the penalty shootout nerves... Click 'Get 'Involved' at the top of the page to get in touch! Update: Date: 07:04 BST Title: Post Content: They certainly didn't make it easy for us. But one more dramatic penalty shootout later, England have retained their European title! Update: Date: 07:00 BST Title: It's staying home... Content:
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Greatest achievement in English football history'
"This year it was meant for England." Lucy Bronze, England's most decorated footballer, the one player who epitomises what it is to be a Lioness, just had a feeling all along. Even with a fractured tibia throughout the tournament, Bronze would not give up. She would not miss this moment, as her side defended their European title and overcame the world champions on foreign soil. The 33-year-old more than played her part. She only came off when she could no longer run through the pain, tears forming in her eyes, as she finally allowed someone to take her place in extra time of England's penalty-shootout victory over Spain in the Euro 2025 final. Sarina Wiegman's side defied the odds, silenced the doubters, came back from the brink over and over and over again. They simply won at any cost. At the end of it there can be no doubts. This was the greatest achievement in the history of English football. What makes Wiegman so successful? 'We'll remember this forever': England fans jubilant as their heroes win again Bronze played entire Euros with fractured leg It is the first time an England team have won a major trophy on foreign soil after Wiegman's side delivered at home in 2022, and the men's 1966 World Cup victory took place at Wembley Stadium. The Lionesses also became the first senior English side to defend their title - and they did it by coming from behind at half time - the first time that had been done before in the women's Euros. It cemented manager Wiegman's status as one of the world's greatest with her third successive European title - achieved with two countries. It was her fifth major final in a row and Wiegman has won three of them, a simply remarkable feat. She could barely believe it as she danced, arm-in-arm with captain Leah Williamson, allowing the mask to slip as England's understated and composed leader. "I actually can't believe it myself. I was like 'how can this happen?' But it happened. I'm so incredibly proud of the team. I'm so happy," she said afterwards. Wiegman's watch notification during hew news conference reminded her of a workout she was due to have. "I won't be doing that anymore," she joked. And you can understand why. She had already exhausted herself, going through every emotion imaginable in what she described as the "most ridiculous and chaotic" tournament of her career. The players had not made it easy for themselves, acknowledging the stress they had put their families under and how they "almost killed" Wiegman off - at least twice. England led for just four minutes and 52 seconds in the knockout stage of the tournament and yet somehow had their hands on the trophy in Basel, surrounded by gold confetti, with the soundtrack of Queen's 'We Are The Champions' playing in the background. Before kick-off, England were written off. In fact, they were written off before Euro 2025 started when Mary Earps and Fran Kirby retired out of the blue and World Cup captain Millie Bright withdrew from selection. Surely that would be unsettling? Their poor defeat by France in the opening game only strengthend that narrative. But England bounced back. They comfortably beat the Netherlands and Wales to reach the knockout stages. They were 2-0 down to Sweden in the quarter-finals and came back. Sweden only scored two of their seven penalties, so even when goalkeeper Jennifer Falk saved four of England's, it was not enough. Luck was on England's side. That was the moment Wiegman admitted the thought: 'hmm, we might be going home tomorrow' had crossed her mind. They were 1-0 down again to Italy in the semi-finals before teenager Michelle Agyemang scored a 96th-minute equaliser and Kelly netted the winner in the 119th minute of extra time. Spain had not lost in 10 games, they were the world champions and they were the pre-tournament favourites. When they went 1-0 up in the final, England were on the ropes. They looked down and out. But that was not how the script had been written. England had decided that. So calm was Wiegman, that as her players looked around St Jakob-Park before kick-off, the Dutchwoman waved to members of the media in the stands. She strolled around with her hands in her pockets. She had been here before, England had been here before and they had an unwavering belief. Spanish journalists were positive about the Lionesses chances' at half-time - "England can come back from 1-0 down", "Michelle Agyemang will come on" - but doubt lingered. The 'super subs' had done the job in 2022. Kelly, Alessia Russo and Ella Toone all shone in their roles as Wiegman stuck with the same starting XI throughout and trusted those coming on off the bench to make an impact. It proved to be a winning formula she did not waiver from in 2025, instead renaming the substitutes as 'finishers' and entrusting them with the same responsibility. The togetherness of the squad was apparent. Bronze's willingness to play through pain, the players' reaction to team-mate Jess Carter receiving racial abuse was impactful and Williamson's act of pushing Agyemang towards fans to receive adulation following their semi-final win was deliberate. "It is ridiculous. Every time we came back from behind. Of course we have players that have talent. But the togetherness of this team is incredible," said Wiegman. "Also, the belief that we can come back. The players say they can come back by any means and they just never give up. "Every player is ready to come onto the pitch and show up straight away. That is not easy. I'm just really grateful that I'm part of this team." The magnitude of what the Lionesses were on the cusp of achieving was clear before kick-off as cameras turned to point to the faces in the top-tier stands. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Prince William with Princess Charlotte, along with Spain's Princess Leonor and Uefa president Alexander Ceferin were all watching on. Footballing stars from other nations had come to watch two of the world's heavyweights go to battle, including Switzerland's Lia Walti and the USA's Catarina Macario, supporting their Arsenal and Chelsea team-mates in white. England men's international Reece James flew out to support his sister Lauren and Football Association chief Mark Bullingham was with them throughout their journey in Switzerland. Bullingham has already made it emphatically clear that Wiegman, who is under contract until the 2027 World Cup, is "not for sale at any price" and you can understand why. With this generation of players, some who were on the fringes in 2022, and others more experienced, such as Bronze and Alex Greenwood, Wiegman has turned the Lionesses into a team that is feared in major tournaments and have become serial winners. Where other teams in England's history have faltered at the final hurdle, this squad proved they could do it again, even when many thought they could not. "From the first game it was chaos. Losing your first game and becoming European Champions is incredible. Football is chaos," Wiegman said to BBC Sport's TV cameras while Bronze was being piggy-backed by goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse in the background, celebrating with fans. Bronze knew what England were capable of. Now everybody else knows.
Fox News
26-05-2025
- General
- Fox News
Freedom isn't free: Honor those who never came home on this Memorial Day
Memorial Day should make you a little uncomfortable. Because sacrifice should never be comfortable. But from that discomfort can come gratitude. And from gratitude, a commitment to live better—not in guilt, but in honor. And yet sadly, for most Americans, it merely marks the start of summer. It's beach chairs and burgers, sales and three-day weekends—a reprieve from work with little thought given to the sacrifice this day was meant to honor. But for those of us who've stood on foreign soil, witness to teammates who never came home, Memorial Day is a haunting—but beautiful— reckoning we face each year. There's a harsh truth about war that never leaves you: the fallen gave everything in an instant—and the living carry it for a lifetime. We, like other generations before us, have lost teammates, more than we care to count, some to bullets and bombs, others to the invisible wounds they carried back with them. Brave souls who gave everything—not for politics or glory—but for love of country and you. For an ideal, the American ideal of what we stand for and the potential of what we can become. And therein lies the covenant between the living and the fallen: they laid down their lives for a belief, an ideal—an unbreakable faith in us and our potential to become something greater. This is hard to explain to those who haven't served, and we don't blame anyone for that. Less than 1% of Americans serve in the armed forces today. Only about 5% of Americans have ever worn the uniform. Most live free of any direct connection to war. That's not a condemnation—it's a consequence of the freedoms we enjoy, protected by those willing to fight and die for them. But that disconnection has made Memorial Day more misunderstood and underappreciated with each passing year. One way to bridge that divide is to listen—to learn the stories of those who gave everything. This Memorial Day, FOX Nation is releasing a powerful new series, "The Unsung of Arlington," honoring five extraordinary Americans laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. From John Glenn to Jane Delano, their lives remind us what courage, sacrifice, and unwavering belief in this nation truly look like. The series doesn't just tell their stories—it keeps their legacies alive. If you've ever wondered how to honor the fallen, start by learning who they were. Memorial Day is not about glorifying war. It's about honoring those who gave up everything so the rest of us could live in peace, prosperity, and yes—comfort. It's about men and women like Darrik Benson (USN), John Brown (USAF), Shannon Kent (USN), Joshua Wheeler (USA), Edward Smith (USMC), and countless others whose names never made headlines but whose legacies live on in the quiet grief of Gold Star families and the unwavering loyalty of those who fought beside them. Memorial Day is not a celebration—it's a remembrance of both their sacrifice and the covenant left upon us. A day when the living should ask themselves one question: Am I living a life worthy of their sacrifice? No one is asking you to feel guilty. They fought so you wouldn't have to. But what they ask—what they hope—is that for one day out of the year, Americans pause to reflect on the cost of the freedoms they so casually enjoy. Reflect on the blessings of safety, security, and opportunity. Reflect on the cost paid by strangers so that your kids can play in the yard without fear. And maybe—do something more. Teach your kids about the meaning of the day. Toast to the fallen. Or simply take a moment of silence—real silence. That silence—that discomfort—is where gratitude begins. And from gratitude comes action. This Memorial Day, enjoy your freedom. But don't forget where it came from. It's not a holiday. It's a headstone. For those of us who came home, for those who never did, and for those who never had to go—it's a covenant. One that we, as Americans, cannot and must not ever break. Never Forget. Forever Honor. God Bless America. Mike Sarraille is host of the brand-new Fox Nation series "The Unsung of Arlington" available right now on Kirk Offel is a former Navy Submariner and Founder/CEO of Overwatch Mission Critical.
