Latest news with #quarterfinal
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Peyraud-Magnin heroics not enough for France
Pauline Peyraud-Magnin and France were in UEFA Women's EURO 2025 action on Saturday evening, taking on Germany in an action-packed quarter-final in Basel. Pauline even saved a penalty in regular time as the sides drew 1-1, before France eventually fell in a penalty shootout after 120 drama-filled minutes. Despite Germany going down a player in the first quarter of an hour and conceding a penalty when Kathrin Hendrich was shown a straight red card for a hair pull in the box. Grace Geyoro converted the subsequent penalty. France went on to have two goals ruled out, with Germany equalising in between through Sjoeke Nusken, and their 10 players put in an incredible shift to largely frustrated their numerically-advantaged opponents. Germany were handed a huge chance to go ahead with a penalty of their own midway through the second half, but Peyraud-Magnin stood firm and made an excellent save. The game went all the way through 120 minutes without a winner being found, before Germany edged the shootout. Bianconere next in action The European Championship is now into the semi-final phase, with Italy, England, and Spain joining Germany as the last four teams standing. With no Bianconere lining up for England, Spain or Germany, our eyes will be set on the Azzurre's game against England on Tuesday, 22 July, before Germany face Spain in the second semi-final on Wednesday, 23 July.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Switzerland's fans are on the march. Can they ensure the game really is ‘here to stay'?
It is barely 7pm in Bern and a vexed motorcyclist revs his engine. It is angry and, honestly, in vain. Because there is no crossing this thick red-shirted river, and there is certainly no stopping it. There are almost two hours to go until kick-off and the mile perimeter around the Wankdorf Stadium is cordoned off, a momentary Switzerland dominion for the Euro 2025 host's quarter-final against Spain. A crimson placard screams from the fan march: 'Here To Stay.' At the risk of spoiling the ending, the hosts do not stay in Euro 2025. Spain beat Switzerland 2-0, Aitana Bonmati eventually prising open Switzerland's dogged defence in the 66th minute to feed Athenea del Castillo. That this game demanded two moments of pure brilliance surprised some. Spain are world champions; Switzerland qualified for their first major tournament a decade ago. The latter had never escaped the group stages — until now. The 15,000-strong Swiss fan march moves north towards the stadium purposefully, but slowly. Much in the same way that the locals here drift down the River Are, content to be swept up, knowing sometimes it is better not just to be in the present but to lose yourself in it, before having to eventually clamber to shore. So beers are toasted. Chants sung. A brass band quartet erupts into song while sitting atop some aesthetic-looking Swiss rocks. Even the queues for the portaloos — growing around corners — endure their wait with inexplicable fulfilment. Before kick-off, the Wankdorf is ear-splitting, each home player's name met with acclaim. When Spain's Mariona Caldentey drags her penalty wide in the eighth minute, a beer is released into the sky, and from there, all inhibitions are gone. As the half-time whistle blows with the score at 0-0, Spain head coach Montse Tome's brow is furrowed. The noise inside the stadium is deafening. At times, it is beautiful. At others, it is beautifully furious: at Laia Aleixandri's inexplicable escape of a second yellow card in the first half, at the penalty awarded to Alexia Putellas (also missed). Finally, at their journey suddenly ended. For Jennifer Dinges, the reality is dizzying. One of the three co-founders of the Switzerland Women's fan group alongside Celine Plee and Amy Owen (their friendship formed over their mutual appreciation of the former Arsenal and Switzerland international Malin Gut), Dinges recalls a Swiss Women's fan march last year involving a couple of hundred people, if that. 'No structure, no order,' she says. Over the past three years, the international matches she attended vacillated in supporters between 1,000 to 7,000. Before the European Championship, the trio knew change was paramount. They lobbied former Swiss FA head of women's and girls' football Tatjana Haenni for advice. 'She told us just to do it (the fan march),' Dinges says. 'If it picks up, which it would, people would follow.' They have. Nearly 5,000 turned out to watch Switzerland's open training sessions in the days leading to Friday's quarter-final. The 32,000-capacity Wankdorf was sold out. While Switzerland is a country that knows how to relish the present, considering the future has never been more critical. Records have been shattered here. The previous record aggregate group stage attendance (369,314) set at Euro 2022 was beaten by the end of matchday two, eventually totalling 461,582. A new record cumulative quarter-final crowd was set on Friday at 78,407, with another game in this round still to go. For a federation jeered for being too small to host the European Championship during the bidding process in 2022, such numbers are validation. But there is also the potential for a longer-lasting impact. 'Conservative' was the word Haenni used to describe the nation's historic relationship with women's football, a simple enough word carrying heavy baggage — from the outright banning of the sport in the 1920s to hostility towards women who defied it and eventually an apathetic acceptance of its existence. 'To actually see a Swiss country, which is quite reserved, make this kind of fun, follow women's football like this…' Dinges drifts off. Because for someone who was once one of a few hundred singing the anthem in an echo, the sentence has no clear end. Neither does this movement. Ensuring it is positive relies on harnessing the imagination that has so obviously been captured here. England provide a compelling blueprint. After hosting, and winning, Euro 2022, women's football enjoyed exponential growth in the country. According to its Football Association (FA), by 2024, 129,000 more girls became involved in school football across the host cities. Another 34,025 more women and girls were participating in football for recreational purposes, plus a further 10,356 playing competitively. The total attendance during the 2022-23 Women's Super League (WSL) season surpassed 680,000, 172 per cent higher than the 2021-22 season. For a nation still without a professional domestic league (the Switzerland Women's Super League operates as semi-professional), such growth is ambitious but not out of the equation. The Swiss FA launched a project looking to the future, which runs to the end of 2027. Targets are set to double the number of girls and women playing football in Switzerland from 40,000 to 80,000 by 2027, with the number of women working as coaches and referees also to be doubled from 2,500 to 5,000. There are also aims to at least double the number of the league's consumers (TV viewers and social media followers). But its main ambition is precisely that which was burned into a crimson-painted 2×2 cardboard placard. To stay. To maintain the present in the future. 'People showing up afterwards, like England,' says Dinges. 'That's the dream.' At full time, the stadium remained flooded in red, fans applauding the players as they made their way around the pitch. For now, they are staying. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Switzerland, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Down to 10 players for over 100 minutes, Germany produced their best Euro 2025 performance
Twenty minutes in, Germany didn't stand a chance against France in the European Championship quarter-final. Everything had gone wrong. Defender Kathrin Hendrich had been dismissed for an inane hair-pull, and the subsequent penalty had been converted. Germany were a goal down. They were a player down. Their game plan had been based around manager Christian Wuck's surprise switch to a 4-3-3 system, which eschewed a proper No. 10 and moved centre-back Janina Minge into midfield. That plan was ripped up and adjusted to a 4-4-1, with Minge back in defence. When their third-choice right-back, Sarai Linder, limped off, they were down to their fourth choice, Sophia Kleinherne, with regular starter Giulia Gwinn already injured and back-up Carlotta Wamser suspended from a previous match. A typical centre-back, Kleinherne was up against France winger Delphine Cascarino, the most electric winger in this competition. 'Our entire plan had to be remodelled,' Wuck said after the match. But Germany thrived. In the group stage, they'd looked too open and unable to screen their back four properly. The full-backs had flown forward recklessly, the defence exposed by quick switches of play. But on Saturday, they had no other option than to knuckle down, remain compact, sit deep and play on the break. In serious adversity, they were magnificent. 'Germany deserved the qualification,' conceded France manager Laurent Bonadei. It felt like Germany had the right type of player in every position. In midfield, Sjoeke Nusken and Elisa Senss played all-action, combative roles. Nusken still pushed forward into attack, and Senss scrapped in front of the back four. Down the right, Jule Brand showed energy and tenacity and attempted to play positive forward passes. Down the left, Klara Buhl offered 20-year-old Franziska Kett, a converted attacker and playing her first game of the tournament at left-back, tremendous protection. Kett also deserves credit for a fearsome, battling performance in her own right. The centre-backs were excellent in the air. Most impressive was Giovanna Hoffmann, a surprise starter instead of regular centre-forward Lea Schuller. She brilliantly played the unenviable role of lone striker in a side down to 10 players. She ran, fought in the air, flicked the ball on and held it up. More than anything, she constantly won free kicks from the France defenders, enabling her side to relieve the pressure, have a breather and get themselves up the pitch. Indeed, France's indiscipline was such that Germany had the best chance to win in normal time from the penalty spot. Brand was going nowhere, other than running in a manner that might vaguely buy a trip from France defender Selma Bacha. The France left-back didn't read the situation. Had Nusken hammered the penalty into the net rather than straight at goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, few would have said it was undeserved. The most surprising thing about Germany's display was their lack of substitutions. Aside from their injury-enforced first-half switch, Wuck kept faith with the players who had started the game until the eighth minute of extra time, despite France repeatedly injecting extra speed from the bench. 'The team was performing very well,' Wuck said, when asked about the lack of changes. 'Every player was giving an immense performance, and there's absolutely no reason (to make substitutions) if the players don't ask to be substituted. Therefore, in extra time, if we needed to react to things, then we could. But in terms of technical or tactical reasons, there was no need for substitutions.' For their part, France produced a pitiful display of football, which deserved nothing less than elimination. They played over 100 minutes of football with an extra player, only scored from an early penalty and created little afterwards. This is a limited side overly reliant upon speed in wide positions. When denied space to break into, France offered no combination play or individual invention in central positions. They were hugely flattered by their 5-2 win here in Basel a week ago against the Netherlands, who deservedly led 2-1 at half-time, and were forced to keep on attacking because they needed to win by a three-goal margin. That meant France could counter-attack. In that respect, they are an exceptional side. In other ways, they are lacking. 'The German team was heroic,' Bonadei said after the game. 'They really hurt us in the duels. … They defended very well in their half; they didn't leave any space. It was really hard to find solutions between the lines. We tried to use the wings, but our passing was not good enough.' The Euro 2025 quarter-finals had late drama, with Italy squeezing past Norway, a comeback out of nowhere from England, and a farcical penalty shootout win over Sweden. They had a commendable display from hosts Switzerland, bowing out of the tournament with dignity after eventually succumbing to Spain, and now add one of the most impressive displays you will see from a side reduced to 10 players — never mind the fact that the red card came after 13 minutes and that there was extra time, too. Germany will go into their semi-final against Spain on Wednesday in Zurich as the underdogs. They have a day less of rest, they have Hendrich and Nusken suspended, they will be suffering from enormous fatigue, and they're simply not as good as world champions Spain. But this win will have given them tremendous belief and probably a neat template for how to play against a possession-focused Spain side. Who knows how effective they could be, playing with this mentality and an 11th player. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Germany, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Down to 10 players for over 100 minutes, Germany produced their best Euro 2025 performance
Twenty minutes in, Germany didn't stand a chance against France in the European Championship quarter-final. Everything had gone wrong. Defender Kathrin Hendrich had been dismissed for an inane hair-pull, and the subsequent penalty had been converted. Germany were a goal down. They were a player down. Their game plan had been based around manager Christian Wuck's surprise switch to a 4-3-3 system, which eschewed a proper No. 10 and moved centre-back Janina Minge into midfield. That plan was ripped up and adjusted to a 4-4-1, with Minge back in defence. Advertisement When their third-choice right-back, Sarai Linder, limped off, they were down to their fourth choice, Sophia Kleinherne, with regular starter Giulia Gwinn already injured and back-up Carlotta Wamser suspended from a previous match. A typical centre-back, Kleinherne was up against France winger Delphine Cascarino, the most electric winger in this competition. 'Our entire plan had to be remodelled,' Wuck said after the match. But Germany thrived. In the group stage, they'd looked too open and unable to screen their back four properly. The full-backs had flown forward recklessly, the defence exposed by quick switches of play. But on Saturday, they had no other option than to knuckle down, remain compact, sit deep and play on the break. In serious adversity, they were magnificent. 'Germany deserved the qualification,' conceded France manager Laurent Bonadei. It felt like Germany had the right type of player in every position. In midfield, Sjoeke Nusken and Elisa Senss played all-action, combative roles. Nusken still pushed forward into attack, and Senss scrapped in front of the back four. Down the right, Jule Brand showed energy and tenacity and attempted to play positive forward passes. Down the left, Klara Buhl offered 20-year-old Franziska Kett, a converted attacker and playing her first game of the tournament at left-back, tremendous protection. Kett also deserves credit for a fearsome, battling performance in her own right. The centre-backs were excellent in the air. Most impressive was Giovanna Hoffmann, a surprise starter instead of regular centre-forward Lea Schuller. She brilliantly played the unenviable role of lone striker in a side down to 10 players. She ran, fought in the air, flicked the ball on and held it up. More than anything, she constantly won free kicks from the France defenders, enabling her side to relieve the pressure, have a breather and get themselves up the pitch. Indeed, France's indiscipline was such that Germany had the best chance to win in normal time from the penalty spot. Brand was going nowhere, other than running in a manner that might vaguely buy a trip from France defender Selma Bacha. The France left-back didn't read the situation. Had Nusken hammered the penalty into the net rather than straight at goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, few would have said it was undeserved. Advertisement The most surprising thing about Germany's display was their lack of substitutions. Aside from their injury-enforced first-half switch, Wuck kept faith with the players who had started the game until the eighth minute of extra time, despite France repeatedly injecting extra speed from the bench. 'The team was performing very well,' Wuck said, when asked about the lack of changes. 'Every player was giving an immense performance, and there's absolutely no reason (to make substitutions) if the players don't ask to be substituted. Therefore, in extra time, if we needed to react to things, then we could. But in terms of technical or tactical reasons, there was no need for substitutions.' For their part, France produced a pitiful display of football, which deserved nothing less than elimination. They played over 100 minutes of football with an extra player, only scored from an early penalty and created little afterwards. This is a limited side overly reliant upon speed in wide positions. When denied space to break into, France offered no combination play or individual invention in central positions. They were hugely flattered by their 5-2 win here in Basel a week ago against the Netherlands, who deservedly led 2-1 at half-time, and were forced to keep on attacking because they needed to win by a three-goal margin. That meant France could counter-attack. In that respect, they are an exceptional side. In other ways, they are lacking. 'The German team was heroic,' Bonadei said after the game. 'They really hurt us in the duels. … They defended very well in their half; they didn't leave any space. It was really hard to find solutions between the lines. We tried to use the wings, but our passing was not good enough.' The Euro 2025 quarter-finals had late drama, with Italy squeezing past Norway, a comeback out of nowhere from England, and a farcical penalty shootout win over Sweden. They had a commendable display from hosts Switzerland, bowing out of the tournament with dignity after eventually succumbing to Spain, and now add one of the most impressive displays you will see from a side reduced to 10 players — never mind the fact that the red card came after 13 minutes and that there was extra time, too. Advertisement Germany will go into their semi-final against Spain on Wednesday in Zurich as the underdogs. They have a day less of rest, they have Hendrich and Nusken suspended, they will be suffering from enormous fatigue, and they're simply not as good as world champions Spain. But this win will have given them tremendous belief and probably a neat template for how to play against a possession-focused Spain side. Who knows how effective they could be, playing with this mentality and an 11th player.
CNA
11 hours ago
- Sport
- CNA
Germany's Berger seizes her moment in shootout win over France
BASEL :Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger embodied her side's spirit of resistance in their Women's Euro quarter-final as they bounced back from an early red card and the concession of a goal to take France to a 1-1 draw over 120 minutes before beating them 6-5 in a shootout that saw her save two spot-kicks and score one herself. The 34-year-old, who has twice beaten cancer, lives by the motto of "All we have is now", and she seized her moment on Saturday, pulling off an incredible save to prevent a second-half own goal and then powering her side through to the semi-finals, where they will face Spain in Zurich on Wednesday. "I was not happy that we had to go to the penalty shootout because I would have loved to have won the game in 90 minutes and have it done and dusted," Berger told reporters before paying tribute to her squad. "I think credit should go to the team, not me, because maybe it (my save) was the decisive moment in the penalty shootout, but we, everyone here, should talk about this with him (coach Christian Wueck) now about the performance of the team, because that was amazing and incredible." Germany midfielder Sjoeke Nuesken had a penalty saved in normal time but converted in the shootout, and she was full of praise for Berger's skills. "She's an amazing goalkeeper. She's so calm, she's so clever. I knew she would save the penalties. She's such an amazing goalkeeper, and we are very happy that she's in our team," Nuesken said. With defender Kathrin Hendrich sent off in the 13th minute for pulling an opponent's hair, the Germans had to battle for more than 100 minutes with one player fewer than their French counterparts, but despite their heroics, Berger did not want to promise that they would beat Spain to make the final. "We do everything one step at a time - first of all we celebrate, then we focus on Spain, there is a very hard and tough opponent we have to face and everybody really gave their ultimate effort here and we need to regenerate, we have to make sure we recover," Berger explained.
