Women's Euro 2025: five-star Spain lay down marker before Germany enter fray
Date: 2025-07-04T07:02:04.000Z
Title: The WSL 2 club Southampton are on the verge of appointing the former Blackburn manager Simon Parker as their head coach, the Guardian can reveal.
Content:
The 39-year-old spent the past two seasons in charge of Blackburn in the second tier, then known as the Women's Championship, but he left the Lancashire club in June after Blackburn's voluntary withdrawal from the division. He has a good reputation after keeping Blackburn clear of the relegation zone last term despite their low playing budget.
Parker has previously coached at Lewes and in Portugal and this move to Hampshire is understood to take him back closer to family and friends. Southampton had been searching for a permanent head coach since Remi Allen's departure by mutual consent in February.
Southampton finished eighth last season, a comfortable 14 points clear of the relegation zone but 22 points off the pace set by the champions, London City Lionesses.
Update:
Date: 2025-07-04T07:00:12.000Z
Title: Preamble
Content: Hello, good morning and welcome to another Matchday live. It's day three of Euro 2025 and we've got two exciting fixtures lined up for this evening. In the early match, Denmark face Sweden at Stade de Genève in Geneva. Then, we move over to St. Gallen where 2022 finalists Germany take on Poland.
I'll be with you all day. Well, at least until the first game. Let's do this.
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BBC News
8 minutes ago
- BBC News
Where can I watch the Euro 2025 final on Sunday?
Euro 2025 has brought us a summer of fierce competition and fantastic football. After a nail-biting quarter-final and semi-final, defending champions England will battle it out against Spain on Sunday to see who will lift the if you can't get to Switzerland, there are lots of ways you can soak up the match-day atmosphere in your local area or even from the comfort of your own our guide to watching the game. Where to watch in England? Kick-off is at 17:00 BST on Sunday 27 out big-screen venues across the country, like Corner Corner in Canada Water, London, BoxPark in Croydon, Wembley, Shoreditch, Camden and Liverpool, TOCA Social in Birmingham's Bullring, London's O2 and White City as well as Manchester's Freight Island and AO may want to check your local BBC Weather forecast to see if you should bring a raincoat or pack your clubs, pubs, bars, beer halls, yards and other local venues will be showing the match, so check social media to find out what might be going on in your something family-friendly, check out things like the National Football Museum's free watch party in Manchester, which has crafts and activities for children on the course, there's always the option to grab some flags and snacks and throw your own party at home. How can I watch the match at home? The final will be shown on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and ITV on Sunday 27 July, with the BBC coverage starting at 15: radio, you can listen to BBC Radio 5 Live with Katie Smith from 16: every minute on the BBC Sport website and app, with live match reports, key moment clips, highlights, interviews and don't forget podcasts on BBC Sounds to help get your football fix, including Football Daily and Feast of Football. Can I still get match tickets? The St Jakob Park stadium in Basel has a capacity of about 38,000 people - 52,000 fewer seats than Wembley Stadium, where the Euro 2022 final was last time we checked the UEFA website, there were no tickets or resales left, though they may be available on other resale if you happen to be in Switzerland without tickets, you can still catch all the action from the fan zones in Basel, Bern, Geneva and Zurich city say they offer a "packed schedule of activities for all ages", with live screenings of matches, concerts, workshops and child-friendly football pitches.
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Stressful way England reached Euros final unlocked perfect weapon
Keira Walsh is convinced the 'stressful' manner by which England reached the Euro 2025 final has unlocked the perfect weapon to seek revenge against World Cup holders Spain. England players have described this campaign as a roller-coaster, beginning with a hope-dipping loss to France that left their title defence hanging by a thread, then the high of dominant wins over the Netherlands and Wales before they fought their way through topsy-turvy, back-to-back spectacular comebacks in the knockout rounds. Now 90 minutes away from lifting their second major trophy, the Lionesses are set for their toughest test yet as they face the same side that beat them 1-0 in the Sydney World Cup final two summers ago. 'I think the way we did it brings the team closer together,' said Walsh. 'We just don't know when to give up. 'I've probably not (known anything like this). 'I think obviously we come in every tournament and we want to reach the final and maybe the way we've done it is a little more stressful for everyone. 'But I think that's kind of the beauty of this team, is that we are relentless and we've got belief in ourselves that even in the 90th minute, we can get a goal and we can win. 'I think that's what's really special about us at the minute.' Walsh, who spent three years at Barcelona, is very familiar with the Spanish threats, particularly Aitana Bonmati, the Barca midfielder and back-to-back Ballon d'Or winner who scored the extra-time winner in Spain's semi-final win over Germany. Spain's World Cup win was overshadowed by controversy, eventually leading to former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales being found guilty of sexually assaulting Spanish footballer Jenni Hermoso after kissing her on the lips without her consent during the medal ceremony. Some Spain players have also expressed disappointment that their triumph in Australia did not yield the same women's football paradigm shift in their country as England's victory at their home Euros. 'I think they probably could have had more (respect),' added Walsh. 'I think, the way our league jumped after we won the Euros and everything in and around it, if you compare it to Spain, it probably wasn't the same and they won the World Cup. 'They probably could have had more support. 'After the game there was a lot of controversy and I don't think, for them, there was enough spotlight on how incredible they played and how incredible some of their players were. It was all about the other stuff that had gone on. 'As a professional, that was disappointing to see. I have a lot of friends in that team and I think they probably deserved a little bit more than what they got.' The Lionesses' bench has been instrumental in Switzerland, where Arsenal duo Chloe Kelly and 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang – who has scored three goals in her first four England caps, including equalisers in the last two matches – have enthusiastically inherited the 'super sub' baton. Asked where the Lionesses' never-say-die attitude comes from, Walsh explained: 'Honestly, I think it's part of being English. 'I think that's what we feel when we put the shirt on. It's that we give everything, we run ourselves into the ground and that's the beauty of this squad. 'We know that if we have to come off because we're tired, there's going to be someone else who can finish the job. 'It's what we speak about as a team. It's that English resilience and it's something that we really pride ourselves on. 'You can see that in the last two games, that's something we really believe.'
The Independent
40 minutes ago
- The Independent
England's Keira Walsh wants Spain's players to ‘enjoy' Euro 2025 final after World Cup controversy
England midfielder Keira Walsh said it was 'disappointing' that Spain's players did not get more respect after winning the World Cup in 2023 and wants them to enjoy the moment when they face the Lionesses in the Euro 2025 final on Sunday. Spain's victory over England was overshadowed by Luis Rubiales kissing Jenni Hermoso during their trophy celebrations without her consent, while star player Aitana Bonmati said their triumph was 'for nothing' as it changed little in the country. By contrast, England's Euro 2022 win had a transformative effect on women's football and Walsh, who spent two-and-a-half years at Barcelona and has close ties with many in the Spain squad, said the Spanish players deserved more respect. 'The way our league [the WSL] jumped after we won the Euros and everything in and around it, if you compare it to Spain it probably wasn't the same and they won the World Cup,' Walsh said. 'They probably could have had more support. 'After the game there was a lot of controversy and I don't think, for them, there was enough spotlight on how incredible they played and how incredible some of their players were, it was all about the other stuff that had gone on. 'As a professional, that was disappointing to see. I have a lot of friends in that team and I think they probably deserved a little bit more than what they got.' Walsh won two Champions League titles with Barcelona and saw first-hand how determined their star players, including two-time Ballon d'Or winners Aitana Bonmati and Alexia Putellas, have been to drive women's football forward in Spain. Bonmati scored a sensational late winner in extra time as Spain defeated Germany 1-0 to reach their first European final. Spain. If Spain beat England on Sunday, they will hold the World Cup, Euros and Nations League titles at the same time. 'The way Barcelona are, and that they are always in the Champions League finals, especially that club in particular, they are really pushing women's football,' Walsh said. 'For the girls this time, as a friend and a fellow footballer, for them to just go and enjoy this final – they play incredible football and they deserve to be there. As a human being I just want them to go out and just enjoy the game of football.' Walsh said England could not afford to only focus on stopping Bonmati and praised the other threats in their team, including Putellas, key midfielder Patri Guijarro and Arsenal forward Mariona Caldentey. 'Obviously [Bonmati] is an incredible player, but I think if you try and nullify her, Patri's been one of the best players at this tournament. So you can focus on Aitana and then you've got Patri, and then you've got Alexia and Mariona. 'I think for us we're not focusing on one player. We know what we can bring defensively and so we're just focusing on what we can do and then obviously we're going to have some chances as well that we need to take.'
