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Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
Spanish harmony to battle English resilience in Women's Euro final
BASEL, Switzerland, July 26 (Reuters) - Sunday's final of the Women's Euros in Basel pitches the two best European teams of the current generation against each other, as a unified Spain side bristling with technique and intelligence takes on an equally talented England side that never gives up. Both sides have overcome adversity on their way to the final, with Spain almost losing playmaker Aitana Bonmati to a pre-tournament meningitis scare, and Sarina Wiegman's England coming close to elimination twice in the knockout round, only for late heroics to see them through. "We need to be at our best to beat Spain. I think they need to be at their best to beat us, too," England captain Leah Williamson told a media conference on Saturday. "I think there's a lot of respect between the two teams, and I'd be hesitant to rule an underdog in this scenario." Both sides said that all 23 squad members were fit and available for selection on Sunday, setting the stage for what is expected to be an intriguing battle of skill, wit and nerves. Defending champions England may not have played particularly well in their five games so far, but they have displayed an uncanny ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the knockout stage, first with a shootout win over Sweden and then with a come-from-behind extra-time victory over Italy. "I know that we've left it late," Williamson admitted. "(That was) definitely not the plan, we'd really like to wrap things up a little earlier and a little easier if we could." Spain have also gotten off to several slow starts, but they have still run out convincing winners in their five games to date, eventually finding a way to break down their opponents. "We have a particular way of playing, of training, we are very confident. Even if we won the games, there are things always that we can correct, things we see on video that we practice, and that's our line of work," Spain captain Irene Paredes said. The Spain team for Sunday's final is a much more harmonious one than the one that took beat England 1-0 in the World Cup final in 2023, when several of the best Spanish players boycotted the tournament in a dispute with coaching staff and their federation. Though Spain won that game 1-0 to claim their first major title, Montse Tome's squad has given a much more unified impression in Switzerland, with none of the negativity that surrounded them at that World Cup. "(This tournament) shows the change we are making, and right now I believe that, for all their efforts, the squad deserves to win," Tome said. "When you are in the elite football world that's not always the case, but we will do everything to win the final tomorrow." Spain's only defeat in their last 14 games came at the hands of Sarina Wiegman's side in the Nations League in February, and they will be slight favourites for Sunday's decider, but Paredes said such labels make little difference when the game kicks off. "I think both teams deserve to be in the final. We wanted to be there, at the beginning of the tournament that was our objective, to play six games. We're on our way. Tomorrow is number six," she told reporters. "We don't like this idea of being favourites. We know what it takes to be here, what we have to suffer, and we have to be focused." Sunday's final takes place at St. Jakob-Park stadium in Basel, with kick-off at 1800 CET (1600 GMT).
Reuters
22 minutes ago
- Reuters
James to bolster England squad when they look to make history in Euro final against Spain
BASEL, Switzerland, July 26 (Reuters) - England coach Sarina Wiegman expects to have winger Lauren James in her squad for Sunday's Euro 2025 final against Spain, boosting her team's quest to build on the legacy they began by winning the continental title three years ago. James, who has 33 goals in nine games for England including a double in their 4-0 group stage victory over the Netherlands, had been doubtful after injuring her ankle in their 2-1 semi-final win over Italy. "We had 23 players on the pitch today, and everyone came through," Wiegman said at Saturday's pre-match press conference. "If everyone recovers well, then we have everyone fit for tomorrow." England defeated Germany 2-1 in extra time in the 2022 final at Wembley, and the beautiful thing about that moment, said captain Leah Williamson, is that the players know they will likely not experience "something like that again in terms of the change, the story and the journey". But it was the start of an excellent run for England, who were edged by Spain in their first appearance in a World Cup final in 2023, and now can become the first England football team to win a title on foreign soil. "You don't want to be a flash in the pan, a memory, and before 2022 we said it was the start of something so we're still trying to play our role in that," Williamson said. "It's a really privileged time to be part of this team. The opportunity to be the first this and that is a big motivator but more because we know what it does for women's football and continues the legacy that we've already started." Sunday's final at St Jakob-Park is expected to draw a record viewing audience in England, after the team's dramatic semi-final win over Italy in extra time gave British broadcaster ITV its biggest audience of the year. Williamson said she and her teammates are aware of what another Euro victory would mean. "We're very connected to what it means to the nation. As connected as we can be being away from home," she said. "The opportunity of (Sunday) and what's on offer is the best thing in football. We wanted to be here until the end and have the chance to fight for the trophy and you can't do that until the final. "We don't carry the weight of it and how much it means to people but we're aware of it because it means the same to us. We have a squad of excited, focused players." Williamson, who injured her ankle during England's quarter-final win over Sweden, was asked about playing through pain. "I can speak for every single member of the squad when I say that as long as we get the green light, we would play through anything," she said. "My ankle is great."
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Michelle Agyemang: How a starry-eyed ball girl grew into England's saviour
Just four years ago, Michelle Agyemang was a 15-year-old ball girl and aspiring striker in Arsenal's academy. Even two weeks ago, her name was relatively unknown. Now, her heroic performances for England in the women's Euro 2025 have propelled her to nationwide stardom. She saved the day with an 81st-minute equaliser in the quarter-final against Sweden, and scored the vital goal that kickstarted England's semi-final comeback against Italy. Agyemang translates to 'saviour of a nation' in Akan Ghanaian culture – and she's truly living up to her name. While her rise from Arsenal academy and England youth player to senior Lioness has been nothing short of meteoric, Agyemang's dedication to football was clear from a young age. 'When she was in year five and six, she would play football on the playground with the boys at lunch time, and she really gave them a run for their money,' recalls Heather Westrop, Agyemang's year six teacher at Holy Cross Primary School in South Ockendon, Essex. 'The boys would come in after lunch and you could see their frustration – they'd be really cross at how good she was!' By the time Agyemang reached year six, she had already been honing her craft for at least five years. Her first taste of club football was with Brandon Groves AFC – a local team in South Ockendon – before she joined Arsenal's academy at the age of six. Her mother was initially keen for Agyemang to pursue ballet and dance rather than football, recalls Cheryl Shead, her reception class teacher. However, after realising her daughter's passion for the sport, her mother supported Agyemang's decision to pursue football. 'I had the pleasure of teaching Michelle PE in year six, but to be honest, it felt like she was teaching me,' Westrop recalls. 'It wasn't just football she excelled at – she was a runner too, and very athletic. Whatever she set her mind to, she achieved and in everything that she did, her determination and perseverance shone through.' Agyemang's enthusiasm wasn't solely reserved for sports and she was also a committed academic. 'She finished year six having passed the 11+ and gained a perfect scaled score of 120 in her grammar, punctuation and spelling SAT. She's one of those people who has it all – but has worked very hard for it,' Westrop says. Whilst Agyemang excelled in both sport and academia, Westrop and Shead say she remained humble and kind-hearted – attributes that have continued to shine through in her recent football performances and post-match interviews. 'She was always very self-confident but she would never want the spotlight,' Westrop recalls. 'Even when she started playing for Arsenal and was travelling for football most nights of the week, it wasn't something she ever bragged about. She was incredibly grounded and I think it's the mindset that her parents instilled in her from a very young age.' Agyemang joined Southend High School for Girls (SHSG) in 2017. News of her Arsenal academy experience spread fast and there was a lot of excitement about the new pupil, recalls Hannah Warner, who was in the year above Agyemang. Warner had been working for a year to set up a girls' football team at her school and, shortly after Agyemang joined, everything fell into place. The school's first girls' football team was launched – with players from years seven and eight – and Warner was the proud captain. 'Over the years, I've played with and against several very proficient and impressive players,' Warner recalls. 'But with Michelle it was different. She was only 11 when I started playing with her but I just knew right away that she was going to make it. There was something about her.' In Agyemang's recent 'super-sub' performances against Sweden and Italy, she was called upon by Sarina Wiegman when England needed her most and delivered both times. Warner believes these last-gasp heroics go all the way back to her high school football days. 'Because of how good she was, the team would obviously look to her if things were going wrong and think 'if anyone's going to save us now, it's going to be her',' she recalls. 'So, in some ways, she's had that kind of pressure on her for a long time and she deals with it very well.' As well as being an excellent goal-scorer, Warner recalls Agyemang being an 'aggressive player' that 'you'd hate to play against, [but she was] the kind of forward that I was so glad to have on my team'. She adds: 'Michelle truly led from the front. When you're that good at finishing, you don't necessarily have to be that good at tracking back but she absolutely was. She didn't sit back and wait for the ball to come to her – she had such a good work ethic.' These skills continue to shine through today. Her physicality has been lauded by her manager and team mates, including Lucy Bronze, who said in a recent interview that 'she just runs into people and bodies them because she's so strong'. Whilst Agyemang didn't tend to train at school due to her commitments with Arsenal, she competed in as many matches as she could, winning tournaments and trophies with her team. 'To be honest, our team had literally just started and we were immediately quite successful and I think a lot of that was down to Michelle,' Warner says. 'From a young age, she was so mature on the pitch and wise beyond her years. The way she led from the front motivated the rest of the team and she pushed everyone else to be better players because of how good she was.' At the age of 15, she was a ball girl at Wembley when Wiegman's England beat Northern Ireland 4-0. A year later in November 2022, she made her senior debut for Arsenal against Leicester City in the Women's Super League. Months after that, she was named in the England squad for the 2023 Under-17 Championship and scored twice against Poland in the first game, giving the team their first goal of the competition within four minutes. Her rise through the international youth ranks was rapid, culminating in her senior England debut in April against Belgium in the Nations League. As fate would have it, she was called into the squad after Alessia Russo was forced to withdraw with an injury. The Lionesses were 3-1 down and just 41 seconds after Agyemang's introduction, she scored her first senior goal – taking one touch to control the ball before a stunning volley beat the keeper. Agyemang's work with the Lionesses in April was enough for Wiegman to select her for her Euro 2025 squad. 'The attributes that make her standout – her goalscoring ability, her strength, her humility – we've seen them for some time in the pathway, and now the whole world is getting to see it as well,' said Emma Coates, an England women's under-23 head coach, in a recent interview. Her powers have certainly captured the attention of her team mates, opponents and the nation. 'It's really well-deserved. I can see how long this moment has been in the making,' Warner says. 'It's not a case of luck – Michelle has worked so hard for this for so many years. Football is my biggest passion so the fact that I've been a part of her journey and also had the chance to play with her is just absolutely amazing.' Everyone at SHSG is 'incredibly proud', says head teacher of The James Hornsby School, Jason Carey. 'Her dedication, resilience and pursuit of excellence were evident even during her time with us. Those qualities have clearly carried through in her sporting career. She remains an inspiration to current and future students, especially young women in sport.' Her first football team, Brandon Groves AFC, are fiercely proud of her too – in fact, they recently visited Agyemang and the Lionesses at St George's Park, the England training ground. 'Michelle took time to speak with all the girls from Brandon Groves. She signed autographs and took selfies with them all too,' says Roy Enright, vice-chair and head of the club's girl's teams. 'It's an inspiration for the girls to see Michelle – who is from the same area and played at the same club – now succeeding with England… It gives us all a great sense of pride and we are wishing her and the Lionesses all the very best for the final.' Many are questioning whether Agyemang will start tomorrow's final as England set out to defend their European title against Spain. Some believe her explosive cameos prove she simply has to be promoted to England's starting XI. However, Wiegman has made just two changes to her starting line-up this tournament, preferring to call upon Agyemang and fellow super-sub Chloe Kelly when their team needs them most. Whatever happens, two things are for certain – she's going to deliver when called upon, and this is still just the beginning of her incredible football journey.
