Aitana Bonmati discharged from hospital after being treated for viral meningitis
With Euro 2025 scheduled to start on Wednesday, the 27-year-old Barcelona player will join her national team's training camp in the coming days.
World champions Spain begin their campaign on Thursday with a Group B fixture against Portugal in Bern.
Bonmati, who has won the Ballon d'Or for the past two years, was absent for her country's 3-1 friendly win over Japan on Friday.
Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati, right, in action against England in February (Zac Goodwin/PA)
She posted a picture on Instagram of herself watching the match, which was played in the Spanish city of Leganes, from a hospital bed.
A statement from the Spanish football federation read: 'After several days in hospital with viral meningitis, Aitana Bonmati has been discharged from hospital and will join the Spanish national team's training camp in the coming days.'
Bonmati was a key member of the Spain squad which won the 2023 World Cup – following victory over England in the final – and the 2024 Nations League.
Speaking after the friendly against Japan, Spain head coach Montse Tome, whose side also face Belgium and Italy in the Euro 2025 group stage, said: 'She's an extremely important player for us and we will wait for her, no matter what, as long as we have to.'
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The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Toone scores twice in England's easy test against Jamaica ahead of Euros
England have far trickier tests ahead of them when they kick off their European Championship title defence in Zurich against France in six days' time, but they delivered a thrilling show for the fans who came to wave them off in Leicester, with a 7-0 win against Jamaica. This was Sarina Wiegman's final opportunity to see her team in front of fans and with tournament conditions in place before they head to Switzerland to defend their 2022 crown, and although it was a dress rehearsal the signs were good. Ella Toone stepped up, scoring twice, Lauren James returned to action and provided an assist within eight minutes, there was a cohesiveness to England's play and the substitutes were impactful. It was deafeningly loud before kick-off, fans in the Midlands, and those travelling from further afield, had read loud and clear the message that this was a send-off game. Huge cheers accompanied the names of the starting XI as they were read out, with the captain, Leah Williamson, and the forward Alessia Russo eliciting the loudest chorus alongside the low and distinctive boo-like 'Tooooooone' that echoed around the stadium when her name came over the loudspeakers. There had been some theorising over what sort of starting XI Wiegman would resort to for the visit of Jamaica. Would this be the opportunity to give those on the fringes of the starting XI a final chance to impress, or would it be much closer to the likely starting XI for England's Euro 2025 opener against France? It was, in reality, always going to be the latter. In a tough group, with no easy games, this was England's chance to warm up into competition mode. Jess Carter was given the nod over Niamh Charles at left-back, Beth Mead started ahead of Chloe Kelly and Toone beat Grace Clinton to fill the No 10 role. It would be remiss to not expect some tweaks for the game against France, James's appearance off the bench was down to her return from injury for example, but they will be minimal. Toone repaid the faith of the England manager within 10 minutes, the midfielder collecting the loose ball after it was forced from the feet of Georgia Stanway and curling into the corner from the edge of the D. After opening the scoring the 25-year-old poignantly kissed her hands and pointed to the sky, a tribute to her father who passed away in September. There was always going to be a big gulf between these two teams: the European champions ranked fifth in the world, and Jamaica ranked 35 places below them. Emblematic of that gap was was the 20-year-old Liya Brooks goalkeeper, one of four players in the Jamaica squad who plays for a university team in the US. England were stunned 10 minutes later, though, when a corner was sent in low by Allyson Swaby, Amelia van Zanten dummied and Kayla McKenna swept in past Hannah Hampton, with a deflection off Alex Greenwood wrong-footing the keeper. However, with VAR in use to get the Lionesses ready for tournament conditions, McKenna's effort was ruled out, with Kalyssa van Zanten in an offside position and interfering with Hampton's line of sight. Their one-goal advantage still in place, England played some lovely football, Keira Walsh moved the ball wonderfully and Carter looked to be benefiting from being match fit, with the NWSL season in full swing. The second was inevitable and Carter was the architect, her cross from the left finding Lucy Bronze in the middle and the 33-year-old headed in. Lauren Hemp hit the post and Russo the bar minutes apart as the Lionesses sought to put on a show for fans at the King Power Stadium, but it was Toone who added the third, Bronze battling the ball to her before she curled it into the corner. 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 England's dominance continued into the second half and the fourth goal was delivered just before the hour, when Stanway fired in after a string of shots were blocked by the visitors. Changes came soon after, with Esme Morgan, Kelly and James on for Greenwood, Toone and Hemp. The sight of James back on the pitch was welcome, making her first appearance since April, following her recovery from a hamstring injury. The 23-year-old forward is critical to England's present and future and she had looked sharp in training before her first minutes in three months. Her first effort was less impressive, from distance sailing high over the bar, but this was the time to get any rustiness out of her system. Turns out, that did not take long, James's clipped effort to the far post was pinpoint and all Russo had to do was nod her head forward slightly to convert. Charles, Clinton and Aggie Beever-Jones were given a chance to show what they can do with 15 minutes remaining and they injected a lot of energy into the game as Jamaican legs tired. They inspired the sixth, Williamson's ball from deep met by Charles who sent it into the middle for Beever-Jones to turn in. Kelly delivered for Mead in added time, the Arsenal forward firing in shortly after she had been down with a worrying looking knock to her knee. Jamaica are not of the level of the victors' Group D opponents France or the Netherlands, or Wales for that matter, but the Lionesses did the job that was in front of them. This was a mature England, a confident England and an increasingly tournament-ready England.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
England ‘put on a show' and send message to rivals in Euro 2025 send-off
There were fireworks over Leicester. The Lionesses will hope they seen more over Basel in four weeks' time. The tests will only get tougher, starting against France in their Euro 2025 opener on Saturday, but England ensured they enjoyed their send-off with a thumping win over Jamaica at the King Power. It can sometimes be hard to tell just how much to take from a friendly of this nature, and what was clear from this 7-0 win was that a depleted Jamaica provided a demonstration to anyone at Euro 2025 of how to not play against England. The European champions and holders, though, displayed just how much quality they possess when they are allowed time and given options. 'We should take a lot of confidence [from the result],' Leah Williamson said. 'We wanted to move the ball, put on a show.' With heavyweights in France and Netherlands up first at the Euros, the only opposition England are likely to face in Switzerland who would potentially mirror Jamaica's approach is Wales, who sit deep in an organised block and look to counter with pace. Jamaica, though, were missing a number of key players, including record scorer and captain Khadija Shaw and goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer, and, while they indeed set up in a defensive 4-4-2, it provided little resistance to England surging forward. Keira Walsh might have thought her days of being able to sit in front of England's centre-backs and spray passes from holding midfield were over, given the careful attention opponents usually allocate to shutting down the reliable dictator of England's rhythm. Not here, with Walsh able to face forward, look up, pull out a lawn chair and gaze at the options in front of her. Unsurprisingly, when Walsh is afforded that time on the ball and Williamson can also thread passes through the lines from defence, England's threats begin to spring up from all angles. Again, it won't be this easy at the Euros, but two players in particular were key to how the Lionesses were able to routinely pick Jamaica apart. With Lauren Hemp and Beth Mead out wide and Walsh locked and loaded from deep, Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone could find the pockets of space to receive the passes from Walsh or Williamson to pull Jamaica from their rigid shape. Once England bypassed that first wave of Jamaica's block, the Lionesses began to flow and, more often than not, it was Stanway and Toone getting on the end of their chances. "We enjoyed that game today,' Toone said. Toone scored twice in the first half, then Stanway added a fourth on the hour-mark, with the sort of thumping finish that released all the frustration of four months on the sidelines due to a knee injury. Stanway looked well rested, though, completing her first full match since returning from injury and offering tireless runs into the channels. Toone, too, showcased her scoring threat. Her first was set up by Stanway on the edge of the box, with her shot taking the slightest deflection. The second came from Walsh's switch from left to right, but was finished superbly by Toone off the post. Then, when Jamaica looked as if they had endured quite enough, Wiegman brought on Lauren James for her first minutes since April. Some of James' team-mates have noticed how she too looks refreshed after some time out due to a hamstring injury, and how it could be a blessing in disguise ahead of the Euros. 'Good luck to anyone who has to face her at the tournament,' Jess Carter said on Saturday. And, in a timely half-hour, James showcased why, with the languid, relaxed shape of her body as she bent delicious, inviting crosses into the box. Russo couldn't resist, and added England's fifth from James' left-footed inswinger. Toone was one of two changes made by Weigman from England's 2-1 defeat in Spain at the start of the month. The other, Carter, is in direct competition with Niamh Charles to start England's opening game against France on Saturday and came away with an assist for Lucy Bronze's back-post header. If the 27-year-old is selected ahead of Charles for the Euros, it will be because of her defensive abilities, but her floated cross to set up England's second of the match was excellent and, for Carter, undoubtedly a bonus. Carter's crunching and perfectly timed challenge on Kameron Simmons in the penalty box, following a Jamaica break, was a more familiar example of why she may start against France, though there was also a slight mix-up Keira Walsh that ended up leading to Jamaica's disallowed equaliser. In what was their first attack, England switched off defending the corner, a well-worked routine from Jamaica, but there was a let off as Kalyssa Van Zanten was blocking Hannah Hampton's sight from an offside position. Hampton had very little else to do, and it was notable that Wiegman did not take the opportunity to offer either Khiara Keating or Anna Moorhouse their first international cap from the bench: should either be forced into action at the Euros, they will be making their England debuts in the deep end of a major tournament. That also continued a theme from Wiegman's team selection: there are seven players in England's squad who will be heading to their first major tournament in Switzerland, but it was only Hampton from that contingent that made the starting line-up. For all of their influence in England's recent Nations League campaign, the likes of Grace Clinton and Jess Park are, for now, just short of a place in England's strongest team. The 'new' Lionesses may still have an impact, but it will likely come from the bench. Though England have strength and options there, and that wasn't the case 12 months ago. Against Jamaica, Wiegman was able to bring on not just James, but Chloe Kelly, Clinton and Aggie Beever-Jones, who scored England's sixth by finishing a cross from another substitute in Niamh Charles. And there were smiles as England headed on their final walk of appreciation. The only thing that could have soured it would have been an injury, and there was a slightly worrying moment as Mead stayed down holding her. But, as if to sum up England's evening, Mead jumped up to score England's seventh and complete the rout.
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
England thrash Jamaica to get perfect send-off ahead of Euros title defence
ENGLAND 7-0 JAMAICA: Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses go into this summer's European Championships off the back of a crunching win against Jamaica but there were a couple of nervy moments England were given a rousing reception by a lively Leicester crowd as they signed off ahead of their Euro 2025 campaign with an Ella Toone -inspired victory against Jamaica. There were nervy moments in between first-half goals from Toone and Lucy Bronze, but the Lionesses grew into the game and were never in trouble after that second went in. Sarina Wiegman's team won 6-0 against Portugal in their last Wembley game, and once again peppered the opposition goal with shots. It could have been 3-0 long before Toone got her second and England's third in first-half stoppage-time, with two players denied by the woodwork. Georgia Stanway added a fourth for England just before the hour mark, rifling the ball home from inside the box. And Alessia Russo, one of England's better performers at the King Power Stadium, got the goal her performance deserved 20 minutes from time. Fans stayed behind to give the players a send-off before they head to Switzerland to defend the title they won on home soil in 2022. They will have to do so without Mary Earps, Fran Kirby and Millie Bright - three influential figures from that triumph - but Wiegman still has a squad packed with talent from the upper reaches of the WSL and beyond. One of those experienced players is Toone, and it was the Manchester United midfielder who curled in England's opener with just 10 minutes on the clock. The 25-year-old was backed ahead of Jess Park as the furthest-advanced midfielder and justified her selection by beating Liya Brooks from the edge of the box. England dominated the early proceedings but got a let-off when a Jamaica equaliser was ruled out for offside. Kayla McKenna ran away celebrating after her effort deflected past the unsighted Hannah Hampton, but referee Franziska Wildfeuer consulted the VAR monitor and ruled that Kiki Van Zanten - standing in an offside position in front of Hampton - had prevented the England keeper from making the save. Jamaica continued to threaten, and a crunching Jess Carter tackle prevented Van Zanten getting a clear sight of goal herself. And the Gotham FC full- back then made a vital contribution at the other end, sending in a devilish cross for fellow defender Lucy Bronze to calmly nod home. Lauren Hemp came close to a third before the break, sending a shot crashing against the post after a neat flick from Bronze. Russo fired against the crossbar not long after, but Toone ensured it was third time lucky with shots off the woodwork as she dug out a shot which clipped the inside of the post on the way in. Wiegman was able to get a good look at some other squad members during the second half, with the game out of sight. She said before the game that she'd be managing Lauren James ' minutes after injury, but the Chelsea star got the best part of half an hour after replacing Toone as part of a triple change. Beever-Jones got even less time, but both women had a part to play in late England goals. James' teasing cross set up Russo for the fifth before Beever-Jones - after coming close with a couple of sighters - slid home a sixth after combining with fellow sub Niamh Charles. There was a scary moment when Beth Mead went down in stoppage-time, but the forward was ok and able to carry on. Not only that, but she added extra gloss to the scoreline right at the death as England made it seven. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
