Euro 2025 pits celebrated soccer couple Harder and Eriksson as opponents in Denmark-Sweden game
Sweden defender Magdalena Eriksson's job Friday is stopping the threat of Denmark captain Pernille Harder in their opening game at the Women's European Championship.
They have been a couple for 11 years whose influence and inspiration goes beyond sports, since a photograph went viral of their kiss after a game at the 2019 World Cup in France.
Ahead of their Euro 2025 game in Geneva, the previous clash for the pair — each with more than 100 national-team appearances — was a celebrated victory for Eriksson in February.
Showing no personal favors as Sweden captain that evening, Eriksson's tough challenges late in a Nations League game left their mark. Harder had treatment for an injured side then got Eriksson's elbow in her face when they wrestled at a corner near the end of Sweden's 2-1 win.
Harder smiled ruefully after that foul was judged and seemed content last month that Eriksson was suspended for the return game when finishing top of the group was at stake.
'As a football player, it's nice that Magda won't play. But also to avoid these duels between us,' the Denmark captain said ahead of her team losing 6-1.
A running joke this year has been that the loser must do the washing up at their home, and a Swedish fan's banner in Solna four weeks ago read: 'Pernille tar disken' (Pernille does the dishes).
Eriksson and Harder have embraced their status as LGBTQ+ icons in soccer since the 2019 kiss in Paris, on the sidelines of Sweden's victory over Canada in the round of 16.
'I didn't realize until that picture came out how big of an inspiration we actually are for a lot of people,' Harder told English daily Guardian after the tournament, when both signed with soccer's Common Goal social program.
Eriksson said the reaction to the photo 'made me understand that, 'OK, I am actually a role model to people'.'
They donate 1% of their salary to Common Goal and support its Play Proud project.
Eriksson explained more of her personal philosophy in a film the couple made in 2022 with Vogue magazine's Scandinavian edition.
'That's something my dad always taught me when I was younger was to have integrity, to stand up for what you believe in,' she said. 'It's very important to stay true to my values.'
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
Eriksson and Harder's relationship started in 2014 when teammates at Swedish club Linköping, and they were reunited at Chelsea and now with Bayern Munich.
They have faced each other twice, in 2018 on opposite sides of a Champions League semifinal — Harder scored as Wolfsburg eliminated Eriksson's Chelsea — and in a World Cup qualifying game that saw Sweden advance.
Now their friendly rivalry finally lands on a tournament stage at Euro 2025.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
18 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cal Raleigh ties Ken Griffey Jr.'s Mariners record for home runs before All-Star break with 35
SEATTLE (AP) — On the spot, Cal Raleigh compiled a laundry list of players he would consider for a Mount Rushmore of Seattle Mariners following their 6-0 victory over Pittsburgh on Friday. Ichiro was one of the first names off the board, followed by the likes of stud starting pitchers Felix Hernandez and Randy Johnson. When identifying who is the face of the Mariners, though, Raleigh immediately landed on Ken Griffey Jr., who he tied for the franchise record for home runs before the All-Star break with 35 with a pair of blasts. 'To be mentioned with that name, somebody that's just iconic, a legend, first ballot Hall of Famer, I'm just blessed,' Raleigh said. 'Trying to do the right thing and trying to keep it rolling. If I can try to be like that guy, it's a good guy to look up to.' From Raleigh's perspective, Griffey would have 'smashed' the major league home run record rather than come up 132 short of Barry Bonds if not for injuries. Thankfully for Raleigh's sake, that admiration hasn't been reserved for the public eye. Whenever Griffey finds himself back in Seattle, which was the case when FIFA Club World Cup games were taking place at Lumen Field, Raleigh has enjoyed his chats with 'The Kid.' 'It's always fun to have him around the clubhouse to just talk to him a little bit and figure out how he went about his business,' Raleigh said. 'So, I've talked to him on the phone once or twice as well. So, he's a good one. He's one of the best of all-time. It's hard to beat talking to somebody like that.' It's also hard to find many comparable runs to what Raleigh — who will participate in the Home Run Derby — is in the midst of, and what Griffey accomplished ahead of the 1998 All-Star break. Manager Dan Wilson, who was a teammate of Griffey's in 1998, is among the few folks who can truly put Raleigh's fast start to 2025 in perspective. 'It's remarkable. It feels like he hits a home run every game, that's what it feels like,' Wilson said. 'And I can remember feeling it as a player, that (Griffey) just felt like he hit a home run every day. Again, that's the consistency that (Raleigh) has shown. It hasn't been a streak where he has hit a bunch of home runs in a short amount of time. It's been kind of 10 per month.' To Wilson's point, Raleigh has been remarkably consistent. He walloped nine home runs in April, 12 in May and 11 more in June. Griffey's figures were a tad more mercurial, but just barely (10 in April, eight in May, 14 in June). All told, the 28-year-old Raleigh has more than lived up to the early stages of his six-year, $105 million contract extension, which he signed just ahead of the 2025 season. Not only has Raleigh set a career high for home runs, but he's on track to post new marks for batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Raleigh chalked those developments up to his maturing a little over halfway into his fourth full major league season. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. 'I have the ability to drive the ball out of the ballpark,' Raleigh said. 'I mean, it's part of my game and I'm a strong guy. It's learning how to hone it in and take your hits when maybe you're not getting those pitches in the heart of the plate.' Such an approach is all well and good, but the results have been starkly different. Raleigh has racked up just 36 singles, or one more than his home run total. Suffice to say, Raleigh's offensive output has justified every dollar the Mariners have sent his way so far, and then some. 'Want to make sure I'm doing everything I can every single day to earn that paycheck and earn what they gave me,' Raleigh said. 'But it's a lot more than just that. It's being a leader, doing things in the clubhouse and making sure you're ready to go every single day.' ___ AP MLB:
Winnipeg Free Press
33 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Fiji coach Byrne will reconnect with rugby's youngest new star Sua'ali'i in Wallabies test
NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) — Rugby's newest star, 21-year-old Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i, is well-known to Fiji coach Mick Byrne. Byrne will get to know him even better on Sunday when his Pacific island side plays against Sua'ali'i and Australia at Newcastle north of Sydney in the season-opening tests for both teams. The Fiji coach said he recalled meeting Sua'al'i when Byrne was an assistant to then-Wallabies coach Michael Cheika, with the youngster making an immediate impression on the pair. 'I remember when 'Cheik' and I first met him when I was at the Wallabies and a young schoolboy came in, before he signed with rugby league, and we knew then that he was a tremendous athlete,' Byrne said of the National Rugby League recruit who will line up for his fourth test Sunday and first in Australia. 'I think he offers a dimension to the game that not many athletes can,' Byrne said. 'Like a lot of international players we come up against, we've got to keep our eye on him, but I think as a player he just offers another sort of dimension, being that aerial skill-set that we'll have to be aware of as well.' The last time the teams met in 2023, the Fijians, under former coach Simon Raiwalui, stunned the Australians by defeating the then Eddie Jones-coached Australian side 22-15 in a Rugby World Cup upset. The group stage victory over the Wallabies almost two years ago was the Fijians first in 69 years. And the loss helped ensure Australia didn't make it past the preliminary stage for the first time at the World Cup. Byrne has been able to include 13 players Sunday who were part of that historic match in France, including the entire forward pack except flanker Elia Canakaivata. 'It's exciting times for us,' Byrne said. 'All our players . . . have gelled well together as a team. It's an exciting opportunity for us to get in against Australia in Australia, especially in a Lions year when there's a lot of excitement around.' It's the first of two matches on consecutive weekends for Fiji. Next Saturday, the side faces Scotland in Suva. Loose forward Harry Wilson will captain the Wallabies while Tate McDermott and Noah Lolesio will form the halfback pairing for the match. The starting roles by the trio could indicate they are favored by head coach Joe Schmidt for those positions for the first of three test matches against the British and Irish Lions in Brisbane on July 19. The 21-year-old Sua'ali'i will line up at outside center after spending the Super Rugby season at fullback with the New South Wales Waratahs. Schmidt opted for experience in the Australian front row, with former captain David Porecki called back into the team, 643 days since he last played for the Wallabies. The 32-year-old Porecki played at the 2023 World Cup but didn't play in 2024 due to Achilles and calf injuries. 'The whole squad has worked hard on and off the field and reconnected well with a short runway from our assembly through to the test on Sunday,' Schmidt said. 'I think the players and the wider management are keen to get underway, especially in front of a big crowd here in Newcastle.' ___ AP rugby:
Winnipeg Free Press
39 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Caitlin Clark to miss 5th straight game for Fever with a strained left groin
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Caitlin Clark will miss her fifth consecutive game with a strained left groin for the Indiana Fever when they host Los Angeles. The Fever announced Clark's status on Friday, a day before their game against the Sparks. Clark's most recent absence came Thursday night when she sat out Indiana's 81-54 win over Las Vegas as the Fever snapped a 16-game losing streak against the Aces. She also missed the WNBA Commissioner's Cup victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday, which did not count toward the regular-season standings. Clark, the first overall pick in the 2024 draft and one of the two captains selected for the WNBA All-Star Game later this month, never missed a game in college at Iowa or with the Fever as a rookie. A strained quadriceps earlier this season kept her out for five games. ___ AP WNBA:
