Spain thump grieving Portugal to make Euro 2025 statement
SPAIN SHOWED WHY they are favourites to win Women's Euro 2025 by hammering Portugal 5-0 in their tournament opener on Thursday as both teams paid tribute to Portuguese men's international Diogo Jota who was killed in a car crash.
The world champions were two ahead inside seven minutes in Bern thanks to goals from Esther Gonzalez and Vicky Lopez and never looked back from there, rattling in three more thanks to Alexia Putellas, another for Gonzalez and a late header from Cristina Martin-Prieto.
La Roja lead Italy, 1-0 winners against Belgium, on goal difference in Group B after showing no mercy to Portugal who were grieving compatriot Jota after his death alongside his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in northern Spain.
Portuguese fans marched to the ground ahead of the match with banners and chants honouring Jota and the tributes continued once supporters were in the Wankdorf Stadium.
Advertisement
The capacity crowd stood for a moment's silence while a group of Portugal fans held up cards which read 'Rest in Peace', while a banner said 'thanks for everything'.
A difficult day for Portuguese football was made worse less than 90 seconds after kick-off when Gonzalez brilliantly brought down Olga Carmona's high ball before poking past goalkeeper Ines Pereira.
And 18-year-old Lopez became Spain's youngest ever scorer at a women's Euros in the seventh minute when the Barcelona winger slid home Mariona Caldentey's low cross.
Captain Putellas, who missed the last Euros three years ago with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, got in on the act four minutes before the break with a brilliant touch to send Diana Gomes packing before confidently netting.
Spain were relentless and Gonzalez was in the right place at the right time moments later when Claudia Pina's cross bounced back off the post, onto her and into the net.
Coach Montse Tome had more good news in the shape of Aitana Bonmati who has recovered well enough from viral meningitis to play the final 10 minutes, by which time Spain had long since taken their foot off the gas.
Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Bonmati only returned to training with the Spain squad on Wednesday and her cameo is a major boost to Spain who have never won a women's European championship.
And she was on the field to see Martin-Prieto complete the rout moments before the final whistle by heading in Salma Paralluelo's cross.
Belgium 0-1 Italy
Match-winner Caruso and Italy celebrate their 1-0 success. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo
Earlier, Arianna Caruso thumped in the only goal of the game on the stroke of half-time to give Italy all three points against Ireland's upcoming Nations League play-off opponents Belgium in Sion.
'It's the result we wanted. We grew into the game because we knew we had to manage our emotions for the first game,' said Italy coach Andrea Soncin.
'As the match when on we loosened up and out quality showed through.'
Related Reads
Swiss roll stalled in four minutes on dramatic opening night of Euro 2025
Regret, enjoyment, hope: The inner conflict of watching a tournament without Ireland
Ranking the 8 teams most likely to win the Euros
Bayern Munich midfielder Caruso's strike was the only real highlight of a game which boosted Italy's hopes of taking the other quarter-final spot with Spain seemingly certain to top the group.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The 42
2 hours ago
- The 42
Sweden beat rivals Denmark to go 13 games unbeaten
SWEDEN BEAT their Scandinavian rivals Denmark 1-0 on Friday, taking an early lead in Group C at Women's Euro 2025 before Germany open their title bid against Poland. Filippa Angeldahl scored Sweden's winner in the 55th minute in Geneva after exchanging passes with Kosovare Asllani and firing into the far corner. Advertisement Sweden should have doubled their lead 10 minutes later when Madelen Janogy headed Hanna Lundkvist's pinpoint cross narrowly wide, while moments before Stina Blackstenius was denied by Frederikke Thogersen's brilliant goalline clearance. Peter Gerhardsson's team are now unbeaten in 13 games after a second straight win over the Danes, with Sweden running out emphatic 6-1 winners in the Nations League last month. Sweden kept a tight handle on Denmark's skipper Pernille Harder, although she did smash an effort off the crossbar with nine minutes remaining. The Bayern Munich forward was also involved when VAR decided not to award a penalty to Denmark in the opening minutes for a potential handball by Madelen Janogy, who was marking Parder. – © AFP 2025
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
St Patrick's Athletic in desperate need of inspiration ahead of European involvement after stalemate with Bohemians
St Patrick's Athletic 0 Bohemians 0 A return of just one goal in over 10 hours of football explains why St Patrick's Athletic are starting their European campaign in dire need of inspiration. The only full-time consolation for Stephen Kenny was that his side avoided the concession of one as a late Bohs siege almost resulted in a winner with Colm Whelan squandering a glorious chance to really pile on the misery at Richmond Park.
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Joey O'Brien era begins with a win for Shelbourne but they need bizarre JJ Lunney goal to clinch points
The Joey O'Brien era started off for real in this tie at home to the league's bottom side, his first game in charge as the permanent successor to Damien Duff after two previous matches - both draws - as the Reds' interim head coach, and O'Brien certainly has food for thought over the weekend before Linfield come to town for the first leg of their Champions League battle. Shels were 2-0 up after six minutes and won by a two-goal margin but they did let the game get away from them for spells in the second half as Cork side, reduced to 10 men after a red card early in the second half for Charlie Lyons, recovered from an utterly dismal start to take the game to the champions. Shels needed a late - and bizarre - goal from JJ Lunney seven minutes from time to make sure. Shels are unlikely to have the gifts presented to them by Cork, in the form of soft goals and a red card, when they face the Blues in that European tie with a prize of €2m at the end. With just six minutes gone, it looked as if the game was already dead as far as City were concerned, with perhaps the temptation from some of the travelling support to make an early exit and beat the traffic. Cork were wide open, incredibly so, in that opening spell, both goals gifted to the champions. Only 90 seconds had elapsed when Shels were ahead. Lyons was far too lax in possession and he allowed Harry Wood to win the ball and Wood bounded forward to bundle the ball over the line. Cork barely had time to draw breath when they were 2-0 down. City as a unit were guilty of standing off and allowing Shels to play a series of passes across the field without a tackle to be seen, before Evan Caffrey picked out Wood. He played a short ball into the waiting Mipo Odubeko and he had time and space to fire past the unfortunate Conor Brann, making his debut in the City goal. It could have been 4-0 by the 20-minute mark, Brann saving from Ali Coote before Odubeko fired wide and there was a real concern for how much damage Shels could do. But City did find their feet, eventually, sparked on 36 minutes when Freddie Anderson got a header which was wide but still a threat. And on 42 minutes they were back in the game. Shels didn't deal with a corner from Alex Nolan, Anderson and Lyons combined to set up Kitt Nelson and came up with a nice finish, his third goal of the season. Cork boss Ger Nash made changes at the break, Seáni Maguire and veteran Seán Murray sacrificed as Evan McLaughlin and Malik Dijksteel came into the fray but they were then forced into a reshuffle five minutes after the restart when defender Lyons was dismissed, a straight red card for a challenge on Kerr McInroy. The arrival off the bench of another new face, defender Fiacre Kelleher, did add some steel and Cork will clearly benefit from the leadership of the vocal Kelleher in times ahead but this tie was always going to be a struggle. To their credit, Cork were a much better unit in the second half, even with that one-man deficit, as they frustrated the home side, without much of a threat of their own as front man Dijksteel was starved of any service. Shels looked unconvincing for long spells, coming close on 63 minutes when Wood - their best player on the night - fired wide before James Norris also went close. On 76 minutes Cork had Matthew Kiernan to thank for blocking a shot from Wood, a concern for home fans when Wood appeared to pull up with an injury in that goal attempt. Even though City did not look likely to score again, Shels still needed an insurance policy and Lunney delivered on 83 minutes as he whipped into the box a ball which was more of a cross than a shot and it caught Brann off guard, a third goal for the Reds and a first win in four games. Shelbourne: Kearns; Coyle, Ledwidge, Barrett; Caffrey (Boyd 60), Lunney, McInroy (Kelly 60), Norris, Coote (Chapman 60), Wood (O'Sullivan 77); Odubeko (Martin 71). Cork City: Brann; Mbeng, Crowley, Anderson (Lutz 76), Lyons, Kiernan; Bolger, Murray (McLaughlin 46); Nolan (Kelleher 53), Murray, Nelson (O'Sullivan 53); Maguire (Dijksteel 46).
