Latest news with #AlayahPilgrim
Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Alayah Pilgrim manifests Euro 2025 knockout destiny with goal in 2-0 win over Iceland
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Switzerland's Alayah Pilgrim celebrates scoring their second goal in a 2-0 Euro 2025 Group A win over Iceland at the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern on July 5. – With Switzerland's hopes of making the knockout round of the Women's European Championship hanging in the balance late in the game against Iceland on July 6, substitute Alayah Pilgrim had one thing on her mind when coach Pia Sundhage called her number – to score the goal that would ensure victory. As her side clung on to a 1-0 lead, the 22-year-old came off the bench in the 78th minute on a wet, slippery night. And, as the clock ticked past 90 minutes, she fired a deflected effort that gave the Swiss a 2-0 cushion that teed them up for a Group A showdown with Finland on July 10, with a place in the last eight at stake. Geraldine Reuteler got the opener at the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern. 'Actually, before I came in, I was manifesting a bit. I wanted to score this goal really bad, and I wanted to be a game changer, and that was in my mind. 'So I just took the ball, went right and took a shot,' Pilgrim said, still caught up in the joy of the moment. 'I was in my moment. Actually, I was just like, I don't know what I felt. I felt so many things in my body, and so much energy and emotions and the crowd. Of course, it was an amazing feeling.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NDP celebrations to be held at 5 heartland sites, including Bishan and Punggol, on Aug 10 Singapore Keep citizens at the centre of public service, Chan Chun Sing tells civil servants Singapore Man arrested for allegedly throwing bottle at SMRT bus, injuring passenger Asia As Trump plays tariffs hard ball, Asean has little choice but to play on Asia PM Anwar called out by his own lawmakers as Malaysia's judicial crisis heats up Singapore SIA flight from Brisbane to Singapore diverted to Perth due to technical issue Sport Speeding likely cause of Diogo Jota car crash: Police Business Great Eastern could resume trading after delisting vote fails to pass; OCBC's exit offer lapses Pilgrim's effort took a deflection that wrong-footed Iceland goalkeeper Cecilia Runarsdottir, sparking wild celebrations from the home crowd. The three points meant Switzerland only need to draw against the Finns, who lost 2-1 to Norway in the earlier game in Sion on July 6, to seal a quarter-final berth. With Norway top of Group A on six points and the Swiss second on three, ahead of Finland on goal difference, Pilgrim said she would likely take the same approach for the decisive game. 'Manifesting is a good thing and we're really looking forward to playing against Finland and get another win,' she said. Sundhage said she would have no problem getting her squad to focus on the next task. 'I feel that the team is getting tighter and tighter. And that's very important in order to win anything, believing each other and believe that you can win,' she said. Earlier on July 6, Caroline Graham Hansen's winning strike for Norway against Finland will barely register among the best goals of her career, but it offers her country a shot at redemption after years of Euro heartbreak. Her cross from a tight angle dipped over Finnish goalkeeper Anna Koivunen before hitting the far post and flying into the net in the 84th minute, a just reward after she displayed the full extent of her dribbling skills to set up the chance. 'It was intuition. You try the thing no one expects, and then it goes in. I have no better explanation than that,' Graham Hansen told Norway's TV2 after her side's 2-1 win at the Stade de Tourbillon in Sion. 'It's lovely, especially when it was such a messy game. You feel that you are not quite where you want to be, so getting three points and getting to the quarter-finals is lovely.' Eva Nystrom diverted Graham Hansen's low cross into her own net in the third minute. Oona Sevenius equalised for Finland before half-time, but Graham Hansen decided the game six minutes from time. After beating hosts Switzerland 2-1 in their opener on July 2, Norway have advanced as group winners and will play the runners-up in Group B, which features Spain, Italy, Belgium and Portugal. For the likes of Graham Hansen, captain Ada Hegerberg and former captain Maren Mjelde, getting through to the knockout stages will offer them a chance at redemption following more than a decade of underachievement at the Euro. That trio all featured in Norway's last game in the knockout stage of the competition, the 2013 final, in which Graham Hansen won one of two penalties the Norwegians missed in a 1-0 defeat by Germany. They exited at the group stage in 2017 and 2022, suffering a record 8-0 defeat by eventual winners England last time out. REUTERS, AFP
Japan Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Japan Times
Swiss beat Iceland 2-0 to keep alive Women's Euro knockout hopes
Geraldine Reuteler got the opening goal and Alayah Pilgrim scored a late second as host Switzerland beat Iceland 2-0 on Sunday to keep alive the team's hopes of a place in the knockout stage by registering their its win in Group A at the Women's Euros. The result means Norway, which beat Finland 2-1 earlier on Sunday, will go through as group winner, while the Swiss will play Finland in their final group game in Geneva on Wednesday with second place and a spot in the last eight up for grabs. Iceland became the first team to be eliminated from the competition. "We wanted to win that game and we got carried by our fans. In the end we created the chances needed to win. ... I am so happy," Swiss captain Lia Walti said. The tropical heat of the last week gave way to a cool evening and a light but persistent rain that made the pitch slick and slippery, raising the stakes for the two sides, neither of whom had much margin for error after losing their opening group games. There were ominous signs for the hosts in the first minute when Ingibjorg Sigurdarsdottir sent a thunderous shot off the crossbar, shocking the majority of the 29,658 fans in attendance. The Swiss had the ball in the net on the half-hour mark after Svenja Foelmli's header was helped into her own goal by Glodis Viggosdottir, but the strike was ruled out after a VAR review found that Foelmli had committed a foul in the buildup. It took until the 76th minute for Reuteler to break the deadlock in a tough, tense encounter as Iceland lost the ball in midfield and Sydney Schertenlieb slid it into her path to fire home confidently, capping off another superb individual display. Substitute Pilgrim then wrapped up the three points with a deflected shot that flew into the net to send the crowd into a frenzy, with the promise of another big night of football for the hosts on the immediate horizon. "When we scored the first goal, the 1-0, it was a fantastic feeling — now there are 30,000 in the stands who are celebrating for us. It's a good feeling, it was overwhelming in a way. It just exploded in here," Swiss midfielder Smilla Valotto told reporters. "That was up and down and back and forth. It was a fight and, at the end of the day, I think we did well," Swiss coach Pia Sundhage said with a mixture of elation and relief. "It's difficult to play against Iceland because of all the duels, they're good in the air. But we met that and we managed to do so with a clean sheet and score two goals, we are very happy about that." Sundhage said she would have no problem getting her squad to focus on the next task against Finland. "I feel that the team is getting tighter and tighter. And that's very important in order to win anything, believing each other, and believe that you can win," she told reporters.
The Sun
06-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Pilgrim manifests Euro knockout destiny with Swiss goal
WITH Switzerland's hopes of making the knockout round of the Women's Euros hanging in the balance late in the game against Iceland on Sunday, substitute Alayah Pilgrim had one thing on her mind when coach Pia Sundhage called her number -- to score the goal that would ensure victory. As her side clung on to a 1-0 lead, the 22-year-old came off the bench in the 78th minute on a wet, slippery night and, as the clock clicked past 90 minutes, she fired a deflected effort that gave the Swiss a 2-0 cushion that teed them up for a final-game showdown against Finland on Thursday, with a place in the last eight at stake. 'Actually, before I came in, I was manifesting a bit. I wanted to score this goal really bad, and I wanted to be a game-changer, and that was in my mind. So I just took the ball, went right, and shot to the shot,' she told Reuters, still caught up in the joy of the moment. 'I was in my moment. Actually, I was just like, I don't know what I felt! I felt so many things in my body, and so much energy and emotions and the crowd. Of course, it was an amazing feeling.' Pilgrim's effort took a deflection that wrong-footed the Icelandic goalkeeper but the crowd still celebrated wildly, knowing that the three points give them an excellent chance to secure a spot in the last eight if they can manage at least a draw with the Finns. With Norway top of Group A on six points and the Swiss second on three, ahead of Finland on goal difference, Pilgrim said she would likely take the same approach ahead of the decisive game with Finland. 'Manifesting is a good thing, and we're really looking forward to playing against Finland and get another win,' she said.
Straits Times
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Pilgrim manifests Euro knockout destiny with Swiss goal
BERN - With Switzerland's hopes of making the knockout round of the Women's Euros hanging in the balance late in the game against Iceland on Sunday, substitute Alayah Pilgrim had one thing on her mind when coach Pia Sundhage called her number -- to score the goal that would ensure victory. As her side clung on to a 1-0 lead, the 22-year-old came off the bench in the 78th minute on a wet, slippery night and, as the clock clicked past 90 minutes, she fired a deflected effort that gave the Swiss a 2-0 cushion that teed them up for a final-game showdown against Finland on Thursday, with a place in the last eight at stake. "Actually, before I came in, I was manifesting a bit. I wanted to score this goal really bad, and I wanted to be a game-changer, and that was in my mind. So I just took the ball, went right, and shot to the shot," she told Reuters, still caught up in the joy of the moment. "I was in my moment. Actually, I was just like, I don't know what I felt! I felt so many things in my body, and so much energy and emotions and the crowd. Of course, it was an amazing feeling." Pilgrim's effort took a deflection that wrong-footed the Icelandic goalkeeper but the crowd still celebrated wildly, knowing that the three points give them an excellent chance to secure a spot in the last eight if they can manage at least a draw with the Finns. With Norway top of Group A on six points and the Swiss second on three, ahead of Finland on goal difference, Pilgrim said she would likely take the same approach ahead of the decisive game with Finland. "Manifesting is a good thing, and we're really looking forward to playing against Finland and get another win," she said. REUTERS Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore NUS College draws 10,000 applications for 400 places, showing strong liberal arts interest Singapore MPs should not ask questions to 'clock numbers'; focus should be improving S'poreans' lives: Seah Kian Peng Singapore Sequencing and standards: Indranee on role of Leader of the House Singapore First BTO project in Sembawang North to be offered in July HDB launch World Tariffs will kick in on Aug 1 barring trade deals: US Treasury Secretary Singapore Woman on SMRT's 190 bus injured after bottle thrown at vehicle leaves hole in window Asia Two women fatally stabbed at bar in Japan by man Life Star Awards 2025: Christopher Lee wins big, including Special Achievement Award and Best Actor
CNA
06-07-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Pilgrim manifests Euro knockout destiny with Swiss goal
BERN :With Switzerland's hopes of making the knockout round of the Women's Euros hanging in the balance late in the game against Iceland on Sunday, substitute Alayah Pilgrim had one thing on her mind when coach Pia Sundhage called her number - to score the goal that would ensure victory. As her side clung on to a 1-0 lead, the 22-year-old came off the bench in the 78th minute on a wet, slippery night and, as the clock clicked past 90 minutes, she fired a deflected effort that gave the Swiss a 2-0 cushion that teed them up for a final-game showdown against Finland on Thursday, with a place in the last eight at stake. "Actually, before I came in, I was manifesting a bit. I wanted to score this goal really bad, and I wanted to be a game-changer, and that was in my mind. So I just took the ball, went right, and shot to the shot," she told Reuters, still caught up in the joy of the moment. "I was in my moment. Actually, I was just like, I don't know what I felt! I felt so many things in my body, and so much energy and emotions and the crowd. Of course, it was an amazing feeling." Pilgrim's effort took a deflection that wrong-footed the Icelandic goalkeeper but the crowd still celebrated wildly, knowing that the three points give them an excellent chance to secure a spot in the last eight if they can manage at least a draw with the Finns. With Norway top of Group A on six points and the Swiss second on three, ahead of Finland on goal difference, Pilgrim said she would likely take the same approach ahead of the decisive game with Finland. "Manifesting is a good thing, and we're really looking forward to playing against Finland and get another win," she said.
