Latest news with #DaphneVanDomselaar
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Alessia Russo wants England to play without fear despite pressure against Netherlands
Alessia Russo wants England to play without fear despite pressure against Netherlands By Laura Howard, Sportsbeat Alessia Russo says England want to be as free as possible when they play the Netherlands on Wednesday despite the pressure to get a result. The Lionesses lost their opening Group D match 2-1 to France, meaning a result against Oranje Leeuwinnen is a must if they want to keep hopes of progressing to the knockout stages alive. Advertisement It heaps the pressure on England but Russo insists they must play without fear if they are to be successful in the face of a technically astute Dutch side. 'It's massively [important]. We have so many great players and we want everyone to be as free as possible out on that pitch on Wednesday night and going forward,' she said. 'It's a big part of what we are as a team. We have players that can create something out of nothing. 'Making sure that everyone is in a good headspace going into that game is important and that's what we've been doing as a team. 'Ultimately, you have to have a game plan, but we've got individuals who can create a bit of magic as well.' Russo herself is one such player, a fact the opposition will know all too well with several familiar faces on the team. Advertisement Club teammates Victoria Pelova and Daphne van Domselaar will likely feature on Wednesday, while there is plenty of Women's Super League representation in the Dutch squad. It means Russo will come against the goalkeeper she trains week in, week out against at Arsenal but the 26-year-old is solely focused on England's capabilities. 'She's a world-class goalkeeper and someone that is a very talented player but as a team we're very focused on how we can create and the positions that we want to find ourselves in on the night,' she explained. 'We're aware that they have lots of talented players and Daph's definitely one of them but we've been looking at ourselves and how we can best prepare.' Advertisement Alongside Van Domselaar, Russo lifted the Champions League trophy in Lisbon in May having also featured in the past two major tournament finals at international level. Just like knockout football, Wednesday marks a must-win encounter as England would find their chances of progression severely dented if the result goes any other way. But the England forward is yet to experience such pressure so early on in an international tournament. 'It's a different scenario but one that we as a team are ready for. Every tournament makes me learn something different and brings out different parts of my game and my mentality,' said Russo. Advertisement 'You have to adapt and you learn a lot from these experiences. We've also got players like Lucy [Bronze] and Alex [Greenwood] who have been to lots of major tournaments and have that wealth of experience. 'We can lean on them at times as well. We've played in high pressure moments before and ultimately we know that this is one of them too, but we're looking forward to that.'
Reuters
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Barca's Bonmati named Women's Champions League player of the season
May 25 (Reuters) - Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati was named the Women's Champions League player of the season on Sunday after the Spanish champions reached their fifth consecutive final of the competition. Bonmati, recognised for the third year in a row, contributed five assists and four goals to Barca's European campaign but they were unable to lift the trophy for a third straight year, losing the final 1-0 to Arsenal on Saturday. The 27-year-old Spanish international also topped the list of the season's best goals with her outstanding solo effort in the second leg of the semi-final against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Bonmati evaded a challenge from Niamh Charles and steamed through the Chelsea half before lashing the ball into the top corner to give Barcelona the lead that paved the way for another 4-1 win and saw them book a spot in the final. Five Arsenal players were named in the competition's team of the season: goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar, defenders Emily Fox and Leah Williamson and forwards Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo. Barca's Bonmati, Maria Leon, Patricia Guijarro and Claudia Pina also made the list, alongside Chelsea's Sandy Baltimore and Olympique Lyonnais midfielder Melchie Dumornay, 21, who was also recognised as best young player of the season.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Arsenal 1-0 Barcelona: Women's Champions League final player ratings
Daphne van Domselaar Made several strong punches in the first half and a vital low save to keep out Bonmati in the second. 7 Emily Fox Produced some good tackles and kept Claudia Pina significantly quieter than Chelsea managed to in the semi-finals. 7 Leah Williamson More blocks than a Lego house and downtown Manhattan combined. The Queen of interceptions tonight, too. What a performance. 9 Related: Women's Champions League triumph will redefine how Arsenal see themselves Steph Catley Really resilient against some of the world's best forwards and produced a crucial clearance from Rolfö's low cross in the second half. 8 Katie McCabe The sort of tough-tackling left-back Barcelona aren't used to. Kept Caroline Graham Hansen at bay, which is no mean feat. 8 Frida Maanum Worked really hard off the ball. Crept offside for what had looked like Arsenal's first goal before the VAR review. 8 Kim Little Missed a big chance early on but otherwise her performance was masterful and she has deserved this trophy for her exemplary career. 7 Mariona Caldentey The signing of the season. Surely Barcelona are regretting letting her go? Great both on the ball and off the ball. 8 Chloe Kelly Not a vintage display but she had a job to do for the team and she did it dutifully. Her decision to move on loan in January has certainly paid off. 6 Alessia Russo Showed top-class hold-up play throughout and was Arsenal's crucial out-ball, vital to the way they linked the play. Strong physically. Good performance. 8 Caitlin Foord Defensively she was immense, helping double up on the wingers, and she put in several important blocks, as well as looking threatening going forward. 8 Subs: Blackstenius (Maanum 67) The match-winner. So often ridiculed by fans of other clubs, now she's the hero. Took her goal superbly. Missed two other chances but who cares? 8, Mead (Kelly 68) Played an excellent through ball to provide the assist for the winning goal and adds the club European title to her England Euros glory. 7, Hurtig (Foord 86) 6, Wubben-Moy (Russo 90+1) 6 Cata Coll Saved superbly from Maanum in the first half and then did well with her feet to stop Blackstenius' first chance, but was well-beaten for the winner. 7 Ona Batlle Fired off target with a few long-range efforts and had a hard time against a confident Foord. 6 Irene Paredes Picked up a booking and had her blushes spared by VAR for what would have been a clumsy own goal. Made some good tackles but Russo got the better of her. 6 Mapi León Great to watch on the ball, as ever, but defensively was exposed a couple of times. 6 Fridolina Rolfö Very effective when marauding down the left and enjoyed a good battle with Fox. Played in a couple of crosses that deserved to be converted. 7 Aitana Bonmatí Remarkably stylish and graceful in-possession, a joy to watch, but did not take her chances tonight. Still the world's most outstanding player. 7 Patri Guijarro Unable to be anywhere near as impactful as she has been in previous finals, largely because of Arsenal's excellent work rate. 6 Alexia Putellas Nowhere near as dangerous as expected and looked very frustrated by the end. Plenty of flashes of brilliance but no end product today. 6 Caroline Graham Hansen Unable to get the better of McCabe, overhit a cross on a rare time when she did get past the Irishwoman, but gave the ball away too much. 6 Ewa Pajor Scarcely involved in the game at all. Headed over from a decent chance. A disappointing end to a season where she had looked unstoppable. 5 Claudia Pina Inventive movement, unfortunate not to score when she hit the crossbar and was perhaps unlucky to be taken off. 7 Subs: Salma Paralluelo (Pina 62) Not the super sub the Barcelona fans were expecting. Still a very young player with a superb array of talents and probably a future Ballon d'Or winner. 6, Brugts (Rolfö 78) 6, Engen (León 78) 5
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Women's Champions League triumph will redefine how Arsenal see themselves
There is always a little more time than you think. A red number 7 blinks across the pitch from the fourth official's board. Seven minutes of injury time: it's a lot. Against Barcelona, it's an age. Against this Barcelona, in this heat, in this game, it may as well be all of eternity. But you push through. You pace yourself. Beth Mead goes down under a challenge; there's 30 seconds right there. Kim Little rolls the ball up the left touchline to no one: eight seconds. Daphne van Domselaar hesitates over a free-kick, squeezing out those seconds like drops from a towel. You push through because whatever happens in these seven minutes, however those minutes make you suffer, seven minutes is still less than 18 years. Advertisement Related: Arsenal 1-0 Barcelona: Women's Champions League final player ratings There is a whistle, and then there is a scream, and then there is pure confusion. Arsenal have planned this game to the very last detail, rehearsed every last contingency, mapped out every possible scenario. But not this one. Some run; some stagger. But in these earliest moments of triumph, wherever they are on the pitch, somehow it feels telling that the first instinct of these Arsenal players is to find each other. Meanwhile Barcelona collapse, not just in distress but in a kind of violent shock: a shock that seems to consume them physically, to shake every fibre of their being. As if they cannot truly believe anyone would dare to do this to them. Next to the centre circle a podium is hastily being erected, a confetti cannon winched into place, and they still can't believe it's not for them. People often say, with a vaguely fatalistic subtext, that you have to play the perfect game against Barcelona. Which is all very well, but then what happens when you make a mistake? Arsenal did not play the perfect game, even if several individuals got pretty close. But they won anyway, because they understood that finals are not simply a form of expression but a form of combat, not simply a vehicle for skills and stratagems but a vehicle for courage. Advertisement And we should be clear at this point what kind of courage we mean. This is not simply the courage of crunching tackles and lunging blocks, of putting your head where it hurts. It is the courage of playing the forward pass when the backward pass is on, of keeping the ball on the ground when every impulse tells you to get rid, of taking your time on the ball, because there is always a little more time than you think. It is the courage of starting well, having a goal disallowed, missing chances, but not succumbing to fatalism. Of Leah Williamson stepping in to win the ball, even though she risks getting turned. Of flooding the area with bodies even though you know how well Barcelona can transition. Of showing the greatest team in the history of women's club football all the respect they deserve, but not an ounce more. Arsenal's goal, a masterclass of grace under pressure, was perhaps the best example of this. Mariona Caldentey receives the ball on the right wing, and immediately the options flutter in front of her. The first-time cross is on. The sliding pass to Katie McCabe in the channel is on. Instead she waits, waits for the picture to unblur in front of her. And eventually Mead presents herself, and the pass is perfect, and the shot from Stina Blackstenius is perfect, and in the most perfect twist of all, she's actually onside this time. For Arsenal, this changes everything. There will be a parade on Monday, and a mural on the side of the Emirates, there will be award ceremonies and tie-in merchandise, there will be functions and reunions. Over time Lisbon 2025 will take its place in the club's mythology, as surely as Meadow Park 2007, White Hart Lane 2004, Anfield 1989. Advertisement But of course it changes so much more than this. For those fans today who were not fans 18 years ago, Arsenal have slowly become the sort of club that dares but does not do, that fails elegantly and succeeds rarely, that wants to win but ultimately does not need to: a trendy leisurewear brand with a football team attached. These are traits that hard-wire themselves over time, and yet can be magically undone in the course of one sweltering afternoon. Arsenal are European champions. Those four small words now define how this club sees itself, how these players step on to the pitch, how opponents treat them, how prospective signings view the project. For Little, for Williamson, for Blackstenius, for Renée Slegers and for Clare Wheatley, the director of women's football, and the Arsenal board, it is a form of vindication that will sustain them in their toughest moments. Each of them will walk a little taller on Sunday morning. Most days, nothing changes. The games and the sessions and the seasons all blur into one eventually. But then there are the days that will be remembered in perfect clarity, forever: days when a plan comes together, days when the wheel of history is stopped in its tracks. Together, Little and Williamson clasp the trophy, raise it aloft. The music plays. The confetti flies. When it lands, nothing will be the same again.
The Guardian
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Women's Champions League triumph will redefine how Arsenal see themselves
There is always a little more time than you think. A red number 7 blinks across the pitch from the fourth official's board. Seven minutes of injury time: it's a lot. Against Barcelona, it's an age. Against this Barcelona, in this heat, in this game, it may as well be all of eternity. But you push through. You pace yourself. Beth Mead goes down under a challenge; there's 30 seconds right there. Kim Little rolls the ball up the left touchline to no one: eight seconds. Daphne van Domselaar hesitates over a free-kick, squeezing out those seconds like drops from a towel. You push through because whatever happens in these seven minutes, however those minutes make you suffer, seven minutes is still less than 18 years. There is a whistle, and then there is a scream, and then there is pure confusion. Arsenal have planned this game to the very last detail, rehearsed every last contingency, mapped out every possible scenario. But not this one. Some run; some stagger. But in these earliest moments of triumph, wherever they are on the pitch, somehow it feels telling that the first instinct of these Arsenal players is to find each other. Meanwhile Barcelona collapse, not just in distress but in a kind of violent shock: a shock that seems to consume them physically, to shake every fibre of their being. As if they cannot truly believe anyone would dare to do this to them. Next to the centre circle a podium is hastily being erected, a confetti cannon winched into place, and they still can't believe it's not for them. People often say, with a vaguely fatalistic subtext, that you have to play the perfect game against Barcelona. Which is all very well, but then what happens when you make a mistake? Arsenal did not play the perfect game, even if several individuals got pretty close. But they won anyway, because they understood that finals are not simply a form of expression but a form of combat, not simply a vehicle for skills and stratagems but a vehicle for courage. And we should be clear at this point what kind of courage we mean. This is not simply the courage of crunching tackles and lunging blocks, of putting your head where it hurts. It is the courage of playing the forward pass when the backward pass is on, of keeping the ball on the ground when every impulse tells you to get rid, of taking your time on the ball, because there is always a little more time than you think. It is the courage of starting well, having a goal disallowed, missing chances, but not succumbing to fatalism. Of Leah Williamson stepping in to win the ball, even though she risks getting turned. Of flooding the area with bodies even though you know how well Barcelona can transition. Of showing the greatest team in the history of women's club football all the respect they deserve, but not an ounce more. Arsenal's goal, a masterclass of grace under pressure, was perhaps the best example of this. Mariona Caldentey receives the ball on the right wing, and immediately the options flutter in front of her. The first-time cross is on. The sliding pass to Katie McCabe in the channel is on. Instead she waits, waits for the picture to unblur in front of her. And eventually Mead presents herself, and the pass is perfect, and the shot from Stina Blackstenius is perfect, and in the most perfect twist of all, she's actually onside this time. For Arsenal, this changes everything. There will be a parade on Monday, and a mural on the side of the Emirates, there will be award ceremonies and tie-in merchandise, there will be functions and reunions. Over time Lisbon 2025 will take its place in the club's mythology, as surely as Meadow Park 2007, White Hart Lane 2004, Anfield 1989. 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 But of course it changes so much more than this. For those fans today who were not fans 18 years ago, Arsenal have slowly become the sort of club that dares but does not do, that fails elegantly and succeeds rarely, that wants to win but ultimately does not need to: a trendy leisurewear brand with a football team attached. These are traits that hard-wire themselves over time, and yet can be magically undone in the course of one sweltering afternoon. Arsenal are European champions. Those four small words now define how this club sees itself, how these players step on to the pitch, how opponents treat them, how prospective signings view the project. For Little, for Williamson, for Blackstenius, for Renée Slegers and for Clare Wheatley, the director of women's football, and the Arsenal board, it is a form of vindication that will sustain them in their toughest moments. Each of them will walk a little taller on Sunday morning. Most days, nothing changes. The games and the sessions and the seasons all blur into one eventually. But then there are the days that will be remembered in perfect clarity, forever: days when a plan comes together, days when the wheel of history is stopped in its tracks. Together, Little and Williamson clasp the trophy, raise it aloft. The music plays. The confetti flies. When it lands, nothing will be the same again.
