Latest news with #VickyLopez
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Aitana Bonmati's illness is a cruel blow for Spain, who have been here before on the eve of a Euros
'Aitana (Bonmati) has viral meningitis,' Montse Tome announced after Spain's final pre-European Championship friendly, against Japan. 'She is a very important player and we will wait for her until the end.' This is how Tome announced Bonmati's hospitalisation just a few days before the start of the Euros in Switzerland. While her team-mates were in action on Friday, Bonmati shared a photo on Instagram showing herself lying in a hospital bed. Advertisement Neither the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) nor the player's entourage have given a timeline for her return, and the priority right now is for her to recover well, understanding that her health must come first. But what does this mean for her and for Spain? The reality is there is now a significant question mark over what role — if any — she will be able to play at these Euros. According to the British National Health Service, viral meningitis typically takes seven to 10 days to fully recover from. Her progress will determine her return, and Tome is prepared to wait for her. Pending developments in the coming days, it should be noted that Article 57.04 of the UEFA competition regulations would allow Spain to replace the player up to 24 hours before the tournament begins on Wednesday. Spain's first match is against Portugal on Thursday. Tome will now have to consider what happens if she loses one of her most important players, the Ballon d'Or winner. Vicky Lopez is the most natural direct replacement in the starting XI, or Tome might consider using Mariona Caldentey in a more withdrawn role. In a way, this is a kind of deja vu from 2022. Back then, one day before the start of the Euros in England, then Ballon d'Or holder Alexia Putellas injured her anterior cruciate ligament and had to withdraw from the squad. Now, while it is true that Bonmati has not been injured and could recover in time to be available for the group stage, her presence is still unknown. It is inevitable that parallels will be drawn with what happened at that time, given the importance of both players and the fact it is the same competition, the only major football tournament Spain have yet to win. Missing out on the Euros would be a huge blow for Bonmati, as she would lose the opportunity — for now at least — to add the only major title she has not won. With Barcelona, she has won everything at club level and also individually, including the past two Ballons d'Or. Advertisement For Spain, the loss would be huge. Bonmati is a player who rises to the occasion. She thrives in big games and, even in a season that was not her best in Liga F, she was named the best player in the Champions League. Bonmati has great vision, is capable of seeing spaces where no one else can and is one of the most ambitious minds on the team. She is a player with the ability to unbalance opponents and break through defensive lines with passes and dribbling. Given the style of play of Tome's team, this would be a particularly significant loss due to the position Bonmati plays. Midfield is the hallmark of both Barca and Spain and their three midfielders set the tempo, create the play and provide the balance between attack and defence. All their play goes through them. There is, at least, some consolation for Tome. Patri Guijarro is back in the national team — she missed the World Cup due to the 'Las 15' controversy, in which 15 players asked not to be called up until there were changes in the RFEF — and Putellas has regained her form and put her injury and the physical problems that came with it firmly behind her, so Bonmati's absence would be less noticeable now than it would have been at the World Cup. Back then, there was no Guijarro and Putellas was a bit-part player as she worked her way back from injury. Even so, Bonmati is a decisive player and her absence would be a significant problem for Spain. While it might boost other teams' prospects, losing the world's best player would also be a significant blow for the tournament as a whole. Now, we all wait to see how quickly she recovers.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
The 3️⃣ standout players in Spain's final test before the EUROs
The 3️⃣ standout players in Spain's final test before the EUROs Spain defeated Japan in the last friendly match ahead of the Women's Euro and we bring you the three stars of the night. Claudia Pina brought justice The first half was all red, but the Japanese goal was a cold shower. However, La Roja never stopped looking for it. And in one of the many plays, it was Claudia Pina who achieved the effectiveness they were lacking. More than timely. Tanaka opened the scoring with a great goal Without a doubt, Japan surprised everyone at Butarque. La Roja started better, but the Japanese were the ones who opened the scoring. And nothing more and nothing less with a great goal from Tanaka, who stopped it in the area, turned around and completed the sacred shout. Differential. Vicky Lopez signed the final comeback As the minutes ran and the victory seemed to become more difficult, a mistake by Japan served the comeback to Vicky Lopez. Great news for her ahead of the Women's Euro. For forwards, there's no better fuel than a goal. We'll see if Tomé continues to give her more opportunities. This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Euro 2025: What to know about the Women's European Championship
FILE - The tournament groups are displayed on the video wall at the end of the UEFA Euro 2025 European women's soccer championship final draw at the Swiss Tech Convention Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, file) FILE - Spain's Vicky Lopez, centre, challenges for the ball with Portugal's Andreia Norton, left, and Portugal's Andreia Jacinto during the Women's Nations League Group A3 soccer match between Spain and Portugal at the Balaidos stadium in Vigo, Spain, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Lalo Villar, File) FILE - The tournament trophy is on display at the end of the UEFA Euro 2025 European women's soccer championship final draw at the Swiss Tech Convention Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, File) FILE - Spain's Alexia Putellas, Jennifer Hermoso and Irene Paredes, from left, celebrate with the trophy at the end of the Women's World Cup soccer final between Spain and England at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, Aug. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File) FILE - England's Leah Williamson, center left, and Millie Bright lift the trophy after winning the Women's Euro 2022 final soccer match between England and Germany at Wembley stadium in London, July 31, 2022. England won 2-1. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File) FILE - England's Leah Williamson, center left, and Millie Bright lift the trophy after winning the Women's Euro 2022 final soccer match between England and Germany at Wembley stadium in London, July 31, 2022. England won 2-1. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File) FILE - The tournament groups are displayed on the video wall at the end of the UEFA Euro 2025 European women's soccer championship final draw at the Swiss Tech Convention Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, file) FILE - Spain's Vicky Lopez, centre, challenges for the ball with Portugal's Andreia Norton, left, and Portugal's Andreia Jacinto during the Women's Nations League Group A3 soccer match between Spain and Portugal at the Balaidos stadium in Vigo, Spain, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Lalo Villar, File) FILE - The tournament trophy is on display at the end of the UEFA Euro 2025 European women's soccer championship final draw at the Swiss Tech Convention Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, File) FILE - Spain's Alexia Putellas, Jennifer Hermoso and Irene Paredes, from left, celebrate with the trophy at the end of the Women's World Cup soccer final between Spain and England at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia, Aug. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File) FILE - England's Leah Williamson, center left, and Millie Bright lift the trophy after winning the Women's Euro 2022 final soccer match between England and Germany at Wembley stadium in London, July 31, 2022. England won 2-1. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino, File) Spain's star-packed squad is bidding to follow up on its World Cup success with a first triumph at the Women's European Championship. Defending champion England is aiming to retain its continental crown, and Germany is hoping for a record-extending ninth title. Euro 2025 kicks off on Wednesday of next week with the first two of 31 matches to be staged across eight cities in Switzerland. Advertisement Here's a look at what you need to know leading up to tournament: When does it start? The Euros kick off on July 2 with a match between Iceland and Finland in Thun before host Switzerland plays Norway at Basel. When is the final? The final will be on July 27 at St. Jakob-Park in Basel. Who is the favorite? World Cup finalists Spain and England are widely considered the favorites. England secured its first major title since the men's team won the 1966 World Cup when the women's team triumphed at the last Euros, which was postponed to 2022 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Lionesses then made it all the way to the final at the 2023 World Cup but were beaten by Spain. Germany, which lost to England after extra time in the 2022 final, won six straight editions of the women's Euros from 1995 to 2013 and has lifted the trophy in eight of the 13 finals overall. The German women's team has also won two World Cup titles. Advertisement What is the format? The tournament begins with four groups of four teams in a round-robin format. The top two teams in each group will advance to the quarterfinals. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, followed by overall goal difference and then goals scored. From the quarterfinals the tournament becomes a straight knockout competition through the semifinals and final to determine the champion. Euro 2025 brackets Group A: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Finland Group B: Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy Group C: Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden Group D: France, England, Wales, Netherlands Host stadiums and capacity Advertisement St. Jakob-Park, Basel (34,250) Stadion Wankdorf, Bern (29,800) Stade de Genève, Geneva (26,750) Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich (22,700) Arena St. Gallen, St. Gallen (16,300) Allmend Stadion Luzern, Lucerne (14,350) Arena Thun, Thun (8,100) Stade de Tourbillon, Sion (7,750) Previous champions Germany has won the women's Euros eight times. The only other multiple winner is Norway with two. England, Netherlands and Sweden — inaugural champions in 1984 — have one title each. Tournament newcomers Poland and Wales have qualified for the first time. Record attendances and rewards The last Euros, in England, smashed all records with more than 87,000 people attending the final at Wembley Stadium and a total of nearly 575,000 fans attending the 31 matches — more than double the previous record. As of last month, more than 550,000 tickets had been sold for Euro 2025. There will also be a record 41 million euros ($47 million) in prize money, more than doubling the 16 million euros ($18.3 million) received by national associations in 2022. Advertisement How to watch on TV — In the U.S.: FOX Sports, ViX. TSN will show it in Canada. — Other countries are listed here. Who to watch Spain and Barcelona duo Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas headline the list of star players. Bonmatí has won the last two Ballon d'Or titles, following in the footsteps of her teammate Putellas, who also won back-to-back awards for the world's best female soccer player. Their Barcelona teammate Caroline Graham Hansen finished second in the Ballon d'Or voting last year and the Norway winger will also be among the players to watch. Euro 2022 player of the tournament Beth Mead will be back for England, and Spain teenager Vicky López will be hoping to have a Lamine Yamal-style impact. ___ AP soccer:
