Latest news with #Women'sNationsLeague
The Star
12-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Wales coach says all pressure on England ahead of rivals' Euro 2025 clash
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Women's Nations League - League A - Wales v Italy - Stadium, Swansea, Wales, Britain - June 3, 2025 Wales manager Rhian Wilkinson looks on Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers/File Photo ST. GALLEN, Switzerland (Reuters) -Wales coach Rhian Wilkinson said her team would love nothing more than to spoil England's party when the neighbours and rival nations meet in their final Euro 2025 Group D match on Sunday. Defending champions England already have one foot in the quarter-finals, with a victory ensuring they advance to the knockout round. A draw would also put them through provided France beat the Netherlands. But Wales, who have lost both matches so far at their European championship debut, certainly are not going to make it easy for them. "It would be detrimental to look past us," said the Canadian coach Wilkinson at a press conference. "The pressure's all on them. We know there's still a chance for us, we're aware of it. And when there's a chance, there's always an exciting element that we get to go towards and not be frightened of because what do we have to fear? It's just an exciting opportunity. "We're going to push them to the very end. We're in a very close group - England will be forced to play a strong line-up. We get to show up and spoil the party and that's a wonderful job to have." Wales' chances of advancing are slim - they need to beat England by at least four goals and for France to beat the Dutch. But they would happily play spoiler. "As a Welsh woman, do you want to knock England out? Of course you do," said midfielder Angharad James. "It's in our blood, our DNA and the rivalry has always been and always will be there. It's a rivalry match and it's one that everyone wants to play in. "But the pressure is all on England. They have to come out, they have to perform. They're expected to win this game within our group. We believe that we can upset a very top team, and we're ready for the fight tomorrow. "We'll give it our absolute all for our country and to make them prouder." Wales were drawn into arguably the toughest group of the tournament, with three teams in the top 11 of FIFA's world rankings. But they have been roared on by huge and noisy cheering sections - the Red Wall - at both games, and were rewarded in Wednesday's 4-1 loss to France when 38-year-old Jess Fishlock scored the team's first goal at a major tournament. (Reporting by Lori Ewing in Oberentfelden, Switzerland; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
The Star
12-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-England's new forward Beever-Jones eager to contribute at Euro 2025
Soccer Football - Women's Nations League - England Training - St. George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - April 1, 2025 England's Aggie Beever Jones during training Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff/File Photo ZURICH (Reuters) -Chelsea forward Aggie Beever-Jones is one of a group of talented youngsters on England's team at Euro 2025, after putting on a dazzling display at Wembley in May with a first-half hat-trick against Portugal in the Nations League. But whether or not manager Sarina Wiegman calls her name on Sunday when England -- a team already boasting some of the best forwards in the game including Lauren James and Alessia Russo -- take on Wales in the reigning champions' final group game, Beever-Jones said all she can do is be ready. Beever-Jones, who turns 22 on July 27, the day of the Euro 2025 final, did not play in England's 1-0 loss to France and said Wiegman put a consolatory arm around her after the game. "Me and Sarina had a conversation and ultimately I have to respect her decision," Beever-Jones said. "She did say it was a tough game and she looked obviously elsewhere to bring other people on. And I have to respect that. "I know my strengths, and I know I've done it for two years coming off the bench at Chelsea and hopefully making an impact. And Sarina is well aware of that, and she knows that I'll be ready no matter what, whenever the time comes." Beever-Jones made her international tournament debut as a late substitute in England's 4-0 thrashing of the Netherlands on Wednesday, and would undoubtedly love to be on the pitch against Wales on Sunday when a victory would secure passage to the quarter-finals. The striker, who was Chelsea's leading scorer with nine goals this past season to help them to win a sixth consecutive Women's Super League title, was in the crowd at Wembley to watch England win the Euro 2022 title. Asked whether she has had any pinch-me moments in her major tournament debut, she talked about a photograph in England's base camp that is a compilation of all the women when they were young girls in their various grassroots club kits. "Reminds me where I came from and the progress I've made, and that ultimately you just have to play to make that girl happy," she said. "Because obviously I'd be delighted if someone told that girl that she'd be here right now doing this. "So I'd definitely say it is very surreal, and I'm just trying to take in as much as I can and take it day by day." (Reporting by Lori Ewing; editing by Clare Fallon)
Straits Times
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
We won't fear group leaders Spain, says Italy defender Oliviero
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Women's Nations League - League A - Italy v Wales - Stadio Brianteo, Monza, Italy - February 21, 2025 Italy's Elisabetta Oliviero during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Massimo Pinca/File Photo ST. GALLEN, Switzerland - Italy go into their clash against Spain at the Euros on Friday with no fear of the Group B leaders, defender Elisabetta Oliviero said, despite her side needing at least a draw to ensure they progress alongside the Spaniards. The Italians looked set to join Spain in the last eight, but they conceded a late equaliser in their last game which gave Portugal a 1-1 draw and leaves Italy with some work to do. They will be sure of reaching the quarter-finals if they avoid defeat by Spain or if Portugal do not beat Belgium. "It's not a joke -- I'm telling you, we don't have any (fear) because it's not a matter of fear," Oliviero told reporters. "Tomorrow we play our game with a lot of respect, but I repeat, we will play for (against) Spain like any other nation we will meet, or any other situation. "Spain has weak points, yes, like everyone, and we will definitely study them. Football is a special sport, that's the beauty of it. We will see many things on the pitch." Spain's embarrassment of attacking riches has seen them net a staggering 11 goals in two games so far, thrashing Portugal 5-0 in their opener and following that with a 6-2 drubbing of Belgium to book their place in the quarter-finals. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump's ambassador nominee to Singapore Anjani Sinha has a rough day at Senate hearing Singapore Singapore to hire more than 1,000 new educators annually in the next few years, up from 700 Singapore COE prices rise for all categories Singapore Govt watching job situation for fresh graduates closely, exploring further support: Gan Siow Huang Singapore Man who killed cats by throwing them off HDB blocks has jail term doubled to 27 months Singapore $43k fine for undischarged bankrupt doctor who failed to disclose assets worth over $4m Singapore Female primary school teacher charged over alleged sex acts with underage male student Singapore People working in air-conditioned spaces prefer 24 deg C and warmer: Survey Spain's Alexia Putellas and Esther Gonzalez have both scored three times so far in the tournament and the goalkeeper tasked with stopping them in training is not surprised at their form. "When they score those goals in matches I'm not surprised, because they do exactly the same in training," Spain's Adriana Nanclares told reporters on Wednesday. "In the end it's a luxury to have them, it speaks a lot about the individual ambition of each of them." The two sides meet at Bern's Wankdorf Stadium on Friday. REUTERS
The Star
09-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-We won't fear group leaders Spain, says Italy defender Oliviero
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Women's Nations League - League A - Italy v Wales - Stadio Brianteo, Monza, Italy - February 21, 2025 Italy's Elisabetta Oliviero during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Massimo Pinca/File Photo ST. GALLEN, Switzerland (Reuters) -Italy go into their clash against Spain at the Euros on Friday with no fear of the Group B leaders, defender Elisabetta Olivierosaid, despite her side needing at least a draw to ensure they progress alongside the Spaniards. The Italians looked set to join Spain in the last eight, but they conceded a late equaliser in their last game which gave Portugal a 1-1 draw and leaves Italy with some work to do. They will be sure of reaching the quarter-finals if they avoid defeat by Spain or if Portugal do not beat Belgium. "It's not a joke -- I'm telling you, we don't have any (fear) because it's not a matter of fear," Oliviero told reporters. "Tomorrow we play our game with a lot of respect, but I repeat, we will play for (against) Spain like any other nation we will meet, or any other situation. "Spain has weak points, yes, like everyone, and we will definitely study them. Football is a special sport, that's the beauty of it. We will see many things on the pitch." Spain's embarrassment of attacking riches has seen them net a staggering 11 goals in two games so far, thrashing Portugal 5-0 in their opener and following that with a 6-2 drubbing of Belgium to book their place in the quarter-finals. Spain's Alexia Putellas and Esther Gonzalez have both scored three times so far in the tournament and the goalkeeper tasked with stopping them in training is not surprised at their form. "When they score those goals in matches I'm not surprised, because they do exactly the same in training," Spain's Adriana Nanclares told reporters on Wednesday. "In the end it's a luxury to have them, it speaks a lot about the individual ambition of each of them." The two sides meet at Bern's Wankdorf Stadium on Friday. (Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Ken Ferris)
The Star
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Soccer-Young forward Agyemang hoping to help England take off at Euro 2025
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Women's Nations League - League A - England v Portugal - Wembley Stadium, London, Britain - May 30, 2025 England's Michelle Agyemang during the warm up before the match REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo ZURICH (Reuters) -England's Michelle Agyemang made a big impression in less than 10 minutes at Euro 2025, and she hopes she can make the most of anytime on the pitch when the Lionesses face the Netherlands in a must-win Group D game on Wednesday. Agyemang was an 86th-minute substitute in their 2-1 loss to France in their opener on Saturday, but had more touches in the French box (five) than any other England player, had a shot on goal that was blocked, and generally caused chaos for the opposition defenders. The 19-year-old made a great case for more minutes against the Netherlands with England in danger of becoming the first holders in tournament history to be eliminated in the group stage. "I think it's easy to look at the time and think, 'Ugh, there's not enough time left,'" Agyemang told reporters on Monday. "But obviously, that's the beauty of the game. Sometimes it only takes 10 seconds to make an impact. So I think anytime on the pitch is good enough for me." Agyemang had a stunning debut in the England senior team back in April against Belgium, scoring after 41 seconds with just two touches of the ball. Asked about the pressure as a late-game substitute, Agyemang said there was none. "Going in to change a game when there's not much going your way can actually be more beneficial, you just go in and take a game by the scruff of the neck," she said. "That's how I kind of felt the other day. On another day, that could have been three points for us." Agyemang has also made a good impression on her teammates in her brief time with them, impressing defender Lucy Bronze with her physicality in training. However, Agyemang said coach Sarina Wiegman has talked to her about dialling it down a bit. "I think I've improved on it, but yeah, Lucy was saying she thinks it's a super strength of mine, and I know Lucy's physical as well, so we like going at it in training," Agyemang said. The young forward hopes to emulate Lauren James, who she highlighted as a role model and whose dynamic attacking style is similar to her own. James stepped up to be a key player in England's run to the Women's World Cup final in 2023. "LJ is one of the most technically gifted players I have ever seen, and she's so calm and collected on the ball, and you can see that whether she's in front of goal, whether she's under pressure, she knows what she's doing," Agyemang said. (Reporting by Lori EwingEditing by Christian Radnedge)
