I usually write about men’s soccer, but I’m happy to cover big tournaments like the Women’s Euro 2025. This year’s edition of the quadrennial European championship allows us to see living legends such as Jess Fishlock (Wales) and Glódis Perla Vigósdóttir (Iceland) finally make their debuts on the world stage. Let’s run down the action from the Alpine environs of Switzerland.
Women's Euro 2025 winners from Matchday 1
Vivianne Miedema
One hundred goals in 126 caps for Netherlands! That is objectively insane. The Manchester City striker did it in great style, too, with shot fakes on her right and left feet turning Wales defender Josephine Green this way and that before she opened the scoring for De Oranje in their 3-0 triumph. When her career is over, we’ll see where she ranks among the all-time great strikers, but right now, the Dutch will go as far as she can take them.
Selma Bacha
If France had thrown away a 2-0 lead, the whispers would have started up again about how Les Bleues always seem to choke in these big tournaments. With Keira Walsh pulling one back for England and the defending European champions pressing for an equalizer, goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin came out of her net but could only punch the ball to Lucy Hemp. It was the Lyonnes left-back-turned-defensive midfielder-turned-left-back again who stood on the line and prevented the Manchester City winger’s shot from going in and preserving the win for France. Les Bleues will now like their chances of progressing through this tournament’s Group of Death.
Katariina Kosola
You can chalk up Finland’s win over Iceland to the red card that Hildur Antonsdóttir drew in the second half, but the Boreal Owls’ midfield engine broke the game open 11 minutes later with a shot from outside the box like she has on numerous occasions for Malmö. Finland hosted this tournament back in 2009, but they didn’t win a match that year, so this marks their first-ever win at the Euro tournament. Hyvä Suomi!
Arianna Caruso
The Bayern Munich midfielder did not take the best touch from Lucia di Guglielmo’s cross, but she managed to shoot it past Lisa Lichtfus to give Italy a 1-0 win over Belgium.
Women's Euro 2025 losers from Matchday 1
Julia Stierli
She started Switzerland’s first group-stage match as the host nation, and scored an own-goal by turning Caroline Graham Hansen’s cross into her own net. It made the difference in Die Schweizer Nati’s 2-1 loss to favored Norway. The Freiburg defender will have at least two more matches to redeem herself in front of her home country’s fans. For now, though, oof.
Portugal’s defense
On a day when all the players on the pitch were wearing black armbands to mark the death of Diogo Jota, the Navigators only added to Portugal’s misery with a shambles of a performance. Granted, Spain’s offense can make many teams look inept and Esther González scored a fantastic off-balance goal to open things, but Portugal were giving up goals that a decent high-school team should have prevented in Spain’s 5-0 win. Teenage phenom Vicky López needed the simplest touches for her two goals and Cristina Martín-Prieto (who was working as a supermarket checkout clerk before signing for Benfica) capped off the rout with a score against her adopted homeland.
Giulia Gwinn
In Germany’s win over Poland, Die Nationalelf’s captain bent herself backwards while stretching to stop a shot by Ewa Pajor, and while she likely prevented a goal by the Barcelona striker, she hurt her MCL and will miss the rest of the tournament. The only good news here is that the Bayern Munich defender didn’t suffer the third ACL tear of her career, the second of which caused her to miss World Cup 2023. No wonder Gwinn and some of her German teammates were in tears as she was helped off the pitch. Some players just have this kind of injury luck.