Women's Euro winners: Day 3
Riola Xhemaili
The Swiss were headed out of the tournament after Viola Calligaris conceded a penalty and Natalia Kuikka converted it to put Finland up 1-0. But tehe PSV Eindhoven attacker wound up saving her team by redirecting Géraldine Reuteler’s shot into Finland’s net in the second minute of stoppage time to give Switzerland the draw they needed to advance. Admittedly, it would have been cool if Finland had gone into the round of 16 for the first time ever, but the host country has made a bunch of new fans at home and now will face world-champion Spain in front of them.
Alexia Putellas
At this point, we scarcely need a reminder of why she’s one of the world’s best players, but we got one anyway with her game against Italy, which featured a cheeky backheel assist to Athenea del Castillo for the goal that tied the game up after an early Italy tally. Her cross to Esther González sealed Spain’s win in stoppage time, but she also created the match winner with a dribbling run that sucked in the azzurre’s defense so that when Martina Lenzini’s loose clearance came to Patri Guijarro, Putellas’ Barcelona teammate had plenty of time to shoot the spinning ball past Laura Giuliani. The Spaniards call a player like this a rompe esquemas, meaning that no matter what defensive game plan an opponent puts in place for her, she’ll break it.
Signe Gaupset
With Norway resting their offensive starters for the final group-stage match against Iceland, the 20-year-old starlet seized the moment by scoring two goals and assisting on two others by Frida Maanum in her side’s insane 4-3 win. There were already whispers that one of Europe’s big clubs would sign her away from Brann during this transfer window, and this gaudy display only strengthens the case that someone should. Speaking of Norwegians on big teams:
Frida Maanum
Last year, the Arsenal midfielder scared everyone when she suddenly collapsed during a League Cup game against Chelsea and lay unconscious for some minutes. Now she has a heart monitor in her chest, and scoring a brace at the Euros is a fantastic landmark in her medical recovery as well as her playing career. She and Norway prep for a match against Italy now.
Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir
Along with the players on the other team, the Iceland winger produced her own woman of the match display (so to speak) by scoring one goal, assisting on another and generally causing Norway’s defense all kinds of trouble. The Angel City player has written two children’s books about being Black and Icelandic and a woman athlete, and the world deserves to know her better.
Poland
When your national team is already eliminated, you’re looking for smaller milestones that the country’s future players can build on. Spanish-born speed threat Natalia Padillas-Bida scored Poland’s first-ever goal at a major tournament, then assisted on goals by Ewa Pajor and Martyna Wiankowska, all of which led to Poland’s first-ever win at a major tournament. (Much like her compatriot and fellow Barcelona striker Róbert Lewandowski, Pajor is a pure scorer who puts the ball in the net without anything fancy in her game, and you could see how scoring for her country meant something different than scoring in league games.) Because of them, the Eagles leave Switzerland with a tangible achievement and high hopes to qualify for Women’s World Cup 2027.
Women's Euro losers: Day 3
Netherlands
Putrid defending by the Dutch in their 5-2 loss to France. Maybe there wasn’t much they could have done about Delphine Cascarino’s worldie that ultimately won the contest; still, Victoria Pelova was trucked by Cascarino during her thunderous run that led to Marie-Antoinette Katoto’s equalizer, and then the whole defense failed to clear Katoto’s shot that hit both posts, so that Cascarino could put in the rebound. Finally, Kerstin Casparij took Melween N’Dongala’s feet out from under her to concede a penalty deep in stoppage time. De Oransje are now out of this tournament, and their defense is the reason why.
Germany
Their 4-1 loss to Sweden was not only their worst-ever to their bitter Scandinavian rivals, it was Die Nationalelf’s worst loss ever at any major tournament. The Germans’ resulting second-place finish means they’ll have to face France in the knockout stage, and they’ll have to do it without Carlotta Wamser, as the Bayer Leverkusen youngster made like Luis Suárez and got sent off for knocking away a goalbound shot with her hand. With the Germans already missing Giulia Gwinn due to injury, they have a headache now at the right-back position before their marquee match.
Kika Nazareth
She is Portugal’s first genuine superstar in women’s soccer, and when she is in a good mood, the whole stadium feels it. Unfortunately, the stadiums in Switzerland never got to feel it, because she registered no goals and no assists in three matches, and Portugal exited the tournament without a win. She is only 22, so it’s likely that she’ll have other major tournaments to show her stuff, but this summer was massively disappointing for the Barcelona attacker.