Wales debuts at Euro 2025: Loss against the Netherlands and fan excitement

The Women’s Euro 2025 Begins: Summary and Analysis

The Women’s Euro 2025 has kicked off! Here’s a complete summary of what has happened, what you missed, and what’s to come in this exciting tournament. We will update this article with the latest news, analysis, and highlights from each day.

• Women’s Euro 2025 Fixtures, Results, and Standings

Wales Shows Its Learning

LUCERNE, Switzerland – A harsh awakening for Wales in their major tournament debut. Facing European powerhouse Netherlands, the 2017 tournament winners, Wales did not have an easy introduction to the European Championship, suffering a 3-0 defeat. Welsh fans traveled en masse. A noisy and emotional contingent sang “Yma O Hyd” (“Still here”) and intoned the national anthem before the start. The fans’ march was a valiant effort, but it was no match for the orange sea that paraded towards the stadium. Welsh fans were left behind, allowing the Dutch to enjoy the glory first, almost allowing them to lead the way, but on the field Wales was not intimidated nor left behind the heavyweights. The debutantes were difficult to break down, frustrating their Dutch opponents and looking like a team that could spring a surprise. At the end of the first 45 minutes, Wales coach, former international Rhian Wilkinson, could not have asked for a better performance.

But in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, despite their best efforts to go into the break with the score level, Wales conceded to Vivianne Miedema, who scored her 100th international goal. The goal sapped the team’s energy and, with another 45 minutes to play, Wales suddenly looked tired and exhausted.

That shouldn’t be surprising, however. Dutch captain Sherida Spitse has two more matches (244) than the international matches played by Wales (242) since 1993. That statistic alone reflects how inexperienced this team is. On the defensive, it wasn’t long before Victoria Pelova, a year after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, doubled the lead and then assisted Esmee Brugts for the third. Wales put up an impressive defense, especially from goalkeeper Olivia Clark and Gemma Evans, to avoid a bigger defeat. Wales’ five shots (none on target) would never be enough compared to the Netherlands’ 19 attempts. Another blow, the crucial forward Ceri Holland was substituted suffering what appeared to be a hamstring injury, clouding the remaining 10 minutes and possibly the rest of their campaign. In the 83rd minute, the fans sang another version of the national anthem, demonstrating that, despite an imminent defeat in their first match, the fans were still supporting Las Dragonas. There were positives: a solid defense, an aggressive counterattack, and relentless grit. But their tough first experience in a major tournament won’t get any easier. They face France next Wednesday before concluding their group against their rivals and current champions England on July 13th.

Florencia Tan Jun – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images

Euro 2025 Featured News

• Germany fears Gwinn’s injury after her emotional exit

• Miedema scores her 100th goal for the Netherlands

• Wiegman on “hating the rules” and “adapting” for success

Images and sounds of the Eurocup 2025

Tuchel attends England’s defeat to France Just three days after being in the royal box at Wimbledon, where he witnessed mixed British fortunes on Centre Court with Oliver Tarvet falling to Carlos Alcaraz, but Emma Raducanu winning, England men’s team coach Thomas Tuchel was in the stands in Zurich to watch the Lionesses. He’s had a busy sporting summer, attending the England men’s under-21 team’s victory in their Euro, and then Wimbledon, and now here in Zurich. But he didn’t see the current Euro champions at their best, as they were outplayed by France, losing 2-1. — Tom Hamilton Asllani feels the heat when celebrating his 200th match Kosovare Asllani made history on Friday by becoming the ninth European player to reach at least 200 matches with her country in women’s football. The Sweden star, who assisted Filippa Angeldahl’s goal in the 1-0 victory against Denmark, debuted for her country in September 2009 at the age of 19 against Romania. Less than a year later, during the 2009 European Championship, she scored her first international goal and has since added 47 more. Now, at 35, the London City Lionesses forward, who has also played for Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Real Madrid in her wonderful career, is still going strong and played 83 minutes.

“I am incredibly proud of this achievement,” she said. “It’s something I didn’t want to think about too early, but now it’s very special. Only two players have done it before in Swedish football history, so I’m really proud.

Kosovare Asllani

She joins Eugénie Le Sommer (200, France), Florentina Olar (201, Romania), Gemma Fay (203, Scotland), Patrizia Panico (204, Italy), Katrine Pedersen (210, Denmark), Therese Sjogran (214, Sweden), Birgit Prinz (214, Germany), Caroline Seger (240, Sweden) and also Sherida Spitse (245, Netherlands), who is the only other player in this European Championship. After winning two Olympic silver medals and finishing third in the 2019 World Cup, Asllani hopes to add more silver in Switzerland. Meanwhile, jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire was, literally, how the Swedish players felt after the match, finding themselves in a mixed zone even hotter when they attended to post-match media duties.

“How can you be here in this heat, is it a garage or what?” Asllani asked the journalists while using the cold water bottle she was holding as an ice pack on her head. “They have to change this… maybe there’s a call to UEFA tonight!

Kosovare Asllani

Sweden has informed UEFA of what it considered very suboptimal conditions, suggesting that the governing body install fans or something similar to improve the climate for future matches at the Stade de Genève. — Julien Laurens

Jussi Eskola/Soccrates/Getty Images The son of Angeldahl could not join his mother

No one was happier to see Filippa Angeldahl score Sweden’s winning goal against Denmark in their opening Group C match than her young son. He was watching in Geneva and, at the end of the match, ran onto the pitch to celebrate with his mother. However, security guards rushed to enforce the no-children-on-the-pitch rule, sending him back to the stands.

It turns out the children couldn’t get onto the field,” the Real Madrid midfielder told reporters. “It was a little sad, but we were able to spend some time together.

Filippa Angeldahl

Maddli shines after each match In every match of this summer’s tournament, there is a very special guest. It’s not a Hollywood celebrity or a member of the royal family, but, in fact, Maddli, the tournament mascot. This larger-than-life Saint Bernard puppy, a dog breed synonymous with the Western Swiss Alps, appears at the end of each match, much to the delight of the youngest fans here at the European Championship. The name Maddli is inspired by Madeleine Boll, the first female footballer licensed in Switzerland. Boll made 16 appearances for the national team between 1972 and 1978, scoring nine goals. In 1965, at just 12 years old, Boll obtained a license to play football with the FC Sion men’s youth team. However, months later it was withdrawn after the club said it had made a mistake, not realizing that she was actually a girl. The nod to Boll, now 72 years old, is a reminder of how far women’s football has come, not only in Switzerland but throughout Europe. Fans can purchase Maddli plush toys at merchandise stands across the country; a special souvenir of Switzerland’s sporting history.– Beth Lindop

Maja Hitij – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images Aleixandri aims for a unique treble Spain defender Laia Aleixandri has revealed to ESPN that she has told her teammates to make their stay in Switzerland a “good honeymoon” as she aims for a unique treble this summer. Aleixandri got married last month, but had to forgo a honeymoon to focus on preparing for the European Championship. Then he sealed a “dream” return to Barcelona from Manchester City and now wants to complete a treble of personal milestones by lifting the trophy in Basel on July 27.

“It’s something I’ve mentioned to many of my teammates,” she told ESPN. “I told them: ‘Well, since I’m not going to have a honeymoon, let’s make this a good honeymoon here at the European Championship and let’s go win the trophy.’ I think we’re on the right track and I really hope to complete the treble.

Laia Aleixandri

Cerci greets the injured Gwinn Germany forward Selina Cerci paid a moving tribute to Giulia Gwinn, who suffered a knee injury during Friday’s 2-0 victory over Poland and will miss the rest of the tournament. The whole of Germany went into the dressing room to share their victory with Gwinn. Upon exiting the tunnel to greet the fans with her teammates, Cerci, who entered in the last five minutes of the match, was wearing Gwinn’s jersey inside out. The Hoffenheim winger, who is very close to the Bayern Munich defender off the pitch, also posted a message for her on social media: “We for you: we play with your heart,” adding a heart and crossed fingers emojis. — Julien Laurens

Alex Caparros – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images The UEFA expects to break television audience records After launching a six-year plan in 2024 to create a sustainable ecosystem for women’s football and invest 1 billion euros during this period, UEFA is trying to take this tournament to the next level. The prize money for participating countries has tripled, increasing from 16 million euros to 41 million euros. For the first time, each player will receive a guaranteed bonus from their federation for participating. The goal is to get more than 500 million television viewers, surpassing the record of 374 million in 2022. Sponsor revenue has also grown by 145% compared to 2022, with more than 20 sponsors on board. And 600,000 tickets have already been sold, more than ever, with 22 of the 31 matches sold out for now. — Laurens Star player of the day Delphine Cascarino, France Vivianne Miedema had a hand in this honor with her performance against Wales. She scored her 100th goal for the Netherlands with that stunning goal against Wales, becoming the first player, male or female, to reach that milestone. Surprisingly, none of her international goals have been penalties. The forward suffered a 22-month hiatus between his 95th and 96th goals after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in December 2022. He then suffered a hamstring injury in April 2025, raising doubts about whether he would be fit in time for the European Championship, especially after missing the end of the Manchester City season. But then came Delphine Cascarino’s performance for France. She ran the England defense ragged, twisting and turning down England’s left wing and causing all sorts of problems. She played a very important role in their opener to assist Marie-Antoinette Katoto and continued to keep England pinned in their own half. Much has been written and said about the threats of France’s front three and they lived up to expectations with Cascarino putting in an incredible performance.

— Keogh and Hamilton

Star player of the day

PLAYER, COUNTRY

— Hamilton

Match Preview, Odds for Sunday

Norway vs. Finland

Odds (via ESPN BET): Norway (-145), Draw (+270), Finland (+400) Both Norway and Finland began their tournaments with victories, defeating Switzerland and Iceland respectively to take a commanding position in Group A. On paper, Norway is the stronger team, with figures like Ada Hegerberg from Lyon, Guro Reiten from Chelsea, and Caroline Graham Hansen from Barcelona forming part of their star-studded squad. However, Gemma Grainger’s team was not at its best against the tournament hosts on Wednesday night, while Finland impressed against Iceland in Thun. Norway may be the favorite, but they will certainly have to work hard when they take the field in Sion. — Lindop

Switzerland vs. Iceland Odds (via ESPN BET): Switzerland (-105), Draw (+240), Iceland (+290) Switzerland already plays its future in the home European Championship against Iceland. After their cruel defeat against Norway (2-1) despite playing well, Lia Wälti and her teammates really have to win in Bern. Coach Pia Sundhage is under enormous pressure, as her team has not won in their last nine matches in all competitions (seven losses, two draws). Iceland did not look very good in their 1-0 defeat against Finland. They haven’t won in 10 (being defeated six times). And the last time they faced each other, in the Nations League in April, they finished 3-3 with Switzerland 3-1 up after 46 minutes. — Laurens