Women’s Euro 2025 Talk | Spain dominate and Italy begin with a win
Our analysis of day two of Women’s Euro 2025 as Spain showcased their quality against Portugal and Italy got their tournament off to a good start.
The second day of action at the Women’s European Championships certainly brought the goals (or at least it did in one of the matches). Group B began yesterday with Belgium vs Italy and was then later followed by one of the tournament favourites Spain facing Portugal.
Both of these games began with a minute’s silence following the death of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, which has rocked the footballing world. Our best wishes go out to his family and friends.
While Belgium vs Italy wasn’t the one that delivered in terms of entertainment, Spain vs Portugal certainly did even if it was a lot more in favour of the world champions, whose attacking delights were on true display in their large victory over Portugal.
Here is our analysis of both of these Group B matches and a preview further down for today’s opening Group C matches…
Commanding performance from Spain gives them an opening match win
The world champions got their tournament off to a pretty perfect start as they beat Portugal in commanding fashion with a 5-0 win in Bern last night. It was a one-sided encounter for the most part and it was in the first half where the game was firmly won by the tournament favourites.
Esther González quickly got things off and running after 88 seconds for the quickest goal of the tournament yet to put Spain in front. Olga Carmona’s pass was brilliantly worked to find the forward up the pitch, and then the touch to control the ball was just as brilliant, and then followed by the finish from the Gotham FC forward. It didn’t take long for Spain’s second goal to follow afterwards.
One of the potential breakout stars of the tournament Vicky López got on the scoresheet after sliding the ball into the net after a low cross from Mariona Caldentey. It was the first of two assists by Caldentey as she then set up Alèxia Putellas, who made it 3-0 in the 41st minute. And two minutes later, González grabbed her second to make it 4-0 before the end of the half.
This first half overall was Spain at their dominant best as they controlled a lot of the possession and a lot of their quick passing caught out Portugal’s defence, who were struggling a lot in that opening 45, failing to track many of the runners and leaving a lot of space for the Spanish wide players to create and take their opportunities. Portugal just didn’t have the control that they needed and with how things were going, it was too easy to have concerns about how bad the score could get.
Thankfully though for Portugal, things did improve slightly. They were a bit more solid at the back, which may have been down to Spain just easing off the pressure slightly, but credit should be given to some of the tweaks made at half-time in their approach. Even though Portugal didn’t create a lot in terms of chances that tested goalkeeper Adriana Nanclares, there had been a few moments where with a bit more quality on the ball, they could have taken more advantage of some of the gaps that were being left by Spain.
They had a lot of encouragement from their fans who were creating a good atmosphere all game long, but Spain had one final moment in added time to add to the scoreline, and it was substitute Cristina Martín-Prieto who got on the scoresheet to complete a 5-0 victory.
So who were the standout players for Spain in this early statement of intent and showcasing of their quality? Well, Mariona Caldentey had another one of those performances we have become used to seeing from her as she led a lot of the stats out of all the players involved in the match. Esther González laying down an early marker as a golden boot contender, plus the talents of Vicky López being on display deserves credit.
One other positive for Spain was seeing Aitana Bonmatí get a short cameo appearance in the last ten minutes as she was substituted onto the pitch. The midfielder didn’t start as her fitness was being managed following her contraction of viral meningitis, which saw her admitted to hospital just days before the start of the tournament. Usual number one goalkeeper Cata Coll also didn’t play after being ill in the days prior to yesterday’s game.
"Going into half-time with a 4-0 lead was wonderful. There are always things to improve, and we’ll analyse everything in detail, but I think it’s a great way to start. Goals, confidence – it’s a good beginning."
Spain’s Mariona Caldentey speaking after the game
"A word of recognition for what the players managed to do in the second half, after a tough scoreline in the first“
A comment from Portugal coach Francisco Neto after the game
Italy start things off with a win over Belgium
One goal was all it took for Italy to beat Belgium in a game that lacked a lot of entertainment in all honesty, but was still a professional job done by the Italians as they start their European Championships off with a win. It’s the first time they have won their opening game at a Women’s Euros since they beat England in 2009.
The first half had very few chances in it for both sides, and it looked like it was going to be level at the break before Arianna Caruso finished a great effort into the top corner past Belgium keeper Lisa Lichtfus. The initial pass to her from Lucia di Guglielmo was good enough to find Caruso in the space near the edge of the inside of the penalty area, then the strike was brilliantly placed to give Italy the lead before half-time.
The second half didn’t really see a lot of change in the tempo of the game as there were a lot of stop-start moments, whether that was from fouls that happened or players going down needing treatment after a knock. It was the kind of thing that played well into the Italians’ hands as they looked to manage the game and ultimately frustrate Belgium.
What worked well for Italy was the fact that they seemed to have a bit more control in midfield and Emma Severini had a part to play in that. It was a fairly good performance from the 21-year-old, but there weren’t too many who stood out much as there was a real lack of attacking quality in this match. On the defensive side of things, Cecilia Salvai had a good showing having to make nine clearances, plus she was having a role to play in terms of creating opportunities as well with eight accurate long ball attempts and a 96% pass accuracy.
It didn’t seem like many risks were being taken by either side and that was maybe more Belgium’s issue than anything. Tessa Wullaert played okay and had the brunt of the chances for them, including one which hit the side-netting in the first half, but other than that, Laura Giuliani only had to make two saves. It isn’t an ideal loss for Belgium, who have to face Spain next and could possibly be out of the tournament depending on how Italy do against Portugal.
Italy have been considered as a ‘dark horses’ candidate by many and I am not sure yet if the opening game would have convinced many more that they have what it takes to go far just yet. They’ll have to raise their game a bit more against tougher opposition when it comes to it; however, it’s a much better start for the Italians than it has been at recent tournaments so that is a positive for Andrea Soncin’s side to take.
One unfortunate bit of news that came out before the game for Italy was that one of their promising young player Chiara Becarri has had to pull out of the tournament due to injury. Valentina Bergamaschi has replaced her in the squad.
"I'm disappointed in this moment and I have to analyse and see what we could have done better. At the same time, I'm really proud and happy with my team for how we approached the game and our mentality. We came in with courage and did something we have not always felt comfortable with, which is owning the ball.”
An assessment from Belgium coach Elisabet Gunnarsdóttir after the game
“The game went exactly as we planned. We have played games in which we were more clinical, scoring a high number of our chances. We know we can and must improve in this sense, but I am very happy with the attitude of everyone.“
Italy coach Andrea Soncin speaking after the game
Group C Games Preview
Denmark vs Sweden
The two neighbouring nations Denmark and Sweden face each other in the opening game of the day at 5pm BST, and it is a game that will be sure to feature many players who we should be familiar with and also will be familiar with each other as a lot of them are teammates with one another at their clubs.
Denmark will be aiming to not just start off their tournament positively, but also rectify what was a bad defeat to Sweden when the two teams last played each other. Sweden beat Denmark 6-1 last month in the Women’s Nations League; however, the expectation is that the result won’t be replicated in today’s encounter in Geneva.
Both of the coaches are a talking point ahead of this game, starting with Denmark coach Andrée Jeglertz, who was confirmed yesterday evening as the next Manchester City head coach in an announcement by the club. He had been rumoured for a while to take the job and was already confirmed before the tournament to be stepping down from his position with Denmark. Sweden head coach Peter Gerhardsson is also in his last tournament as he too is stepping down at its conclusion.
In terms of team news, an injury blow for Fridolina Rolfö is less than ideal for Sweden given how important she is to the team, so there will be hopes on others being able to step up and rise to the occasion in what is an important game for the Swedes.
Germany vs Poland
One of the tournament favourites Germany get their campaign underway against one of the newcomers at these Women’s European Championships Poland, in what is sure to be a battle between an elite-level team and one of the underdogs of the tournament.
Many of us won’t be giving Poland much of a chance against Germany considering they have never gotten any positive result against them in previous encounters. Also, the difference in quality and experience between the two sides will be a difference maker.
It won’t be hugely surprising if we do see Poland adopt more of a counter-attacking approach and it shouldn’t be ignored that they certainly have the firepower to cause a problem for Germany’s defence. Ewa Pajor will be the biggest threat that Poland have if they are to score goals at this tournament and having her ability in being able to run in behind defences will be a useful element to her game that Poland will need if they are to pull off a shock result.
Germany under Christian Wück have been impressing as of late and in terms of their firepower options in the attack, they are filled with quality options and the likes of Klara Bühl and Lea Schüller are available for them, so it will be a big challenge that awaits Poland tonight in St. Gallen.