The second round of the Euros 2025 group stage has set up a couple of interesting meetings for the upcoming, final round. Let’s review some of the games that got us there.
Group A
Norway vs. Finland (2-1)
Norway continues to win games due to their opponents giving up own goals. Both matches would have otherwise been draws. It’s unfortunate for Finland. They came out swinging and looked to be the better team for long stretches of the game. Norway kept turning the ball over which led to a nice passing sequence to find Oona Sevenius at the top of the box. Caroline Graham-Hansen was able to pull the Norwegians over the line with what looked like was probably a cross that ended up in the back of the net. Norway continues to look pretty stinky but they’ve gotten the results they need to get past the group stage.
Switzerland vs. Iceland (2-0)
Not a particularly fun game to watch. Both teams came out aggressively and it seemed like every few minutes a player was on the ground. It was pouring down rain for parts of the game as well, so besides all of the fouls there was a lot of slipping and falling. There wasn’t much sustained possession for either side until the second half when Switzerland was able to take hold of the game. Beautiful goals from Géraldine Reuteler and Alayah Pilgrim put the hosts on top. Iceland just never seemed to get anything too threatening to connect in the final third. Unfortunately, this result eliminates Iceland from the knockout rounds and leaves them with nothing to play for on their final match day.
Group B
Portugal vs. Italy (1-1)
The first draw of the tournament! Portugal came into the game needing some kind of result and they were able to grab one and hold on to it. This game was tense. Italy were able to get forward throughout the game but the Portuguese defense held strong and successfully snuffed out a good amount of the danger. It took a wonder goal in the 70th minute from Cristiana Girelli to break the deadlock. Portugal wouldn’t go down without a fight, though. Not too long after the Girelli goal, Portugal’s Diana Silva had a goal disallowed due to a very close offside call. Portugal continued knocking until they broke down the door with a goal from Diana Gomes in the 89th. Emotions were running high for the Portuguese as their Euros 2025 campaign saw new life. Maybe a little too high considering their captain Ana Borges ended up getting sent off in the last minute or so of stoppage time due to receiving her second yellow card of the game. They kept it together though with goalkeeper Patricia Morais coming up big to maintain the 1-1 scoreline. This result makes for an interesting final round for Group B. Portugal and Italy will be playing for their lives, while Spain is sitting pretty in the #1 spot and Belgium will be looking to ruin someone’s day.
Group C
Poland vs. Sweden (0-3)
I hope that Poland’s women’s side continues to grow after this tournament. Debutants don’t have a great track record in the Euros and that trend continues this time around. Despite that, it’s been fun watching Poland play fearlessly and getting stuck in against big competition. Unfortunately, sending long balls to Ewa Pajor isn’t enough of an offensive game plan against the likes of Germany or Sweden. They had one chance at the end of the game that rattled the woodwork, but Poland remained goalless.
Sweden had a lot of big chances. It feels like they could have had at least another goal, which their xG of 3.83 supports. Goals from Stina Blackstenius, Kosovare Asllani, and Lina Hurtig pulled them level with Germany on both points and goal difference in the group. One goal currently separates the two from sharing a knockout bracket with Spain. It will all come down to Saturday when the two sides face off against each other.
Group D(rama)
England vs. Netherlands (4-0)
England needed to win this game, and win they did. Truly, England walloped the Dutch to not only snag three points but narrow the goal difference between themselves and France. Head Coach Sarina Wiegman pulled Beth Mead from the starting lineup and brought Ella Toone into the midfield to push Lauren James up and wide. Danielle van de Donk was not available for a full 90 minutes and Head Coach Andries Jonker decided to keep her on the bench as a substitute. van de Donk assisted two out of the three goals against Wales and had an overall stellar performance. It’s hard not to think that her absence from the starting XI contributed to the Dutch looking utterly back-footed for the entire match. They registered only one shot on target. England had their way with the Netherlands and probably felt like they could have had more goals. Lauren James is just so good, and I’m glad that she could notch a couple of goals. The first goal in particular was pure class from start to finish. Hannah Hampton’s long ball to Alessia Russo. The lay off to James. The finish. I mean come on.
There were three more to come after that, as well. The Dutch just had no answers.
France vs. Wales (4-1)
Though the scoreline suggests a beatdown, this game felt like it had some drama. France heavily rotated their squad, but still put up a dominant performance opening up the scoring in the 8th minute. Not too long afterward, though, Wales made history scoring their first goal in a major tournament. The one to put it away was none other than Jess Fishlock. It was a beautiful moment that encapsulated their journey getting to this point. Unfortunately Ceri Holland gave up an obvious penalty kick, which Kadidiatou Diani converted. Mistakes in the back for Wales led to two more goals for France in the second half. They didn’t stop fighting though and made attempts at going forward until the very end of the match.
In Group A Norway have clinched their spot in the knockout rounds, while Iceland have been eliminated. On the final day of the group stage Finland and Switzerland will face off to determine who will move on. Spain will likely top Group B, but there is still room for an upset and for things to be shaken up lower down the table. Sweden and Germany will face off for the top spot in Group C and land a more favorable path in the knockout round. Everyone in Group D is technically still alive with everything coming down to the last day. Belgium, Denmark, and Poland have all been eliminated. Hoping for an interesting final round!