Key events
Thanks Tom!
So it wasn’t to be for the Lionesses last night. Here’s what Leah Williamson had to say at full-time: “When you’re losing the ball really cheaply, and then you’re in emergency defending, and when you’ve done four or five counterattacks in a row against quality like that, it is tough, but we hold ourselves to higher standards, in the individual battles.
“The positive is that I’ve not seen us like that, in terms of turning over the ball so much, for a while now, so yes [while it is] really frustrating, I think that’s how we’ll take today. Tomorrow, back on it.”
Right, time for me to hand over the reins to Emillia Hawkins. Enjoy the rest of your day, and tonight’s games.
Here’s more on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s tribute to Diogo Jota:
More on, inevitably, offside. “The problem isn’t the law,” harrumphs Tor Olav Lien, “it’s the ridiculous nitpicking and millimeter-measuring by VAR. The law clearly states that you are on side if you are level with the second player closest to the opponent’s goal. That part of the law has been rendered null and void by the silly notion that VAR is so accurate that you can measure a fraction of an inch. Everyone knows that two people can’t be 100% in line with each other, not even if they try so clearly the law isn’t as black and white as the VAR-high priests would like us to believe. Get rid now!”
Vivianne Miedema scored her 100th goal for the Netherlands yesterday – and what a goal it was. And she was understandably emotional about it, Reuters reports.
“It’s very special, this is something you don’t dare dream of as a little girl,” she said. “It was very unreal when the milestone was getting closer, and it is extra special that it is achieved at the European Championship. There were definitely emotions released. Tears? Yes, when we walked on the pitch, at the goal, and after the game. That shows how much this affects me.
“I think we all know how tough the past two and a half years have been for me and how hard I’ve worked to get here.” The Manchester City striker tore her cruciate ligament at the end of 2022 and was sidelined for 10 months. Shortly after her comeback, cartilage in her knee was damaged again, and she underwent another surgery last November.
“I saw your comment on Umpire’s call for VAR,” writes Ollie Major. “The problem with the idea is that cricket’s VAR is predictive, where football (and tennis) is based on what actually happened.
“There is an excellent video by Nasser Hussain which shows why you need Umpire’s call on a predictive system; the same isn’t true where the system can be definitive. Additionally, crickets challenge comes BEFORE the umpire has seen the imagery – it seeks to add evidence to a decision not challenge the decision the umpire has made. Changes to tolerances are a different issue, of course …”
That’s a fair point, which puts the onus back on the lawmakers to perhaps have a more satisfactory definition of offside. And also, you know, VAR is still a horrible, passion-and-spontaneity-killing thing.
Latest from Bayern Munich is that they expect Jamal Musiala to be out for four months after that horrible injury he suffered against PSG in the Coppa Gianni, and one which made manager Vincent Kompany’s “blood boil”.
The Wales midfielder Charlie Estcourt says Wales’s aim remains to get out of the group as she reflected on their defeat to the Netherlands yesterday.
“Nerves are going to be there for our first ever game at a major tournament, everyone’s wanting to do the nation proud and their family proud but going into the next two games I think we’ll be able to manage a bit easier,” she tells Sky Sports News.
“We’ve got mixed emotions – there are positives. We did go toe to toe with them for large portions of the game but there’s no getting away from the things we need to do better and we’ll be reviewing the game today. We have high belief and confidence we can compete in those games and our aim is still to get out of the group.
“Small margins play such a big role – we concede two goals at not ideal times and if we go in at 0-0 the game becomes very different. There’s world class players here but we’ve palyed against them in Nations League and club games it’s not something new to us but you have to stay switched on and adapt to people who can produce these moments like Miedema does.”
She was full of praise for Wales’s travelling support. “It was absolutely unbelievable – around 4,000 fans and we heard them the whole game and before/ During our pre-game meeting they were outside the hotel singing the anthem. They made it so special for us.”
Sarina Wiegman insists she has “no regrets” over her formation and team selection in their Euros defeat by France, but should she, given her side lost the midfield battle and were overloaded on their left at times? Could there be a more prominent role for Michelle Agyemang and Grace Clinton, who both looked lively when they came on, against the Netherlands?
Talking of transfers, Max Rushden’s column has dropped, in which he pines for simpler times before “ITK” social media accounts where transfer news would come as a genuine shock.
At the top of the Premier League, though, with TV and radio shows hosted by professional transfer influencers, and with flight tracking of private jets, almost nothing is unknown. Either that or you just keep linking a player with every possible destination so that eventually you say the right thing. “My understanding is …” “I’ve just exchanged a message from someone close to the club.” “All my sources tell me the player is determined to push this through.” Maybe some people with more self-control manage to ignore this stuff and watch Chris Woakes moving it perfectly off a length for hours at Edgbaston without reaching for the second screen and typing “Eze Spurs”.
A few transfer nuggets to have caught the eye in the past day or so: the striker Igor Jesus has joined Nottingham Forest for £10m fresh from tearing it up at the Club World Cup with Botafogo; Brighton have snapped up the Club Brugge left-back Maxim De Cuyper for £17m; and Birmingham continue to splash the cash with the former Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi joining the Championship club from Rennes for £10m.
Track all the latest deals here:
Trent Alexander-Arnold has paid tribute to his former Liverpool teammate Diogo Jotadescribing him as “someone who lit up a room”, PA Media reports.
Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, died following a car accident in Spain on Thursday. Alexander-Arnold, currently at the Club World Cup with Real Madrid, told DAZN: “Some things are bigger than the game. “It has been difficult but it’s been very emotional, very heartwarming to see the footballing world uniting and come together to show their love and support to him and his family, and obviously his brother as well.
“So although it’s been difficult, it’s also been a nice showing out from everyone, all clubs, all people, uniting and showing love and support for what must be a mind-blowingly hard time for the family.
“I’ve been in and around him and his brother, his family, his amazing wife, his parents, his amazing three children. It’s truly, truly heartbreaking to wake up to news like that. It’s something that you would never, ever expect.
“He was a very close friend, someone who lit up a room when he was in it. I shared the dressing room [with him] for five years [and have] amazing memories on and off the pitch with him. He will live long in all our memories for the amazing man and player he was.”
Sarina Wiegman has talked of England being “too sloppy” and playing too many short passes in the wrong areas, allowing France to press strongly. “Playing against France is totally different,” said the England head coach, “we had to be straight away at our very best or be punished and that’s what happened. At the same time we’ve got an opportunity to put it right.” Players have been equally frank. “We didn’t show up today,” said Jess Carter. “We’re all frustrated because we know we can give more. The only way is up …”
And we must I guess discuss the offside call that denied England the lead in the first half after Alesia Russo netted. “I’m unsure how that was given,” said Beth Mead, who was deemed fractionally offside after a VAR check. There really ought to be an “umpire’s call” style option for marginal decisions such as that.
Loth though I am to focus too much on the men’s Club World Cup, a quick recap on yesterday’s events, where Real Madrid held off Dortmund to win 3-2 in a crazy game that featured three injury-time goals, while PSG had two men sent off against Bayern Munich but still managed a 2-0 win over the German champions, who also lost Jamal Musiala to serious injury after a contentious challenge from Gianluigi Donnarumma.
PSG meet Real Madrid in the semis, while Chelsea face Fluminense in the other. Interestingly, Sky Sports News is reporting that tickets for the latter are going for a snip at $13 – pricing as it should be but an issue for those who bought tickets earlier at a higher rates. Partial compensation is being discussed.
Here’s your essential reading from yesterday’s action:
Suzy Wrack’s France v England report:
Nick Ames on what went wrong for the Lionesses:
And reaction from the players on ‘the ‘cheap’ defending that cost them:
Here’s Louise Taylor on a fine Dutch display against Wales:
Preamble
Greetings everyone and welcome to matchday five of the Euros. England and Wales will be waking up with headaches this morning after chastening defeats in their tournament openers yesterday. In a match between two teams whose pre-tournament run-ins were dominated by talk of who wasn’t in their squads as much as who was, France unmistakably looked better equipped and slicker last night against an England side who stirred too late. Was starting with the still-recovering Lauren James too much of a gamble? What should Sarina Wiegman do for the Netherlands game? All thoughts welcome.
And the Dutch will be tough opponents, as they demonstrated in their 3-0 steamrollering of Wales, who fought hard on their tournament debut in front of magnificent support in the stands and who had their moments in the first half but were always second best.
Meanwhile, later today we return to Group A, with Norway meeting Finland in Sion. Both won their opening games, with Finland perhaps doing so more convincingly though the talent in Norway’s ranks makes them favourites today. Later on the hosts, Switzerland, take on Iceland having been a tad unlucky to lose their opener. Anyway, stay tuned for the latest news, previews and reaction.
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