Euro 2025 daily newsletter: Day thirteen
France and England through to quarter-finals as group stage completed
The group stages are complete! The last two weeks have flown by, and we are down to our final eight.
Whew… England really had everyone scared after their first match. Watching their ruthless performance last night, you would never have believed they were on the brink of being knocked out of the competition just a few days ago.
With three top-level teams in Group D, one had to be heading home prematurely. Despite their brilliant opening game against Wales, that team is the Netherlands.
England, runners-up in the group, will play Sweden, the winners of Group C. France play Group C runners-up Germany after topping their section with three wins from three.
Results
England 6 Wales 1
A statement win from England, who cruised past Wales with a dominant performance. The Lionesses looked sharp, fluid, and like they were enjoying themselves on the pitch, with six goals coming from six different players: Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead and Aggie Beever- Jones. The VAR penalty call leading to the first goal may have been controversial, but the scoreline wasn’t.
Wales were outclassed, but Hannah Cain’s fantastic finish did at least get them on the scoresheet. They leave the tournament proudly, having shown glimpses to suggest they belong on this stage. The hope now is that their achievement will spark more investment and greater media coverage for the women’s game in Wales.
Netherlands 2 France 5
The Netherlands started the stronger side, pressing well and looking in control. But after half-time France flipped a switch and completely took over. A stunning second-half performance saw them score four goals and show exactly why they belong in the final eight.
Sandie Toletti opened the scoring for France before Marie-Antoinette Katoto, Delphine Cascarino (twice) and Sakina Karchaoui added further goals. The Dutch players just could not keep up with France’s intensity after the break.
News
England’s Beever-Jones scored her first goal at a major tournament.
Wales’ Jess Fishlock admitted post-match that her international future is uncertain, simply saying: “I don’t know yet.” She added that Euro 2025 is the “beginning of a journey” for Wales.
What’s on
Here is the schedule for the four quarter-finals next week:
Wednesday 16th July, 20:00 BST - Norway vs Italy - Stade de Genéve, Geneva
Thursday 17th July, 20:00 BST - Sweden vs England - Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich
Friday 18th July, 20:00 BST - Spain vs Switzerland - Wankdorf Stadium, Bern
Saturday 19th July, 20:00 BST - France vs Germany - St Jakob-Park, Basel