[Nicky91]

am pleased about our 1-1 draw


Sweden are contenders so, defending the best we can against those giants is amazing



wonderful goal from Roord as well good stand in goalkeeper Van Domselaar in her first euro's match and one of her first appearances in national team, very good saves from her



Portugal - Switzerland also a draw (2-2) so all teams still level, on 1 point

[Nicky91]

preview for today

Belgium - Iceland 18:00 (17:00 UK Time) Manchester

Tessa Wullaert, Belgium forward: "Tomorrow will be a game that will be decided by details. We know that Iceland are very strong in one-on-ones and that we will have to be aware of them from set pieces, but the most important thing is that we stay calm and focused from the first minute."

Ives Serneels, Belgium coach: "This match is not decisive for me. Remember our first game against Denmark in 2017: we lost that and ended up staying in the race until the end. Iceland are a tough team and a team that are always a united unit on the field. There are players with special qualities, but they are also the players that we have to be able to handle. I'm afraid we'll have to be patient."


------------
Sara Björk Gunnarsdóttir, Iceland midfielder, on their preparations: "The squad is calm. We have a lot of experienced players and the balance in the team is good. We have been able to control the excitement level really well."

Thorsteinn Halldórsson, Iceland coach, on what they need to do tomorrow: "We need to be aggressive and play a tight game. This will be an even match, Belgium has similar qualities to us but we believe we are better and we need to show that."

More from Halldórsson, on the other games ahead in the group: "You can only play one game at a time, that‘s a fact even though it is a boring phrase. We don't think about anything else than the game tomorrow. Hopefully that will result in a good, solid performance."

More from Gunnarsdóttir, who played her first 90 minutes in a friendly against Poland last week since giving birth in November: "I felt pretty good. The first 75 minutes were solid, and then you got a bit tired which is understandable. But the most important things is that I had a good and quick recovery, which says a lot for the future."


Hallbera Gísladóttir and Berglind Thorvaldsdóttir are the stars in iceland tabloid Fréttablaðið this morning, describing their excitement for the first game: "We know it will be tough, but we also know that we have a team that can get some points."

------------
France - Italy 21:00 (20:00 UK Time) Rotherham

Sara Gama, Italy captain, speaking to UEFA.com: "The anthem is special for us, and it's the climax right before the start of the game."
"We're excited, we've worked hard. We have the right amount of pressure."

''We want to have fun, which means also to be focused, but to enjoy ourselves. If we enjoy these special moments we can do even better."

"Since the 2019 World Cup we have improved; now this is a different competition, we need to do even better, and give our all."

"We want to get started, and show on the pitch what we have prepared so far. We have a smile on our faces."
----

Milena Bertolini, Italy coach, speaking to UEFA.com: "We can't wait to get started, we have trained a lot and cannot wait to start this competition, which is magnificent."

"We are taking it game after game, so for now we are focused on France. But we know that to progress we'll need to beat the others too. Our aim is to progress from the group."

"To face a strong team like France, we need to go beyond our physical and technical qualities, and to do so we need to be united, and be tactically on point, in Italian fashion."

Valentina Cernoia is out of the squad to face France, the Italian FA have announced.

"We will be without Cernoia, but we have other players who can replace her, and we need every single player."

------------------------------------------------
Wendie Renard, France captain, speaking about the base camp in Ashby de la Zouch: "The French Football Federation has made efforts to put us in the best condition. We don't have a network, it's a shame (laughs) but we have wifi. But the most important thing is the game tomorrow."

"I'm very happy to be in a new competition.It's a pride to represent your country and you have to earn it, with or without the armband."

"The first match launches you into the competition. Tomorrow we have to let go and show our qualities. We know what to expect, it is a European championship. We will do everything tomorrow to put ourselves in the best position for the rest of the competition."

"Tomorrow's game is important. It will give us confidence for the rest. The first three games are like a mini championship. We will first concentrate on Italy, then on Belgium and then on Iceland."

Corinne Diacre, France coach: "Everyone is doing well in their mental and physical aspects."

"Now we start another competition. We must reset the counters to zero. We take the three teams at the same level. It's up to us to stay focused, to listen to our bodies and not take any risks in the last training session.I hope for an open game. I think it's going to be a close game."


Plenty of these posters – Women's EURO is on!

.

[Nicky91]

viewing figures in my nation

NL - Sweden game 1st place in daily top 25 ratings

average of 1.9 million and a total of a whopping 3.8 million



Portugal - Switzerland also had decent ratings, 500.000 average and 1.5 million total

[Nicky91]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...berg-form.html

and tomorrow we got England - Norway, another potentially top match

England meet Norway in their second group game of Euro 2022 on Monday
The Lionesses beat Austria 1-0 in front of over 68,000 fans at Old Trafford
While Norway cruised to an impressive 4-1 victory over Northern Ireland
Former Ballon d'Or Feminin winner Ada Hegerberg will lead Norway's attack

There is an intensity about Ada Hegerberg and the Norway team who will present England's biggest group stage challenge of the European Championship when the teams clash in Brighton on Monday.

While England have had a card school going — with forward Nikita Parris the one to beat — the Norwegians like to do crossword puzzles. And then there is their approach to the football.

Norway could have scored seven as they beat Northern Ireland 4-1 on Thursday but Hegerberg, whose standards have made her one of the world's top players, was making no bones about the goal the team conceded.


Norway's Ada Hegerberg returned to the national team and will lead the line against England

'We were asleep at the beginning of the second half,' she said.



'We can't let this happen because it will be a completely different level against England.'

As uncompromising players go, the 26-year-old is right up there with Megan Rapinoe, who has just led the American team in their successful $24million legal suit against the US Soccer Federation over 'inequality in pay and treatment'.

After Norway's disastrous 2017 Euros, in which they failed to register a point, or a goal, Hegerberg cut off all ties with the national team, insisting that the country's FA always prioritised the men.

She was vindicated when a subsequent inquiry set up by the country's FA, led by former international Karen Espelund, eviscerated Norwegian football's men in suits.

Yet she maintained her exile while becoming arguably Europe's supreme player, pivotal to Lyon's crushing of Barcelona in last season's Champions League and first winner of the Ballon d'Or Feminin.

Now she is back following a 20-month lay-off with an anterior cruciate ligament injury, with Norway waiting to discover if she can finally flourish in the national team.

Her struggle to make an impact in the 2017 Euros have drawn comparisons in Norway with her compatriot Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who lacked the strong players around him that helped him to score so freely for Manchester United.

Both players' international tallies are good — Hegerberg has 42 goals in 71 games, Solskjaer hit 23 in 67.

The evidence of the nine months since her return to the fray is that Norway are more capable of supplying her than they were five years ago.

They have a greater number of elite players operating on her level now. Not just Barcelona's Caroline Graham-Hansen but Arsenal's Frida Maanum and Chelsea's Guro Reiten.

This is a Norway side with quality in depth.

'Hegerberg seems like a much more mature player than last time on the national team,' says Solveig Gulbrandsen, who commentates for Norwegian broadcaster TV2.

The former national men's team's manager, Egil Olsen, feels they could be less concerned with possession and more focused on attacking passes between the lines for Hegerberg and Hansen.

Privately, the England team may reflect that Hegerberg's self-imposed exile have enhanced the demands for greater equality.

New Zealand Cricket announced last week that their women's national team and domestic women's players will receive the same match fees as men, from next month.

England's Jill Scott said that she was not looking for this kind of parity. 'In any job, if someone was to offer you more money, you wouldn't decline it, would you?' she said.

'I always think women's football is on a journey. Where we've come from to where we are now is massive.'

Lucy Bronze, who played with Hegerberg at Lyon, says the striker's competitive instinct is what makes the difference.

'She's just obsessed with scoring,' she said.

Hegerberg said of Norway's opening match: 'If we can make it a little easier, then we can score a lot more goals.'

.

[Nicky91]

Youtube video

behind the scenes vlog

[Nicky91]

Belgium - Iceland ended in 1-1


France - Italy 5-1




so today

first Austria - Northern Ireland 18:00 (17:00 UK Time)


and evening match is England - Norway 21:00 (20:00 UK Time)

[Dogeatdog]

Really good first half from England so far

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by Dogeatdog

Really good first half from England so far

Hopefully we can keep it up.

[Dogeatdog]

Originally Posted by Mystic Mock

Hopefully we can keep it up.

And now there’s 5 . Shame I can’t put any of these in my fantasy PL team.

[Denver]

6-0 against the world #8 in 40 mins is crazy

[AnnieK]

Amazing first half.....could have been more too
The Lioness' are roaring!!!

[Dogeatdog]

Mead has put in some good crosses that first half, she was defo the stand out player so far.

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by Dogeatdog

And now there’s 5 . Shame I can’t put any of these in my fantasy PL team.

That's a shame indeed.

At least we're railroading a really strong team though.

[Nicky91]

Germany last night also quarter finalist, simple 2-0 win over Spain, without their top forward Schuller, who tested positive for covid



tonight Netherlands

without v.Veenendaal, whom left the squad and got replaced by Jacintha Weimar

without Jackie Groenen, Vivianne Miedema both tested positive for covid


will be tricky vs Portugal then and i fully expect Sweden to win over Switzerland so we do somehow have to get ourselves a win as well

[Nicky91]

possible starting 11s

NL: v.Domselaar, Wilms, v.d.Gragt, D.Janssen, Olislagers, Pelova, v.d.Donk, Spitse, Roord, Beerensteyn, Martens

Portugal: Pereira, Amado, Gomes, C.Costa, Marchao, Dol, Silva, T.Pinto, Norton, J.Silva, Nazareth, D.Silva

[Nicky91]

hurrah to us dutchies, 3-2 over a tricky Portugal


what a goal from v.d.donk as well wow


Egurrola


4 points now and 1st place based on more goals scored compared to sweden


now sunday vs switzerland


i hope Martens will finally step up her game because she has been a disappointment so far

[Nicky91]

feeling sad for Belgium, they deserved more against France, good penalty save from Evrard anyway at the end of the match


hopefully better luck against Italy on Monday



France showing they aren't a invincible force some had been saying about them

[Nicky91]

England having won all of their group matches, even last night without Wiegman present



---
now tonight

Spain or Denmark, who will their opponent for the quarter finals be



------
some good news for us tomorrow, Jackie Groenen tested negative and can play still nothing from Miedema though

and literally anything can still happen in our group

i really hope Portugal can somehow fight harder to surprisingly sneak through past Sweden, i quite like them


think the Swiss will be another tough opponent like Portugal but we really need everyone to bring out their A-Game and we need to finish 1st no matter what cost, we need to avoid France


and then monday

i'd say one of Italy, Belgium has better odds to go through, while Iceland is facing France and i'd give Belgium good chances they played decent against the french

[Zizu]

Can’t help but notice that the Spanish players have a wonderfully, silky smooth skillz


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[Nicky91]

Spain it is then for England


first real test, would've been better if it was struggling denmark


but now it really begins for Wiegman's girls




today

NL - Swiss, hmm should be doable as long as we don't lose our focus and play at our best we can


Sweden - Portugal, i'd say come on Portugal would be cool when all of norway, denmark, sweden are knocked out in group stage for the experience i want Portugal to make it to QF (women's football is really starting to be on the rise over there, even FC Porto is getting a women's team what they are currently working on)

[Nicky91]

its over for Netherlands


quarter finals will be a 10-0 win for France obviously against the amateur dutch

[Nicky91]

tonights games

Iceland - France

Italy - Belgium


apart from France through to QF, still very open group in terms of who else will go through


--------------------------------------------
quarter finals schedule

wednesday: England - Spain

thursday: Germany - Austria

friday: Sweden - Belgium

saturday: France - Netherlands



semi finals are on

Tuesday 26th July: Sweden/Belgium vs England/Spain

Wednesday 27th July: France/Netherlands vs Germany/Austria



final is on 31st July

[Nicky91]

so it is Belgium who are through to QF, thanks to a goal by De Caigny and they will face Sweden


Iceland still ended their euros on 3 draws, with a late late penalty in 90+12 last night vs France

[Nicky91]

tonight England vs Spain

[Zizu]

So Spain are missing their best two players ??

No excuses tonight then


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