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Key events
Latest Euro 2025 playoff results:
That Wales goal came from a Hannah Kane penalty. 35 minutes left on the clock.
Final results in the Euro 2025 play-offs:
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Sweden 6-0 Ukraine (8-0 agg)
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Finland 2-0 Scotland (2-o agg)
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Austria 0-1 Poland (0-2 agg)
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Norway 3-0 Northern Ireland (7-0 agg)
Half time: England 1-0 Switzerland
There is only one team in it, but only one goal. Lots of positive signals from Sarina Wiegmann’s team, perhaps a missing touch in front of goal. There are plenty of changes to come, but Grace Clinton, Aggie Beaver-Jones and Gabby George were the pick of the players, with Jess Park at the fulcrum.
45 minutes: No stoppage time in the half when England totally dominated.
44 minutes: Millie Bright starts an attack and only the goal line prevents her. Le Tissier then hangs a cross that has just been cleaned.
43 minutes: England free kick on the left. George takes it, but Clinton falls at the moment of truth.
41 minutes: Park and Beaver-Jones almost created something. Beautiful link-up play and Park is stopped by Switzerland’s Sow. They had an awful lot to defend.
39 minutes: Attack from Switzerland and work for Hannah Hampton who saves well enough from Schertenleib.
It’s half-time in Dublin in this Euro 2024 play-off: Ireland 0-0 Wales.
37 minutes: Maybe it’s a Swiss masterclass in defense. Although England take turns. Beaver-Jones turns and then Le Tissier shoots. Herzog saves. That was a great performance from her.
35 minutes: Blindkilde Brown, also very much alive, wins a corner. From which Beaver-Jones heads away Le Tissier’s shot. One more chance to beg
33 minutes: The Swiss are five at the back, completely in a shell.
31 minutes: Photo from the park. The ball continues to come loose for the England players. The only complaint is the shooting quality.
30 minutes: Park, Le Tissier and Clinton thoroughly enjoy themselves.
28 minutes: Beaver-Jones slips past the defense after some lovely passing. George’s cross forces a save from Herzog. It’s all England.
25 minutes: Beaver-Jones and Grace Clinton seem to have quite an understanding. Their link-up forces a corner which Le Tissier delivers to Bright, who can only head it over.
23 minutes: Le Tissier drops back to defend but England’s players all look to get forward at any time.
21 minutes: The recruits in England are flying. Clinton appears to have been ousted. VAR – which we have tonight – says no foul. Somehow.
19 minutes: George now has a chance, Beaver-Jones and Brown set her up but she couldn’t hold on to the ball.
18 minutes: Great ball from the left wing by Gabby George. Maya Le Tissier has a great opportunity but misses her corners and sends the ball wide.
16 minutes: Ruby Mace steps back to intercept an attack.
14 minutes: This time the danger is cleared and Switzerland are advancing up the pitch. It takes Millie Bright’s intervention to get the ball back.
13 minutes: Clinton, who is absolutely everywhere, forces the angle.
11 minutes: England look to resume their dominance, with Beaver-Jones leading the way. Park and Clinton try to connect and Beaver-Jones comes to the fore again. She has just been denied by Swiss goalkeeper Herzog. (Do her teammates call her Queen of the Desert? Or Heart of Glass?)
9 minutes: Good start for England and Grace Clinton is looking at business like a starter. So many possibilities for Sarina Wigman.
Goal! England 1-0 Switzerland (Clinton, 8)
Park’s ball goes in and Turner’s header goes off the post and Clinton scores his third goal for England.
6 minutes: Gabby George, in such good form for United, just lets the ball flow. Ahead, Clinton turns around and is taken down. Free kick in a dangerous position. Park will take.
4 minutes: Both Blindkild Brown and Mays had their first touches of their England careers. An early attack from Switzerland was swept away by Grace Clinton.
2 minutes: As expected, it’s all England but not a lot of speed, a lot of unfamiliarity.
We’re going down Bramall Lane…
1 min.: Let’s see what this much changed team can achieve. Lots of noise from the English group, some of whom come from Sheffield.
Here are the national anthems: no booing.
So, the last game of 2024. for the Lionesses sees the winners of Euro 2022 take on the hosts of Euro 2025. Full stands at Bramall Lane.
Ireland and Wales started in Dublin, 1-1 after the first leg
Sarina Wigman spoke to ITV ahead of the match. “We want a good performance and execution of the game plan from the team. They [the new arrivals] have done well all week. They came well into our environment and did well. I want to see what they can do in their role tonight.”
[Gabby George] has had some setbacks. She was out of our environment when she was in rehab. She is doing well with Manchester United. I hope he can be a good defender and play well going forward.”
The euro dream is over for Scotlandthey failed to come back against Finland and lost 2-0 on the night, 2-0 on aggregate.
Jess Park is the sole survivor, and Millie Bright is called upon to captain the team. senior debuts for Laura Blindkild Brown and Ruby Mays and the return of Gabby George, once of Everton, now of Manchester United, after a six-year absence.
The teams: Ten changes for England from Wembley
England: Hampton, Morgan, George, Mace, Turner, Bright, Park, Le Tissier, Beaver-Jones, Clinton, Blindkild Brown. Subs: Bronze, Earps, Stanway, Mead, Walsh, Naz, Carter, Russo, Williamson, Moorhouse, Greenwood, Wooben-Moye.
Switzerland starting XI: Herzog, Stirli, Marty, Maritz, Schertenleib, Crnogorcevic, Sow, Valoto, Caligaris, Terchun, Beney.
This bad news from the Scotland and Northern Ireland play-offs.
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Scotland lost 2-0 to Finland on aggregate 2-0. This has 10 minutes to play.
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Northern Ireland lost 3-0 to Norway, 7-0 on aggregate.
Preamble
After that reunion with Emma Hayes and a 0-0 draw, there’s the M1 to Sheffield and a friendly with Switzerland. And time for experimentation, according to Sarina Wiegmann, with seven months and four friendlies to go: “It gives us opportunities to try things out, to play with a lot of players… we want to get as much information as possible and develop our playing style game, and experience where we are right now.”
It’s England’s last friendly before six Nations League fixtures from February to June, so expect a mix of styles and personnel. Much is still undecided as the Lionesses look to defend their crown. The hosts of Euro 2025 are the guests at Bramall Lane.
Also: there will be updates from the play-offs, with Ireland and Wales playing, and news of the failure of the Scots and Northern Irish to be in Switzerland next year.
It starts at 19.45. join me
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