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“Way up in the Georgian mountains with no chance of watching the game”, writes Paul. “Gonna follow it on here though, and hope to hear a shout or two of “goal!” ringing out across the valley (in English, of course).”
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From afar, the match walks seem have been a big success. I’m looking forward to seeing some pics later. Here are some live photos as fans start to gather in Geneva.
Peek the cardboard cutout of Sarina Wiegman (left). Photograph: Nick Potts/PADeborah Dilworth, head of women’s football at the Football Supporters Association gets into the mood. Photograph: Nick Potts/PAEngland fans take a selfie beside Lake Geneva. Photograph: Nick Potts/PAShare
“We’re in the meeting point for England fans which is slowly filling up, the stage has just started up and the beer is most definitely flowing,” emails Torran Turner. “Expect a big attendance figure for the England match walk and an absolute WALL of sound from the England supporters this eve.
“Re: Leah Galton’s lack of senior appearances for England, she has quite famously not made herself available for selection for several years. I’m willing to bet some somewhat pleading phone calls were made in that direction ahead of this summer’s tournament though, given our issues in midfield.
“My prediction? 3-1 England, but the scoreline won’t reflect how tight the match is. With two sides this open at the back the only thing I’m sure of: there will be goals.”
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Here’s a little flavour of what Washington Spirit will be getting with Sofia Cantore. She is quite the talent.
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Cristiana Girelli understandably took the headlines with her double strike against Norway last week (and Sophie Downey wrote this on the veteran striker just on Monday). But her attacking partner in crime, Sofia Cantore, was just as important, providing both assists and the forward was a constant menace to Norway – I’m sure England will be wary of the 25-year-old, who has just left Juventus for the NWSL and Washington Spirit.
If you haven’t delved into our player guide, it’s an absolute treasure trove of information and stats for every single player at the Euros. This is Cantore’s profile but have a click around. You won’t regret it.
Cantore profile player guide Euro 2025Share
For those not familiar with Italy’s run to the semi-final, they beat Norway in the quarter-finals after coming through a very tough group, in which they won one (v Belgium), drew one (v Portugal) and lost one (to Spain).
Here’s what we had to say about the Azzurre before the tournament.
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I enjoyed this, by Jonathan Wilson. Penalty shootouts, of course, remains very real possibilities for the semi-finals in Switzerland.
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“I’m writing to you from Geneva, where I’ve been living and working for three years,” emails Charlotte, who is originally from Sutton, south-west London. “Walking around the city during my lunch break was very surreal; hearing all the British accents and seeing the England shirts made me feel like I’d returned home without making the quick trip over the Channel. As tempting as it was to join the England fans in my local pub, it’s a normal working day for me.
“It’s great to see our little city get a bit of the limelight. Geneva might seem a bit dull on the surface but there is a lot going on when you know where to look! I am lucky enough to have got tickets to the match tonight. Geneva is certainly an expensive city but 25 francs for a ticket to a match of this significance feels like an absolute steal! Feeling really excited and pretty confident. COME ON ENGLAND!”
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Leah Galton, Manchester United midfielder who I’m surprised to learn has never made a senior appearance for England, expects that Wiegman will pick the same XI for the game against Italy. “Consistency is key, the players need time to play together”.
Galton, who says she is heading into central Manchester “to cheer the girls on” with her United teammates, is predicting a 3-0 win for England.
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England v Italy: past three meetings
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Italy 1-5 England, 27 Feb 2024, Algeciras
The Lionesses started preparations for the Euro 2025 qualifiers perfectly, with a dominant win over Italy in south-west Spain. Lotte Wubben-Moy gave England the lead inside the first minute and Lauren Hemp scored twice to put England 3-0 ahead after 34 minutes. Le Azzurre got one back just before half-time through Michela Cambiaghi, but England cemented their dominance with second-half goals from Ella Toone and Rachel Daly to round off an impressive performance.
England 2-1 Italy, 19 Feb 2023, Coventry
England made it two out of two wins in the Arnold Clark Cup, thanks to two Daly headers either side of Sofia Cantore’s 62nd-minute equaliser. Italy could not contain Daly, who in addition to her goals, hit the crossbar just before half-time. The Lionesses broke the attendance record for a sporting event at the CBS Arena, drawing a crowd of 32,128.
England 1-1 Italy, 7 April 2017, Stoke
England were held to a frustrating draw in their penultimate home match before Euro 2017. Italy scored with their only attempt on goal, which came from Valentina Cernoia minutes after Jodie Taylor opened the scoring in the 70th minute. The Lionesses dominated Mark Sampson’s 50th match in charge, with a whopping 23 shots to Italy’s six. Eze Obasi
Thank you for your feedback.
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“Italy fan here,” emails Daniele. “I have to go to the Guardian and other English-language outlets to get some updated info on today’s semifinal buildup. Coverage of the Euros is buried several screens of scrolling down (in which units do you measure scrolling?) on the Gazzetta dello Sport website. Women’s football would get a huge boost in visibility if the Azzurre were to make the final. Therefore, for the good of the game and the development of women’s football, I think all neutral fans, and England fans too, should root for Girelli and co. tonight!”
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Updated at 15.09 BST
Hi everyone, back once again.
Sarina Wiegman has predictably claimed that her England side are not the favourites against Italy – in fact it would be “disrespectful” to do so. The bookies don’t seem to care about that and have England as the heavy favourites. Some have the Italians at just 5/1.
“They made the semi-final just like we did and that’s very impressive for any team,” rebutted Wiegman. “Complacency is the biggest mistake you could make. You have seen how they have played … we have to be at our very best to win.”
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And with that, I’ll continue the liveblog tennis by belting you back over the net to Michael for the rest of the afternoon. Thanks for your emails and for reading. Bye.
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Georgia Stanway has talked of being “grateful for being in this position, which is a credit to the whole of England and just how important it is to have such depth and such quality. We’ve seen that in the games so far to get where we are. Utilising it is the most important thing.”
And Stanway herself has demonstrated again in these Euros what a vital big-match player she is.
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The emails are rolling in now as kick-off gets closer. “I’m in France, looking forward to tonight’s game as much as I enjoyed watching the over-confident (big surprise) French lose to Anne-Katrin and her excellent team the other night,” writes Jeremy Boyce. “That save is up there with the greats, Banks and all. The French are unbearable when they win things so it’s great that they’re out. Bet there won’t be many French bars showing tonight’s game. Seriously.
“Ever been to Geneva ? It’s a weird place, smack on the border with France, half in, half out. It’s also about the most expensive places to live in Switzerland and possibly the world. Famous for its Convention (whatever happened to that ?) and lake, used at the opening of 70s TV classic The Champions. We ARE actually the champions, I’m very much hoping that Leah’s XI will be keeping the dream alive tonight.”
Yeah Geneva’s a funny one. It’s very nice round by the lake but on my small handful of visits there (my sis lived there in the Noughties) I can barely recall eating or drinking out much due to aforesaid prices. The ground looks compact and atmospheric mind.
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Updated at 14.11 BST
“Following the Guardian feed and we are currently on route to Geneva from Zurich by train,” writes Christopher McDonald. “The train is standing room only with heaps of England fans. I guess the Italians are coming in the other direction. Dad, originally from Bury and daughter (Darcey) on holiday at the Euros from Perth, Australia.”
Good stuff. The simple, short (ish) tournament format and proximity of the venues to each other has been a rare joy in these days of convoluted, drawn out and unaffordable international football jamborees.
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Thanks Michael. Hello again all. While Europe basks in what seems a neat, atmospheric, well attended and organised tournament, players and fans at South America’s continental tournament have not been so fortunate. In the latest Moving the Goalposts newsletter, Júlia Belas Trindale documents the dismal conditions players are having to put up with.
With the fiasco of the Copa Libertadores Feminina last October, another tournament blighted by organisational problems, fresh in memory the hope was that Conmebol would raise their game for this year’s Copa América in Ecuador. However, the tournament feels years behind its European rival and that is worrying in the extreme as the continent prepares to host its first Women’s World Cup, in Brazil in 2027.
The issues at the tournament reflect deeper structural problems within South American women’s football. Major competitions often lack the technology now ever-present in the men’s game, such as VAR from the group stage, and the main stadia in the country are not being used.
Promotion for this competition has also been lacking, with tickets, for example, only going on sale on 4 July, just eight days before the tournament started. It is no surprise that there has been a low turnout. Brazilian legend Marta was one of those who spoke out about the limited investment in the tournament. “It’s been a long time since I played in a tournament here in South America, and we were saddened by these circumstances. We hope that Conmebol will change things and improve the situation,” she told Globo Esporte.
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Updated at 13.58 BST
I’m going to grab a quick bite and will hand you back to Tom Davies for a bit. Cheers!
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Denis LeBrun gets in touch to say he’ll be watching today’s game from Montréal, while Bettina Stehli will “be watching with a glass of wine and some melancholy in a bar here in Zurich. Still very much caught up in Friday’s game — oh, the emotions!”
Spain will face Germany in the other semi-final, remember.
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Here’s Tom Garry on what the Lionesses’ weaknesses, and what they can do to improve.
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An email from David Ashley, in relation to Tom’s earlier post.
“Just to let you know that for a lot of Italian fans it’s not just a short hop across the border. In fact Geneva has an enormous Italian population and don’t forget that Italian is also one of the four official Swiss languages. You’ll hear Italian spoken pretty extensively throughout the country.”
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Away from Euro 2025, we learned yesterday that England international Nikita Parris, omitted from Sarina Wiegman’s tournament squad, is poised to join London City Lionesses at the expiry of her Brighton contract. The south-coast club ended the season in fifth place in the Women’s Super League, and head coach Dario Vidosic said of Parris:
Nikita has played a vital role in helping us achieve our highest-ever WSL finish. Her professionalism, both on and off the pitch, has been outstanding, and her experience has been hugely influential within the squad – especially in guiding some of our younger players. Her goals and tactical awareness have offered consistency and leadership in the final third. We’re truly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her last season and wish her nothing but the best in the next stage of her career.”
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Hello everyone! Just over seven nerve-racking hours to go until kick-off. How will you be watching tonight’s game? Answers on a postcard to michael.butler@theguardian.com
To those in Geneva, we are all very jealous. With Sunday’s final in Basel, this is the final game at the Stade de Genève. Here’s a bit more info on the ground, courtesy of our pre-tournament stadium guide.
Capacity: 29,800
Opened: April 2003
Home team: Servette
Geneva trivia: Most of the drinking water (80%) in the city is extracted from the lake and no electricity is used from nuclear reactors or fossil fuels.
Unusually, the Stade de Genève’s sole owner is not a club, or a obscure billionaire, but a private foundation, acting alongside support from the state of Geneva. The Fondation du Stade de Genève acted as the project manager for the stadium’s construction and inauguration in 2003 and runs the stadium to this day. “Above all, it is a stadium of the Genevans,” claims the foundation, which means anyone can hire it, from a conference room to a “VIP corridor” to the entire pitch, assuming you are willing to pay enough Swiss francs.
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Right, time for me to hand over now to Michael Butler, who’ll talk you through the afternoon as the anticipation builds. Enjoy the rest of your day, and this evening’s game. Bye.
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Long-forgotten Swedish popsters Ace of Base get a mention in David Squires’s latest cartoon, which picks over those dramatic quarter-finals
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Premier League clubs could follow the England Lionesses in stopping taking the knee next season amid growing division among anti-racism campaigners over the merits of the symbolic gesture, Matt Hughes reports.
The Premier League is planning to consult with club captains before the start of the campaign and will then take a decision based on the feedback provided in the annual pre-season meeting.
Kick It Out released a statement backing England Lionesses’ decision to stop taking the knee at the European Championship as a result of the racist abuse directed at Jess Carter, but international anti-discrimination group Fare still regard it as a powerful symbol. The Professional Footballers’ Association is also understood to be supporting England’s players.
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The streets of Geneva are already beginning to throng with England fans, who are planning a pre-match march from the city’s central fan zone to a pub near the stadium, from about 5pm if you’re in the vicinity. They could be outnumbered overall by Italy fans, for whom this is a simple hop across the border. And the third most prominent shirt on the streets? Arsenal, reflecting both the club’s strong representation in the Lionesses’ squad and the most strongly developed women’s fan culture in England.
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Brighton have confirmed the departure of Nikita Parris, with the Bromley-based project London Lionesses set to be her next destination, as Suzy reported yesterday.
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Claudio Pina’s goal for Spain v Switzerland has been voted goal of the quarter-finals, the official Euro 2023 feed tells us, though I reckon odds should be shouted for Girelli’s brilliantly directed header and the Bonmatí backheel for Spain’s first.
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Songs from the big chair: it’s getting busy in Geneva …
England fans by the Broken Chair sculpture in Geneva. Photograph: Nick Potts/PAShare
Everton sign Pacheco from Villa. Some WSL transfer news, courtesy of PA Media, which reports that Everton have snapped up the Philippines international full-back Maz Pacheco following the expiry of her contract at Aston Villa. The Ormskirk-born 26-year-old is manager Brian Sorensen’s eighth summer signing and joins the club as they prepare for their first full season of football at Goodison Park.
Pacheco, who attended games at Goodison as a youngster, said: “It is amazing to join Everton. To be at such a historic club is an unbelievable feeling. I wanted to stay in the WSL and give it my all.”
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Grace Clinton was one of England’s spot-kick missers against Sweden but she’s undeterred from taking another should another shootout arise. “That was my first penalty in a shootout and it’s just motivated me to do it again,” the Manchester United midfielder told Sky’s Lionesses podcast. “It was such an amazing experience as a team to go through – the ups and downs have made me believe in every single person. Squads like these don’t last for ever so we just want to … what’s the phrase, take it with both hands? … grab it with both hands.”
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ITV is to be rewarded for its punt on prioritising an England semi-final among its live picks, with 8m expected to tune in tonight. The broadcaster ceded three quarter-finals to the BBC with the proviso that it got first dibs on any England semi, as if that was ever in doubr.
ITV is poised to surge ahead of the BBC in the European Championship ratings battle, with an audience of more than 8 million people expected to watch England’s semi-final against Italy on Tuesday night.
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Some sad news from the men’s game: the former Wales, Liverpool and Wrexham defender Joey Jones has died aged 70. I can recall watching him in the fourth tier for Wrexham, back in a time when top-flight players would work their way down the leagues again in late-career, and he was a proper, formidable competitor. RIP.
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Out in sun-kissed Geneva, the Football Supporters Association’s Deborah Dilworth has been talking to Sky in front of a big crowd of fellow England fans about the fine work the FSA has long done in helping travelling supporters negotiate their way round tournaments. And the mood is still firmly confident in England and their manager. “It’s still
‘in Sarina we trust, totally,” she says. “She’s one of the most prolific winners in the game, she got the job done [against Sweden], the substitutes came on at the right time, knew the gameplan and knew what they had too do.
“They’ve had a variety of different tests, which is testament to how the whole of women’s football has improved so that’s something to celebrate. The ‘never give up’ attitide is the attitude we want the supporters to have. The whols squad is important in terms of vibes, everyone has an impact everyonee knows their roles and accepts it.”
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Sport England chair Boardman complains to Ofcom about abuse
Chris Boardman, the chair of Sport England, has written an open letter to Ofcom urging it to use its powers to end the abuse of Lionesses and female athletes online.
In the letter, he writes:
“The abuse faced by these athletes not only causes personal harm but also sends a damaging message to the next generation of girls who aspire to follow in their footsteps. Research on behalf of our This Girl Can campaign has shown a fear of judgment is a huge barrier to women being active, and abuse of our elite athletes online only increases reservations amongst those taking part at a community level …
“We also believe that Ofcom has a vital role to play. The Online Safety Act 2023 provides a framework to address illegal and harmful content, including hate speech and misogynistic abuse. We note that Ofcom has now published its initial Codes of Practice, including those relating to illegal harms and the protection of children. These codes place legal duties on in-scope services to assess risks and take proportionate steps to mitigate them.”
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When we all get round to compiling our teams of the tournament, Cristiana Girelli should figure in the conversation. The seasoned Juventus striker is having a well-deserved Indian summer, having seen the Italian women’s game develop around her during her career. Sophie Downey profiles her here:
Girelli has played her entire career in Italy, bridging the gap from amateur to full-time, with Serie A Femminile going fully professional in 2022. She has spent seven seasons with Juventus and finished the last campaign as the league’s top scorer with 19 goals that propelled Le Bianconere to their first title in three years.
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Some pre-match reading to get you’se in the mood, starting with Nick Ames’s scene-setter:
In practice nothing comes easily at this stage. It has been tempting to bill this assignment as an inconvenience before an inevitable appearance in the final on Sunday. England negotiated a fiendish group that included France and the Netherlands, their performances mixed, and it felt significant that they overcame a fine Sweden side. Italy are surprise contenders who benefited from appearing in the easier half of the draw. From the outside, it seems England have done the hard part.
There is a different feeling inside the camp. “I think it would be really disrespectful to Italy to think we’re favourites,” Wiegman said. “They made the semi-final just like we did and that’s very impressive for any team. Complacency is the biggest mistake you can make. We will have to be at our very, very best to win.”
While Suzanne Wrack reports from the pre-match presser, where Sarina Wiegman spoke of England’s readiness for the challenge and of the “character” shown by Jess Carter following the hideous racist abuse she received after the Sweden match:
Although it is a hard situation, Jess is a very strong person and she wants to move on, too. She also felt – as we did – that we had to address this. You can’t just let it go, so we did not.
“Then we know that there’s a match going on: we want to perform, we’re ready to perform, she’s ready to perform and compete, and that says a lot about her and the team.”
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Preamble
Time was when an England semi-final would be a standalone Event, a relative rarity, something to force a nation to sit up. Now, it feels utterly routine, across both the men’s and particularly the women’s teams. So today we count down to the Lionesses’ sixth consecutive major tournament semi, though the manner of their progress has been lacking in serenity and over-full of drama. Let’s face it, England were not the better team in their quarter-final against Sweden – just as they weren’t in their opener against France – but their resilience, belief and strength off the bench proved crucial and here we are.
They’re up against an Italian side who have probably exceeded expectations this summer and have certainly been good to watch. Excellent and deserving winners against a star-studded Norway last week, they’ve also given Spain their toughest game so far. Talking of the world champions, we’ll also be keeping an eye on the buildup to their semi-final tomorrow against Germany, another side who like England have progressed through digging in and shootout-related pandemonium.
So stick around, send us your thoughts, predictions and offbeat tactical insights.
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