2 weeks ago
6
Yash Thakur
Jul 20, 2025, 02:14 PM ET
The quarterfinals produced precise breathtaking matchups astatine the 2025 variation of the Women's Euros. Dramatic comebacks, nervy punishment shootouts and valiant efforts; the last 8 had it all.
The 2022 finalists, Germany and England, needed penalties to advancement to the past four, with satellite champions Spain joining them. Surprise picks Italy implicit the quartet, mounting up different tasty circular of fixtures.
But who volition look victorious and marque it to the final? Here's the strengths, and weaknesses, of the teams.
SEMIFINALS
Tuesday, July 22
Italy vs. England (9 p.m., Geneva)
Wednesday, July 23
Spain vs. Germany (9 p.m., Zurich)
England - Struggles astatine the back
1:00
Marsden: England volition respire 'huge suspiration of relief' aft penalties win
Sam Marsden reacts to England's punishment shootout triumph implicit Sweden that puts the holders successful the Women's Euro 2025 semifinals.
Tactical substitutions took halfway signifier arsenic Sarina Weigman's broadside overcame a 2-0 shortage against Sweden. The enactment power from a backmost 4 to a backmost three, with Michelle Agyemang and Alessia Russo arsenic the beforehand two, helped England pin Sweden's center-backs and origin problems.
The defending champions person been adaptable to antithetic situations successful their 4 games truthful far. After their opening time decision against France, England rejigged their backline, switching Jess Carter from left-back to center-back.
The instauration of Ella Toone added dynamism successful the attack, which resulted successful 10 goals successful the pursuing 2 games. While this papered implicit the cracks, teams started targeting Carter's broadside to make opportunities.
A batch of England's problems person emerged successful their ain half. Weigman's broadside has committed the astir errors starring to shots successful the tourney frankincense acold (8), highlighting instability. Their games against France and Sweden underlined the problems dealing with property portion gathering retired the back. Sweden created a batch of precocious turnovers against the Lionesses, besides resulting successful their opening goal.
England's buildup has had its ain acceptable of problems. With the transition to metronome Keira Walsh successful midfield often blocked, England are forced to play agelong balls oregon prime riskier options to advancement possession. This results successful a batch of blocked passes and a debased passing accuracy connected guardant balls successful their ain half. No broadside has had much passes blocked than England astatine the tourney (50).
Italy - The occupation of through-balls
0:40
Italy embracing 'underdog' statement vs. England
Italy defender Martina Lenzini believes successful her squad contempt being considered underdogs up of their crippled against England astatine Euro 2025.
Andrea Soncin's Italy scripted past by reaching their archetypal semifinal astatine a large tourney since 1997. Experienced Juventus striker Cristiana Girelli scored doubly to signifier a comeback against an uninspiring Norway.
Italy's run has been gritty, they person showcased their champion and their worst, often astatine the aforesaid time. Le Azzurre person scored a extremity successful each of their 4 games truthful far, they person lone scored aggregate goals erstwhile and deficiency existent goal-scoring options isolated from Girelli.
Italy person resorted to a nonstop style, uncovering the vertical outlet with a agelong ball. Despite this, lone England (215) person completed much agelong balls than Italy (153), however, Le Azzurre boasts of the champion long-ball completion complaint successful the tourney (60.1%).
Soncin's broadside person played nonstop balls to Girelli, who has shown imperious aerial ability. She has won the astir aerial duels successful the tourney frankincense acold (15) with a 79% triumph rate.
The problems for Italy persists successful gaps successful defence. Soncin's broadside person shapeshifted betwixt utilizing a backmost 4 and a backmost 5 interchangeably during the game. Switching has often near gaps down their wing-backs, who are pushed precocious to enactment attacking play.
Teams person targeted this abstraction with incisive passing. No broadside has conceded much through-balls than Italy successful the contention (16), often resulting successful bully chances. This, coupled with their deficiency of front-footed attack without the ball, has often allowed the absorption to prime their options. Opponents person recorded an 82% walk completion complaint against Italy, the 3rd highest specified fig astatine the tournament.
Le Azzurre have often invited teams to property them successful their ain third, looking to bait and play the shot implicit the top. Opponents person attempted 10 tackles successful the attacking 3rd against Italy, the astir against immoderate remaining broadside successful the tournament. The effect of which tin besides beryllium seen successful their passing accuracy of 75%, the lowest of immoderate the semifinalists.
Spain - Speed and acceptable pieces
1:23
Keogh: Every squad is beatable astatine Euro 2025
Emily Keogh reacts to Spain's 2-0 triumph implicit Switzerland to unafraid a semifinal spot astatine Euro 2025.
Spain person looked a formidable broadside truthful far. They person scored the astir goals successful the tourney (16) and person conceded the fewest goals of immoderate remaining broadside astatine the tourney (3).
The satellite champions person controlled the shot and the territory successful each of their games, and 37% of their open-play touches person travel successful the attacking third, the highest stock for immoderate side. Their midfield is blessed with aggregate Ballon d'Or winners, who connection antiaircraft and violative stability.
Beside this manager Montse Tome has a plethora of goal-scoring options. Four players person registered aggregate goals successful the contention for Spain (the most), with Esther González starring the battalion with 4 goals.
Spain maintains a monopoly connected the ball, averaging a tourney precocious of 73.5% possession, making it hard for opponents to make opportunities against them. The absorption has registered conscionable 35 touches wrong Spain's punishment box, the fewest immoderate broadside has allowed successful this tournament.
Despite seemingly being a herculean task, determination are areas to exploit against La Roja. With the full-backs pushed up successful their possession play, having 2 speedy players to pin the center-backs and tally the channels is 1 specified play.
This was utilized by Italy, resulting successful a mates of opportunities acknowledgment to runs from Sofia Cantore and was the superior thought down manager Pia Sundhage opting for a beforehand 2 of Sydney Schertenleib and Iman Beney. With the center-back pairing often lacking betterment speed, these opportunities look during the game.
Another facet wherever teams tin look to wounded Spain is from acceptable pieces. Belgium recovered occurrence targeting the tallest subordinate successful the box, portion Italy besides caused immoderate problems with it. While the Spaniards don't deficiency successful physicality, their aerial triumph complaint is the lowest of immoderate remaining broadside successful the tourney (45%) with a caveat of having contested the fewest aerial duels.
Germany - The deficiency of control
1:32
Laurens thinks it's a 'tough ask' for Germany to bushed Spain
Julien Laurens explains what Germany request to bash to situation Spain successful their Euro 2025 semifinal.
Germany produced a valiant effort, defending with 10 players against a dynamic French onslaught for implicit 100 minutes. They became the archetypal broadside successful Women's Euros past to signifier a comeback with less players.
The eight-time champions person not deed their pre-tournament stride yet. Often relying connected their unthinkable wide players with two-way influence, Klara Bühl and Jule Brand. The duo person been astatine the forefront of driving the possession forward, taking connected players and creating opportunities. No broadside has recorded much carries into the punishment country than Germany (40).
Bühl and Brand fertile successful the apical 5 for progressive carries (38 and 16 respectively) and completed take-ons (17 and 11 respectively). No subordinate has won much tackles than OL Lyonnes' Brand for Germany (10), with 8 of her 14 attempts coming successful the antiaircraft third.
The problems for Germany beryllium successful the midfield and a makeshift defence. Between a suspension for seasoned center-back Kathrin Hendrich, wounded to skipper and lone right-back Giulia Gwinn and fittingness concerns implicit Sarai Linder, Christian Wück's broadside are insubstantial bladed astatine the back.
These problems are lone amplified by Sjoeke Nüsken's suspension owed to accumulation of yellowish cards. The Chelsea midfielder is the associated apical extremity scorer for the Germans, having scored successful back-to-back games. She ranks successful the apical 3 for aggregate violative and antiaircraft metrics for Germany, including shots, touches successful the punishment container and recoveries.
The German midfield, by design, has lacked power successful this tournament. They person struggled to clasp and circulate possession and person been overrun rather easily. These issues were exposed against Sweden, who enactment 4 past Wück's broadside by overloading their wide areas, and volition persist fixed the deficiency of options to hole them.
Manufacturing numerical advantages successful wide areas is simply a elemental maneuver to wounded an often retreating German defence. With the wide players shouldering a monolithic two-way load, it's casual to drawback them retired of shape.
