Women’s Euro 2025 live: England handed key advantage after thrashing Wales to reach quarter-finals

England’s Beth Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones celebrated their goals against Wales by snapping their fingers in a show of appreciation towards those players who were left on the substitutes bench.

Mead and Beever-Jones came off the bench in the second half to score England’s fifth and sixth of the night against Wales and both celebrated by running towards the sidelines and clicking their fingers.

Afterwards Mead revealed that those left out of Sarina Wiegman’s starting line-up were “snapping” in an attempt to motivate each other before promising to celebrate that way if they came off the bench to score.

England forward Beth Mead said the opening defeat to France at Euro 2025 was the best thing that could have happened to England in their title defence after recovering from that result to reach the quarter-finals.

Mead said the poor performance against France gave England motivation to improve and the Lionesses have built some momentum after going back to basics and winning impressively against the Netherlands and Wales.

“It didn’t seem it at the time, it probably was the best thing that could have happened to us as a team,” Mead said. “I think it motivated us. We had conversations, we figured things out that we maybe needed to.

“You don’t win or lose a tournament in the first game, I think it’s cliche to say it, but you don’t, and we’re now in a position where we’re building quite nicely and hopefully we can continue that momentum now into the quarterfinals.”

Ella Toone said she was buzzing for Alessia Russo after the England striker got off the mark at Euro 2025 in the 6-1 win against Wales.

Russo had goals disallowed against France and Netherlands, where she set up three in the 4-0, but she scored her first of the tournament last night.

“She really deserves that. She’s been really good for us and probably not got the goals that she’s wanted to,” Toone said.

“Her hard work doesn’t go unnoticed for us as a team. She starts to press from the from the front. She holds the play up.

“She’s created so many chances for us and it was nice to finally assist her and for her to get on the scoresheet and hopefully she can continue with the goals.”

For a Wales team who have brought so much passion, colour and pride to Euro 2025, this was no way to go home. As one, Wales stood in front of their Red Wall in St Gallen, and there is certainly no disgrace in losing to England, France and the Netherlands in what was their major tournament debut.

But England had to be ruthless, and a 6-1 win to finish the group stage sends a message. “Sweden should be scared,” said Ella Toone, and this performance showed why as Sarina Wiegman’s side returned to their destructive best with the biggest win of Euro 2025 so far.

“They’re always a team, they’re always very powerful, they have speed up front on the counter-attack. It is a hard team to beat. They have done well in the group. We will see and we will get ready. Recover from this one and then we go again against Sweden in Zurich.”

Sarina Wiegman: “Of course, [I’m pleased] that we won, that we scored six goals, and big parts of the game we dominated.

“And it was very clear we were going to win the game but of course, you need to keep the momentum but it was a very good game.

“We knew ahead of this tournament we knew this group was really hard, and then when you lose the first game of course there is a massive urgency to win the other two.

“Now, with the score between France and the Netherlands, that wasn’t that urgent but you want to keep it on your own hands.

“So it gave us a lot of learnings again with the team and it brought us together after that first loss, so I think that is pretty good.”

Alessia Russo after scoring her first goal of the Euros in the 6-1 win over Wales, having seen two goals disallowed in England’s first two games of the tournament.

“It was nice [to score]. I still waited a minute just to be sure,” Russo said.

“A great performance tonight. Everyone showed up and we needed another performance like Holland to keep the momentum going. Ultimately, I’m a striker and I want to be involved in goals as much as possible so it did feel nice.”

Saturday July 19, 8pm, Basel

France have never won a major tournament and their head coach Laurent Bonadei attracted plenty of attention when he dropped captain Wendie Renard and all-time top scorer Eugenie Le Sommer before the tournament in search of “different results”. Well, a bold approach has so far paid off and France look like tournament contenders.Their level shocked England in the opening game of Group D and France’s margin of victory should have been greater than 2-1.

This is another rematch of a Euro 2022 semi-final and the next step for France, who won all three of their group games and came from behind to defeat the Netherlands 5-2 and top Group D, is beating a team with the tournament history of Germany in the knockout stages.

Germany have looked dangerous in attack but lack the defensive solidity of the side that reached the Euros final three years ago, given the amount of change in their back four. There is also a selected headache at right back after captain Guilia Gwinn was ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury and her replacement Carlotta Wamser was sent off for handling the ball on the line in the defeat to Sweden.

It will require a reshuffle but head coach Christian Wuck said his team will remain committed to their attacking style of play and won’t set up to restrict France. “I think it would be wrong now to react and destruct [the plan],” Wuck said after his team’s 4-1 defeat to Sweden. “We are not a team that only wants to keep their box clean. That’s not what we’re going to do.”

Prediction: France’s exploit Germany’s defence to reach semi-finals

Friday July 18, 8pm, Bern

Switzerland squeezed through to the quarter-finals for the first time after scoring a late equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Finland and the hosts will be major underdogs when they take on world champions Spain in the quarter-finals.

In an ominous sign from the tournament favourites, Spain equalled the record set by England three years ago for the most goals scored in a Women’s Euros group stage, netting 14 across their three wins. They have shared the goals around the team but Esther Gonzalez has been prolific, with four already, while Alexia Putellas has been the player of the tournament so far with three goals and four assists.

Putellas looks back to her best after being ruled out of the previous Euros with a knee injury suffered on the eve of the tournament, which has meant Spain’s other two-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati has been able to slowly build into the competition after being in hospital for treatment for viral meningitis a week before their first match.

Even with the whole country behind them and momentum building, Switzerland require their greatest ever performance to continue their journey. Geraldine Reuteler has been their standout player in midfield, so there is some hope of a magic moment. Spain just have so many different threats and look unstoppable in attack. Good luck Switzerland.

Prediction: Spain win comfortably with the biggest win of the quarter-finals

Thursday July 17, 8pm, Zurich

England’s opening defeat to France at Euro 2025 may have been a blessing in disguise. By finishing runners-up in Group D, the holders have landed into the opposite side of the draw as Spain and now cannot face the world champions until the final. Still, the Lionesses would have been aware that a tricky quarter-final awaited them regardless of whether they went through as winners or runners-up, as Sweden displayed in their 4-1 comeback win over Germany to top Group C.

Sweden have an excellent record at major tournaments but their recent history follows a pattern of falling just short in the latter stages – that includes the 4-0 defeat to England and Alessia Russo’s back-heel in the semi-finals of Euro 2022. Sweden head coach Peter Gerhardsson spoke of wanting to write a “new history” against England while there is a growing belief within the Sweden squad that this could finally be their year. “Something feels different,” said Johanna Rytting Kaneyrd.

The Chelsea winger is one of several members of the squad who play or have played in England, including the Arsenal striker Stina Blackstenius, the Chelsea centre-back Nathalie Bjorn and the former Chelsea captain Magdalena Eriksson. Sweden are familiar, experienced and a well-bonded unit, while they also carry plenty of athleticism and pace, which tore Germany apart on the counter-attack. With the rapid Rytting Kaneryd and Fridolina Rolfo, they can trouble England with a direct, physical approach that the Lionesses have yet to face in this tournament.

But England appear to be building momentum and the way Sarina Wiegman’s team have recovered from their opening defeat to France suggests they are well capable of reaching another final.

Prediction: Sweden fall short again as England reach semi-finals