World champions Spain on Tuesday ruthlessly dispatched Switzerland 7-1 in the UEFA Women’s Nations League, while England’s hopes of progression were dented by Belgium.
Alexia Putellas grabbed a goal either side of halftime and an assist as the Spaniards put Switzerland to the sword in Zurich.
The match was the team’s first since FIFA on Monday announced that former Royal Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales had incurred a three-year ban for kissing Jenni Hermoso.
Photo: AFP
If the news had any effect on the players, it was soon forgotten as Oihane Hernandez gave them the lead after four minutes, which Putellas then added to seven minutes later.
The world champions piled the misery on the hosts after the break, adding five goals, Alayah Pilgrim grabbing a consolation strike for the Swiss.
COMPUTER GLITCH
Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati was present for the occasion despite picking up the Ballon d’Or on Monday in Paris, but defender Irene Paredes was kept from making her 100th appearance with the women’s national team because of a computer glitch.
Spain coach Montse Tome said after the match that a computer error had kept Paredes from being added to Spain’s official match squad.
“There was some kind of computer problem, I was told about it at the hotel,” Tome said. “I had to adapt to the situation and I went with the starting 11 that you saw.”
Spanish media said the Spanish soccer federation was not able to properly update the squad in UEFA’s official application. Instead, the squad from the previous match — in which Paredes was not included, because she was not fit — was in the system.
Spain sit five points clear of Sweden, who drew 1-1 with Italy, at the top of Group A4 with a maximum 12 points from four matches.
OTHER GAMES
Meanwhile, World Cup runners-up England slipped to a 3-2 defeat against Belgium in Leuven that puts their Nations League hopes in the balance. It was the first time that England have conceded three goals since Sarina Wiegman took over as coach in 2021.
Netherlands won 1-0 in Scotland, while France stumbled to a 0-0 home draw against Norway, but with 10 points they remain top of Group A2, three clear of second-placed Austria who beat Portugal 2-1.
Additional reporting by AP
The Rakuten Monkeys on Sunday downed the CTBC Brothers 2-1, handing the hosts their second consecutive loss in the best-of-seven CPBL Taiwan Series at the Taipei Dome. Monkeys’ ace starter Pedro Fernandez of the Dominican Republic dominated on the mound, cruising through six scoreless innings before giving up a run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning. He gave up only three hits and walked two batters in a 93-pitch outing, giving his Taoyuan-based team an edge. Offensively, the Monkeys’ leadoff batter Lin Li hit Brothers starter Brandon Leibrandt’s pitch over the center-field wall in the game’s first at-bat,
Rafael Leao on Sunday shot AC Milan to the top of Serie A with a brace in a 2-1 win over ACF Fiorentina who were enraged by the “scandalous” awarding of the penalty that decided the game. Portugal winger Leao pushed Milan one point ahead of local rivals Inter, SSC Napoli and AS Roma with a coolly taken spot-kick, given for what looked like a soft foul on Santiago Gimenez by Fabiano Parisi, with four minutes remaining. That goal capped a fine first league start of the season for Leao and came after he drew the hosts level with a brilliantly struck
Sean Dyche on Thursday achieved in his first game with Nottingham Forest what predecessor Ange Postecoglou could not in eight matches in charge: Win. Under its new coach, Nottingham Forest presented a concentrated display resulting in a 2-0 victory over Porto in the UEFA Europa League. It was the first victory for Nottingham in the competition and only the second overall this season, while Porto were defeated for the first time this season. Morgan Gibbs-White converted from the penalty spot in the 19th minute at the City Ground in West Bridgford, England. Igor Jesus doubled the advantage from another penalty in the 77th
The tiny village club of Mjallby AIF on Monday won the top tier Swedish soccer league with a 2-0 away win at IFK Gothenburg, sealing the title with three rounds of matches remaining. Jacob Bergstrom and Tom Pettersson scored the goals in Mjallby’s 20th win in 27 league games. Mjallby has a population of fewer than 1,400 people and plays in an outdated 6,000-seat stadium with stands weathered by the winds of the Baltic Sea. “It’s a huge relief to experience this now, a relief with three games to go,” said Anders Torstensson, a former army officer and secondary-school teacher who coaches the
RSS