The first matchday of the 2025 UEFA Nations League tournament saw a few regional heavy-hitters shaking off the dust on Friday, with reigning Euros champs England settling for a 1-1 draw against Portugal while perennial contenders Germany similarly split points with the Netherlands after a 2-2 result.
Snagging an early lead for the Lionesses was forward Alessia Russo, who slotted in a ball from right-back Lucy Bronze in the match's 15th minute.
Unfortunately for England, however, Portugal extended their undefeated streak to 11 games after attacking midfielder Kika Nazareth scored a top-corner equalizer at the 75th minute mark to clinch the draw.
Germany and the Netherlands, who claimed third- and fourth-place, respectively, in the tournament's inaugural 2023/24 edition, opened their 2025 campaigns with a back-and-forth battle on Friday.
After Dutch star Lineth Beerensteyn opened scoring by nutmegging German net-minder and 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year Ann-Katrin Berger in the 13th minute, Germany closed out the first half with an extra-time header from Lea Schüller to level the score.
The second half saw the Germans pull ahead thanks to a 50th-minute strike from Sjoeke Nüsken, before Beerensteyn again broke through with the match's final goal in the 66th minute.
After the match, new head coach Christian Wück, who took over the German team last March, told reporters, "We need to learn to maintain our focus, especially after taking the lead. It’s frustrating to draw after putting in such strong efforts."
Reigning champion Spain rallies for late comeback victory
Draws aside, defending Nations League winners Spain earned perhaps the wildest victory of the opening matchday, surging back from a 2-0 deficit against Belgium to claim all three points in a 3-2 finish.
The 2023 World Cup champions fell behind early after striker Mariam Toloba gave Belgium the edge in the game's 18th minute. Forward Tessa Wullaert doubled that lead in the 72nd minute, seemingly putting an emphatic end to Spain's hopes of a victory.
Clàudia Pina clawed one back for La Roja just five minutes later, but it took a pair of stoppage-time goals from Lucía García and late call-up Cristina Martín-Prieto to secure the literal last-second win.
Nations League to set up UEFA's 2027 World Cup qualifying
Established in 2022, the Women’s Nations League is now the continent’s qualifying tournament for the Euros, World Cup, and Olympics.
With records wiped following last year’s rollercoaster Olympic qualifiers, early Nations League matches now serve as a key window into the fast-approaching 2025 Euros — in addition to a heated competition in their own right.
On top of that, the outcome of this second-ever edition of the contest will determine teams' positioning for the 2026 European qualifiers for World Cup. Put simply, the finishing spots teams snag after 2025 Nations League play will determine their league paths to claiming one of UEFA's 11 available spots in the 2027 World Cup.
While there's a lot on the line, there's also a significant amount of action still to come. With four teams in each League A group, squads will play three round-robin home-and-away fixtures to determine their final group-play standings — meaning each of Friday's games have a rematch on the calendar before the stage ends on June 3rd.
The winners of the four League A groups will ultimately meet in the two-leg Nations League semifinals in October, with the two-leg third-place play-off and a final set for November and December.
The USWNT is guaranteed a shot at an Olympic medal in Paris after defeating Japan 1-0 in extra time in Saturday's epic quarterfinal match. Trinity Rodman notched the contest's lone goal in the 107th minute, with the US ultimately holding on to avoid moving to penalty kicks.
The contest marked the second-straight matchup where the US found themselves face-to-face with a low block, as Japan packed their defense in a 5-4-1 formation.
While the US dominated possession, they didn't always appear dangerous on the attack, with Japan more than happy to let their opponent pass along the backline. But Japan couldn't manage to be clinical on the counter — and Rodman's individual strike saved the day to break the deadlock.
Extra time prevades Olympic soccer quarterfinals
The USWNT and Japan were not alone in their futile regulation-time efforts, as three of the four Saturday quarterfinals required extra time to decide.
Reigning World Cup champions Spain rallied against Colombia with a two-goal comeback to enter extra time 2-2, eventually advancing on penalty kicks.
Later that afternoon, Canada and Germany battled to a scoreless stalemate after 120 minutes, allowing German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger to play penalty kick hero. Berger saved two kicks and converted one herself to send the reigning Olympic champions packing.
With a 1-0 win over France, Brazil was the only team to register a victory inside of regulation play, albeit tacking on over 18 minutes of second-half stoppage time. Due to red card suspension, Brazilian legend Marta will miss the team's semifinal, but will likely cap her international career in the subsequent bronze or gold medal match.
Olympic semis to feature group stage rematches
The semifinals will feature two group stage rematches, as the US takes on Germany and Spain squares off against Brazil.
Elsewhere, the USWNT beat Group B foe Germany 4-1, while Spain took down Brazil 2-0 in Group C. Group A saw all three of its teams eliminated in Saturday's quarterfinal round.
How to watch the USWNT vs. Germany at the Olympics
The USWNT will kick off against Germany on Tuesday at 12 PM ET, with live coverage across NBC networks.
Welcome back to The 91st, your one-stop-shop for all things USWNT at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Levels. Levels. Levels. The USWNT posted a clinical 4-1 victory over Germany in their second group stage match, but we think they can soar much higher.
Hosts Jordan Angeli, Duda Pavao, and special guest Allie Long break it all down and preview how the USWNT will handle Australia knowing that they only need a point to win the group. They discuss how the US must progress throughout the tournament once they're forced to play the likes of Spain, France, Japan, and some of the tournament's other heavy hitters.
Plus, what's the better party sport: ping pong or badminton? The debate ensues.
Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.
Welcome back to The 91st, your one-stop-shop for all things USWNT at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times for the USWNT against Zambia to open up Olympic play in Nice, France. The US dominated the first half — getting the vibes back — but left a lot to be desired with a lackluster second-half performance. Which version will we see on Sunday when the USWNT goes up against Germany in their second match of group stage play?
Hosts Jordan Angeli, Duda Pavao and retired USWNT forward Jess McDonald break the Zambia match down and preview the heavyweight clash against Germany. Plus, we debate crepes vs. french toast and prove a full update on all the action from the rest of the Paris Olympics soccer tournament.
Subscribe to Just Women's Sports on YouTube to never miss an episode.
Like the US, Germany — the USWNT's next opponent — also emerged from Thursday's group stage play on top, becoming the only other women's soccer team at the 2024 Paris Olympics to win their first game by three or more goals.
Germany took down Australia 3-0 in their opening match, setting the stage for a blockbuster weekend showdown with the US as both teams vie for group stage dominance. With both earning three points and a +3 goal differential on Thursday, the US and Germany will strive to render their respective third games as meaningless as possible.
A win on Sunday by either Germany or the US — combined with a draw between Australia and Zambia — would guarantee a quarterfinal berth for whichever team finishes the weekend with six points in Group B.
Injuries could affect USWNT vs. Germany outcome
Availability will be a key factor in the USWNT's success, with the status of strikers Sophia Smith and Jaedyn Shaw still unclear after Thursday's substitutions.
Germany is still adjusting to the loss of star midfielder Lena Oberdorf to a pre-Olympics ACL injury, but they looked in fine form against Australia with goals from Marina Hegering, Lea Schuller, and Jule Brand sealing the shutout win.
Sunday's match will be the first between the pair since splitting two friendly results in November 2022. Notably, in the second half of their last head-to-head, forwards Sophia Smith and Mallory Swanson fueled a comeback win after an early goal from Brand.
Elsewhere at the Paris Olympics soccer tournament
On a mission to avenge their 2023 World Cup group stage loss, Spain looked as sharp as ever in their 2-1 victory over Japan. In the other Group C match, Brazil held on to defeat Nigeria 1-0 in an end-to-end battle featuring a goal from Gabi Nunes and an assist by soon-to-retire legend Marta.
Meanwhile in Group A, a troubled Team Canada bounced back from 1-0 down against New Zealand to win it 2-1, but their off-the-field scandal continues to brew as head coach Bev Priestman was sent home on suspension for the remainder of the Summer Games.
Current Group A leaders France eked out a 3-2 victory over Colombia, nearly giving up their 3-0 lead behind a brace from star Marie-Antoinette Katoto.
How to watch the USWNT vs. Germany
The USWNT will take the Olympic pitch against Germany at 3 PM ET on Sunday, with live coverage on NBC networks.
The U.S. women’s national team remains the favorite to win the 2023 Women’s World Cup, and the field looks as wide open as ever after a wild international window.
While the USWNT looked shaky in its two wins against Ireland, several of its competitors did not fair any better.
England fell 2-0 to World Cup co-host Australia, snapping its 30-match unbeaten streak, while Germany lost to Brazil for the first time since the 2008 Olympics. Sweden tied with long shot Norway, and France bested Olympic gold medal-winner Canada.
After the break, the USWNT leads all odds at +275 to win its third straight World Cup, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
England follows with +350 odds. That represents a slight change from January, when both England and the USWNT were tied with odds of +300 to win the World Cup trophy. At that time, Spain stood in third with +600 odds, while France and Germany tied for fourth at +700.
Spain and Germany now are tied for third at +650, while France is fourth at +750.
Sweden’s odds have slipped to +1400, while Australia remains at +1400 and is now tied for fifth. The Netherlands (+1600), Canada (+2500) and Brazil (+2500) also remain the same.
The international window represented the last chance to see national teams in action before World Cup rosters are finalized. The USWNT next takes the pitch at 4 p.m. ET Sunday, July 9, in San Jose, California, for a World Cup send-off match against Wales.
The U.S. women’s national team was staring down a possible four-game losing streak when they faced Germany on Sunday for the second time in four days. With second-half goals from Sophia Smith and Mallory Pugh, the USWNT won 2-1, snapping their first three-game losing streak since 1993 and salvaging a historically bad skid.
A game-winning goal from Pugh was nothing new, but the reason the team was able to build up to that goal in the first place certainly was.
Under head coach Vlatko Andonovski, the U.S. has implemented a 4-3-3 formation in which Andi Sullivan plays as the lone six and Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle push higher up in the midfield. The structure has left the USWNT vulnerable to breakdowns in defending and controlling the play while they await the return of Julie Ertz, the team’s longtime staple at holding midfield.
On Sunday, however, Horan dropped lower into the midfield in the second half, allowing Sullivan to be more involved in the play and try for more tackles.
“At that point, we started taking the game over,” head coach Vlatko Andonovski said of the change.
Pugh’s goal was a direct result of that adjustment. A minute after Smith scored in the 54th minute, Sullivan controlled the ball in the midfield while Horan covered the space to her left. Sullivan then sent a long ball to the top of Germany’s 18-yard box, where Pugh ran onto it, blasted by two players and put the U.S. up 2-1.
Standout stuff by @sunshine_sully in the midfield and a bit of @MalPugh magic puts us in front ✨🇺🇸⚽️ pic.twitter.com/qQvxdo7j7E
— U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (@USWNT) November 13, 2022
The play before that, Sullivan had missed a tackle and Pugh didn’t hesitate to let her know.
“That woke me up, and I was like, ‘I need to do better, I need to make the tackle,’” Sullivan said.
The team had talked at halftime about needing to force more turnovers as a unit.
“I think we did a good job at looking at each other and demanding more from each other,” Sullivan added.
The USWNT came alive in the second half, and the midfield began to play more consistently than it had in recent losses to England, Spain and Germany on Thursday.
Despite a head-on collision in the 21st minute that kept Sullivan down for nearly four minutes and resulted in a bloody nose, the 26-year-old served as the defensive anchor through all 83 minutes she played.
“I think what’s been building for us is a little bit more fluidity and being able to rotate and me feeling more confident in stepping out, whether that’s to get on the ball, or defensively trusting that they’re going to fill in behind me, or vice versa,” Sullivan said. “I think we have a really good relationship.”
Andonovski wouldn’t say whether he would experiment with playing two midfielders defensively in future games, but he recognized the immediate return they saw from the change.
“Obviously we are going to do our analysis and see why that worked and what was the response on the opponent,” the coach said.
The USWNT won’t return to the field until January, when they travel to New Zealand for a pair of friendlies and expect several reinforcements to work their way back into the lineup.
Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.
U.S. women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski once again criticized the refereeing his team saw in its friendlies against Germany.
After first taking issue with the officiating in Thursday’s loss, the head coach complained about a no-call from the Sunday’s 2-1 win against Germany.
Germany goalkeeper Almuth Schult collided with USWNT midfielder Taylor Kornieck late in the match, but the official declined to call a foul. In Andonovski’s view, Schult deserved “a clear red card.”
“On the collision, for me it’s a clear red card,” Andonovski said. “We saw the referee made a lot of mistakes in the last game, which in this game, I thought there was one very obvious mistake that they made and should have sanctioned it.”
Andonovski was vocal after the team’s loss to Germany about the impact of the officiating, saying the referees “took some things away from us.” He also noted that he thought that the game “was a little bit too much for them.”
On Sunday, Andonovski said the issues with the officiating are part of the learning process in the lead-up to next summer’s World Cup.
“We understand that, sometimes we’re going to have to deal with bad calls,” he said. “And it’s part of the preparation process, how we have to be mentally strong to deal with adversity.”
The U.S. women’s national team avoided catastrophe Sunday with a 2-1 comeback win against Germany in the second of two friendlies between the squads.
A defeat Sunday would have secured the USWNT its first-ever four-game losing streak. The team avoided that fate by responding to Thursday’s loss in resounding fashion to close out 2022.
The USWNT was outplayed in the first half at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., with Germany’s Jule Brand notching the game’s first goal to put her team ahead 1-0 in the 18th minute.
JULE BRAND GIVES GERMANY A 1-0 LEAD 💪 pic.twitter.com/M6woy0dOXz
— ESPN (@espn) November 13, 2022
But the second half brought new life for the home team. Sophia Smith scored first for the United States, capping off what has been a career year for the forward.
The goal was her team-leading 11th of the year for the USWNT and the 12th of her international career. The 22-year-old forward also had 14 goals for the Portland Thorns during the NWSL season.
Less than a minute after Smith put the USWNT on the scoreboard, Mallory Pugh found the back of the net to put the team in the lead.
BACK TO BACK‼️
— ESPN (@espn) November 13, 2022
USWNT scores two goals in two minutes to take the lead 👀 pic.twitter.com/kTAbg14HuS
Each goal marked a major milestone for the scorer.
With her goal, Smith became just the second player to record 11 or more goals both internationally and in the NWSL in the same calendar year.
Pugh, meanwhile, became just the sixth player in USWNT history to record more than 25 goals and 25 assists (she has 27) before the age of 25. The 24-year-old forward joins current teammate Alex Morgan on the list, as well as Cindy Parlow Cone, Mia Hamm, Tiffeny Milbrett and Kristine Lilly.
The victory closes out the 2022 schedule for the USWNT and marks the team’s first since a Sept. 6 win against Nigeria.
For a moment, it looked like it might be a vintage U.S. women’s national team result.
A cross from Alex Morgan. Megan Rapinoe streaking to the net. A well-placed shot. A goal. A celebration.
After going down 1-0 to Germany, the United States tied things up with a goal from one veteran to another. Morgan and Rapinoe: two names soccer fans have become accustomed to hearing.
Something they aren’t accustomed to? The collapse that happened four minutes after Rapinoe tied things up.
The goal at the 84th minute seemed enough for the U.S. to end the contest with a tie and prevent a three-game losing streak — something the team hadn’t experienced since 1993.
Instead, at the 89-minute mark, it was Germany that celebrated. And when the final whistle blew, the Americans had broken a streak they never wanted to see in the first place. On Thursday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Germany came away with a 2-1 victory, and the USWNT left with a lot of unanswered questions.
Here’s one of those questions: What happened?
A foul at midfield led to a quick free kick from Germany. It sailed to the feet of Jule Brand, who took a touch that forced goaltender Casey Murphy to challenge. When Murphy dove, it left a wide-open goal and no U.S. defenders to back her up. Germany’s Paulina Krumbiegel then tapped it home for the game-winning goal at the 89th minute.
Germany is back on top 2-1 🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/1Lx4lxoKuw
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 11, 2022
It was a dramatic moment that pointed to a larger, more concerning trend. In the toughest moments on Thursday, the USWNT lacked poise and composure. A USWNT that can’t seem to handle the pressure isn’t a concept the soccer world has encountered for many, many years.
And the pressure is about to build, as the team plays Germany again on Sunday in the final friendly on the 2022 calendar. After losing an unprecedented three in a row, that game has the feel of a must-win.
But coach Vlatko Andonovski, in his comments after the game, didn’t seem to see a lack of poise or an inability to finish in key moments from his team. Instead, he chalked it up to bad luck.
“We didn’t see the final touch. That is what we were missing,” he said. “Even though I do want to say that we were a little bit unlucky a couple of times. I think Lindsey (Horan) hit the crossbar, hit the post. So that was positive, but not quite good enough to make a difference.”
Horan did have two shots narrowly miss after connecting with metal instead of net. And she wasn’t the only one whose quality opportunities came up short. The United States had 18 shots but finished with just one goal.
🇺🇸 @LindseyHoran with a ✂️ kick 🤯 pic.twitter.com/EWggvYUk7W
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 11, 2022
Andonovski also cited the officiating as a factor that worked against his team Thursday. Germany was assessed 13 fouls in the game, while the U.S. was whistled for seven, and there were no yellow or red cards handed out.
“I think the referees took some things away from us,” he said. “I don’t want to comment a lot on it, but I feel like the game was a little bit too much for them.”
The USWNT had eight corner kicks in the game, but they were unable to capitalize on the opportunities.
Despite the three-game slide, the multiple goals given up in each contest and just two scores in the last three games, Andonovski isn’t worried. He’d like to see more goals, he admits, but the coach remained positive following Thursday’s defeat.
“I don’t want to say I’m concerned, because I’m not,” he said. “I trust these players. I believe that these players are capable of scoring goals … I’m not concerned, but I for sure wanted to score more goals.”
In the last month, the USWNT has lost to top-ranked European clubs England, Spain and Germany. They dropped a home contest for the first time in over five years. And in the big moments, like the final minutes of Thursday’s match, they faded away, failing to capitalize when they needed to.
These matches are friendlies, yes. But given the current set of circumstances and the mounting pressure, Sunday’s game against Germany is about to be a lot less friendly, and a lot more of a must-win.
Eden Laase is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @eden_laase.