1 year ago
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Sam MarsdenJul 7, 2025, 05:15 PM ET
Alexia Putellas helped Spain find their travel against Belgium to permission Red Flames manager Elísabet Gunnarsdóttir wanting to outcry aft being connected the extremity of a 6-2 nonaccomplishment to the satellite champions.
Putellas scored doubly and created 2 much arsenic favourites Spain made it 2 wins from 2 successful Group B to publication their spot successful the quarterfinals of the European Championships, knocking Belgium retired successful the process.
The Barcelona midfielder has present scored 3 goals astatine the tourney and is starring Spain's complaint arsenic they people a archetypal ever Euros trophy.
"It goes manus successful hand," Putellas said successful a quality league aft being named the game's MVP erstwhile asked if her bully signifier was making Spain tick oregon vice versa. "As an individual, you deliberation astir the radical and erstwhile you consciousness we are each together, you flow, and it makes maine consciousness bully of course.
"I person this relation of creating chances, sometimes I besides decorativeness them, sometimes others do, [but] I'm feeling great. It's not conscionable due to the fact that of the goals oregon assists, but due to the fact that of however I consciousness retired there, the sharpness.
"I said it earlier the tourney started: I've been feeling great. In immoderate games things travel off, successful others they don't, but the enactment is ever there, and that's what matters -- putting myself to the work of the team."
Spain opened their run with a 5-0 triumph implicit Portugal and person present racked up 11 goals successful the competition, which is already the associated 2nd astir ever scored successful the radical signifier aft England's 14 successful 2022 with a crippled to spare.
Irene Paredes, Esther González, Mariona Caldentey and Clàudia Pina were besides connected people against Belgium arsenic La Roja demonstrated a ruthlessness successful beforehand of goal.
"That's 1 of our strengths -- each the attacking imaginable we have, the antithetic options wrong the squad, however versatile the players and our benignant of play tin be," Putellas added. "The squad is doing truly well; we judge successful what we're doing and we're truly enjoying ourselves."
Belgium had earlier doubly travel from down to level the crippled astatine 2-2 aboriginal successful the 2nd fractional earlier fading successful the last 30 minutes.
The effect means they are eliminated from the contention contempt inactive having 1 crippled to travel against Portugal.
Coach Gunnarsdóttir was tremendously pleased with the effort her players enactment in, but revealed she was astir reduced to tears aft seeing the squad travel up valiantly short.
"I'm truly arrogant of my squad due to the fact that I cognize 100% that they had the content that I was looking for," she said successful a quality conference. "But, to beryllium honest, I walked into the locker country [after the match] and I truly wanted to cry.
"Emotionally it was hard due to the fact that I truly believed successful what we were doing and I loved seeing my players springiness everything they had. I truly deliberation we gave them a crippled for astatine slightest 60 minutes, a truly bully game.
"Spain are a truly bully team, much businesslike than past year. They are bully astatine making bully decisions astir the box. If you springiness them a small country to sprout oregon instrumentality that pass, past they usage it.
"They recognize the crippled connected a antithetic level to galore different players successful this tournament, galore of them play unneurotic astatine nine level arsenic well."
Belgium adjacent Group B connected Friday against Portugal, who could inactive suffice aft drafting 1-1 with Italy aboriginal connected Monday. They request to bushed Belgium and anticipation Spain bushed Italy, with a six extremity plaything besides required.
