Bern, July 4(HS): In the Women’s Euro 2025 Group B matches on Thursday, two notable results occurred: Spain defeated Portugal 5-0, and Italy won against Belgium 1-0. In the match between Spain and Portugal, Esther González scored two goals, making her the oldest Spanish player to compete in the tournament. She opened the scoring within 87 seconds, followed by 18-year-old Vicky López, who became Spain’s youngest tournament participant with her first international goal. Captain Alexia Putellas, returning from a knee injury, added another goal in the 41st minute. González scored again shortly after, and Cristina Martín-Prieto rounded off the scoring with a header. A minute of silence was observed before the match in memory of Diogo Jota and his brother, who passed away in a tragic accident.

In Italy’s match against Belgium, Arianna Caruso scored the decisive goal just before halftime, resulting from a missed marking by the Belgian defense. Despite Tessa Wullaert’s efforts, Belgium could not equalize. Italy’s victory avenged their loss to Belgium in Euro 2022, improving their positioning in Group B. Spain emerges as the favorite while Italy’s next matches include facing Portugal and then Spain, intensifying competition for the second spot in the group.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar