July 2 – Tonight hosts Switzerland open Euro 2025 against Norway under enormous pressure to deliver in Basel in an encounter that will tests two teams with a panoply of doubts.
With just about everything ready for the curtain raiser and opening ceremony at the St Jakob Park, Switzerland and its fans have been consumed by the fitness of team captain Lia Walti, who fills the void left by the injured Ramona Bachmann.
On the eve of the match, manager Pia Sundhage could not confirm if Walti would be in the starting XI or saved for the other two group matches against Iceland and Finland. Sundhage said: “I trust her one hundred percent. She knows best how to handle her body so that she is fit for the second of July.”
At 32, the Arsenal player and star of the team is expected to lead Switzerland in Group A. Walti has been national team captain since 2019. For more than a decade, she has been an undisputed starter, the heart and soul of the defensive central midfield, but she sat out the last friendly against the Czech Republic. Walti serves as the face of the host nation and the tournament will the pinnacle of her career.
Under all the pressure, she remains cool: “I am very honest. I don’t see more pressure in the team. We are focused on the football.”
Walti is protective, but the team has been blowing hold and cold. Recent results have been underwhelming and question marks remain about Sundhage, who has emphasised fitness but proven to be tactically inflexible. The veteran manager’s last adventure with Brazil ended in disaster. Another poor tournament – at the expense of Switzerland’s dreams – would be an indictment.
At least, opponents Norway are no longer the force of yesteryear when they were a part of the global elite. NFF president Lise Klaveness has admitted as much – for a small country like Norway it’s difficult to keep up with the very best, and that’s the reality for this Norwegian team. Once pioneers, Norway won Euro 1992, the 1995 Women’s World Cup and the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Today, Sweden is the only Nordic country in the top ten of the FIFA ranking. Norway are ranked 16th, seven places higher than Switzerland.
Yet, Norway can still boost some exceptional talent in Ada Hegerberg, Caroline Graham Hansen, Frida Maanum and Guro Reiten. It’s a stellar cast that should deliver more.
At the last Women’s World Cup, friction in the team played no small part in a disappointing campaign that ended with a round-of-16 elimination by Japan. In the group, Norway and Switzerland drew 0-0 in a forgettable match in a rainy Hamilton. Both teams will want more from their curtain raiser in Basel to kickstart Euro 2025 in style.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1751950474labto1751950474ofdlr1751950474owedi1751950474sni@i1751950474tnuk.1751950474ardni1751950474mas1751950474