On the sixth matchday of the Women’s European Championship, top favorite Spain is back in action. After the gala performance against Portugal, the world champion faces a match against Belgium, who are still without points. Portugal and Italy also meet.
6:00 PM: Spain-Belgium (Thun)
Spain gave a show in the first European Championship match against Portugal and showed with a clear 5-0 victory why the country is often mentioned as the favorite for the title. Against Belgium, the reigning world champion hopes to maintain that feeling.
Earlier this year, Spain and Belgium already played against each other twice in the Nations League. In Valencia, Belgium seemed to be heading for a surprising victory, until Spain scored twice in injury time (3-2). A few weeks later, Belgium was outclassed in front of their own audience (1-5).
Player to watch: There was a lot going on last week about the Spanish star player Aitana Bonmatí (27), who was hospitalized due to meningitis. She recovered quickly and already made her first minutes as a substitute on Thursday. The two-time World Footballer of the Year now seems to be preparing for a starting place.
9:00 PM: Portugal-Italy (Geneva)
Portugal must quickly recover from the emotions surrounding the death of Diogo Jota and the defeat against Spain. The Portuguese will most likely have to win against Italy to keep the European Championship dream alive.
Depending on the result in Belgium-Spain, Italy may even need one point for a place in the quarter-finals. That would be a significant boost for the country, which last joined the best eight in Europe in 2013.
Player to watch: She is already 35 years old, but the Italian Cristiana Girelli is far from worn out. The Juventus striker scored nineteen times in Serie A last season and already has 58 goals in 118 international matches for the Italian national team.