Wales Women’s national team faced their first major tournament match against the Netherlands in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Saturday. The team was drawn into Euro 2025’s most challenging group and was ranked lowest at 30th among the competition’s 16 teams.
Despite a valiant effort, Wales struggled to keep up with the Netherlands’ high-powered offense, which featured record goalscorer Vivianne Miedema and Arsenal’s Victoria Pelova. The team also conceded two more goals in the second half from Barcelona’s Esmee Brugts.
Wales Women’s manager Rhian Wilkinson acknowledged that her team was “culturally behind” in women’s football after a record-breaking 16,845 attendance for their Euro 2025 play-off final first leg against Ireland. The Netherlands have a head start in terms of experience and success, having won the European Championship in 2017 and reached the World Cup final in 2019.
However, Wales’ fans showed remarkable enthusiasm and spirit at the Swissporarena stadium, with over 4,000 supporters attending the match wearing orange shirts. After the final whistle, Welsh fans continued to show their support for the team by clapping the players and singing the national anthem.
The loss serves as a valuable learning experience for the team, particularly in terms of countering opponents’ attacks, managing expected goals (xG), and staying sharp in crucial moments. Wales coach Wilkinson emphasized that this match marked an important step towards becoming a competitive women’s football nation.
As one fan noted, “It’s just taking longer than I would like for people to recognise what’s right in front of them.” The team will look to learn from their mistakes and build momentum for future matches as they strive to improve their chances in the tournament.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6475814/2025/07/06/wales-euros-anthem-bucket-netherlands