Motivated Alexia Putellas and on-song Spain offer hosts stiffest of Women’s Euro 2025 tests

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Spains Alexia Putellas in action during a training session in Lausanne on July 15.

PHOTO: EPA

BERN – Having matched a host of tournament records in the group stage, world champions Spain head into the Women’s Euro 2025 quarter-finals against hosts Switzerland at the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern on July 18 as heavy favourites.

La Roja were involved in the joint-highest scoring game in Euro history in the 6-2 win over Belgium and registered the joint-most goals in the group stage (14),while tournament top scorer Esther Gonzalez became just the third player to score in all three group matches.

Gonzalez has four goals while teammate Alexia Putellas leads the assists charts with four, ahead of the second quarter-final between England and Spain that took place after press time.

Putellas, a two-time former Ballon d’Or Feminin winner, has also netted three times.

Defender Jana Fernandez said her Barcelona teammate is especially motivated, having missed the last European Championship in 2022 with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

She said of the 31-year-old midfielder: “If anyone is motivated, it’s her. We all came here with a lot of motivation, but Alexia even more so because of what happened at the last Euro.

“She gives us a lot both on and off the pitch. She’s surrounded by the best people to show 100 per cent of her game. Hopefully it continues this way – what’s good for her is good for Spain.”

Attacker Claudia Pina,