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THUN, Switzerland: Striker Alexia Putellas scored twice for world champions Spain as they shook off a slow start to beat Belgium 6-2 in their Women’s Euros Group B clash on Monday, a result that will guarantee the Spaniards’ progress to the knockout stage if Portugal fail to beat Italy later in the day.
On a chilly, windswept evening far removed from the recent Swiss heatwave, Putellas blasted Spain into the lead, picking up the ball after some deft one-touch passing and lashing it into the net in the 22nd minute with a characteristically powerful left-foot shot.
The lead lasted only a couple of minutes as the Belgians went up the field and won a corner, which Justine Vanhaevermaet headed home at the near post but, despite struggling to maintain a consistent rhythm, Spain managed to take a lead into the break after Irene Paredes scored with a towering header from a corner in the 39th minute.
Recently returned from a health scare, Aitana Bonmati came on for Vicky Lopez at halftime and almost scored four minutes later but instead Belgium levelled again in the 50th minute, with Hannah Eurlings running on to a long ball and slotting home.
The goal was initially ruled out for offside but after a lengthy VAR review Eurlings was found to have been onside when the ball was played.
Belgium’s joy was short-lived as Esther Gonzalez restored Spain’s lead a minute later, with Spain finally beginning to show their class.
Mariona Caldentey’s fourth goal for Spain in the 61st minute put them at ease and they began to toy with the Belgians, with a brilliant curled effort from Claudia Pina in the 81st minute effectively ending the contest.
There was still time for Putellas to net her second goal four minutes from time to put Spain top of the group on six points and leave the Belgians, who lost their opening game against Italy 1-0, on the brink of elimination.
“I’m happy because the important thing is to win. We don’t like conceding goals. If you concede two goals, that’s something we need to correct,” Spain captain Paredes said.
“We’ve been good, we struggled to find our rhythm, we were imprecise at the start. Once we got into the rhythm, we were at our best.”
Despite the sluggish start and the concession of two goals, Spain coach Montserrat Tome was pleased with how her players managed to solve the problems posed by the Belgians, especially the substitutes who were brought on in the second half.
“We have a luxury of having so many options, because this allows us to create solutions depending on the moment,” she told reporters.
“As for goals, I believe the activity is very high, we are generating chances, we are scoring goals which is very good, this gives us confidence.”
Tome said playmaker Bonmati had fully recovered and could have started but that the team were going to take it slowly with her.
“We must be patient to see the progression. According to the medical team she’s fine but we don’t want to risk it. She’s a key player,” she said.

LONDON: Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic reached her first Wimbledon quarterfinal in nine attempts on Monday, dismissing 18th-seeded Russian Ekaterina Alexandrova 7-6(4) 6-4 in just under two hours on a breezy Court One.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, 28, shed tears after she finally broke the fourth-round barrier 15 months after giving birth to her daughter Bella and said she felt very proud of herself.

But she needed six match points to down 30-year-old Alexandrova, who just last month beat Bencic with the loss of only three games at the Den Bosch grasscourt tournament in the Netherlands.

Bencic, who has been knocked out in the fourth round here three times before, said she turned the tide by being more courageous.

“I think I tried to be more brave. I had more matches under my belt and it turned out better than the last time I played her,” she said.

“I always got stuck in the fourth round. It was so important for me to break through to the quarterfinals,” she added.

Alexandrova, who has also never passed the fourth round at the All England Club, blew hot and cold in the first set, dropping two service games before turning on the aggression, improving her second serve and fighting back to force a tiebreak.

But Bencic, calm and businesslike, won four points in a row in the tiebreak and sealed the set after an hour and one minute when Alexandrova sent a backhand long.

Bencic broke Alexandrova’s serve in the eighth game of the second set but was unable to capitalize when serving for the match in a mammoth eight-deuce game that lasted some 15 minutes and during which the Russian saved five match points.

But Bencic came fighting back on the Russian’s serve with a forehand winner for a sixth match point, converting it when Alexandrova put a forehand long.

The Swiss, ranked 35 but a former world number four, was one of nine mothers in the draw, but the only one to reach the fourth round. She gave birth in April last year and was back playing competitively within six months even reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open in January 2025.

“I’m really proud of myself and the whole team. We did an amazing job coming back,” she said.

“It’s amazing to share the memories together as a family. I’m enjoying it more. I juggle it like every mum does.”