World champion Spain routs Portugal 5-0 in their Euro 2025 opener

BERN — Esther González scored twice and world champion Spain delivered a strong statement by routing Portugal 5-0 in its Women's European Championship opener on Thursday. The 32-year-old González became the oldest player to play for Spain at the tournament and she scored minutes before the youngest, 18-year-old Vicky López, added the second goal. Spain captain Alexia Putellas also scored for La Roja, showing she's ready to lead the team to success after missing Euro 2022 with a knee injury. Spain lost to eventual winner England in the quarterfinals of that tournament. "We've been talking about how motivated we are for this for so long, and now we had to show it. We have reason to be pleased," Putellas told Spanish broadcaster TVE. González wasted little time before opening the scoring after 87 seconds with a flick past Inês Pereira. Only 24 minutes were played when the fans started a Mexican wave around the nearly 30,000-capacity Wankdorf Stadium, normally home to Swiss Super League team Young Boys. The club also has a women's team, which is also called Young Boys. Spain dominated possession in a textbook first-half display. Teammates' work off the ball ensured there was always a passing option. No player had the ball for long as it zipped around and the Portuguese players were left to chase it. But Spain coach Montse Tomé may have concerns about her team's second-half performance as her players' level of control dropped.