Inspired by Delphine Cascarino’s stunning six-minute spell in the second half, France surged past the Netherlands 5-2 on Sunday, July 13, to reach the quarterfinals of the Women’s European Championship. France’s third straight win ensured it won Group D, ahead of England, which routed Wales 6-1 to finish runner-up.
The French would have been eliminated by a three-goal loss and, when the Netherlands led 2-1 at one stage, rued a bad miss by Cascarino shooting over an unguarded goal. But the San Diego Wave winger responded with a devastating burst of running and shooting to settle the game.
First, Cascarino stole the ball from the Dutch at halfway and ran directly at the defense to set up Marie-Antoinette Katoto for a neat finish in the 61st.
Cascarino was even better three minutes later, taking a high ball 50 meters (yards) from goal and dribbling directly at goal to unleash a rising shot from outside the penalty area. In the 67th, Cascarino scored with a well-placed shot when the ball came to her after Katoto’s shot struck the inside of both posts. Sakina Karchaoui added a penalty in stoppage time.
A nervous evening became a coronation for France as the top team in the toughest group at Euro 2025. France returns to Basel to face Germany on Saturday, with the winner on a path to play Spain in the semifinals.
