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Alisha Lehmann and Switzerland’s women’s team faced a 7-1 defeat to a U15 boys’ team, raising concerns ahead of the Women’s Euro next month.
Alisha Lehmann’s Switzerland lost 7-1 to a youth team (Picture credit: AFP)
In what has come as a major humiliation to star forward Alisha Lehmann and her Switzerland side, the team lost to a U15 boys’ team of the country 7-1, as they prepare for the upcoming Women’s Euro, which is all set to begin next month in their own country.
Switzerland are all set to face Norway on July 3 in their opening game of the tournament, and against a higher-ranked team, the hosts might face considerable trouble given their recent outing against the youngsters.
Rather than the custom of the host nation beginning the event, the opening game will be between Iceland and Finland. It will end with the final at the St Jacob-Park on Sunday, July 27. Switzerland are grouped in Group A with Norway, Iceland and Finland.
Spain and Germany were the first sides, after hosts Switzerland, to qualify for the event, doing so a year back after losing just one match each.
Germany, France, Sweden and debutants Poland will feel confident arriving in Switzerland, boasting an unbeaten record this year.
The dismal score was leaked after one of the teenage footballers shared images from the game on TikTok before deleting them, but not before sharing the secret about the final score in the video’s comment section.
“It’s not uncommon in women’s football to compete against junior teams. The goal: to bring a certain competitive element,” head of communications of the team, Sven Micosse, said.
“The focus during this phase of preparation is on the physical aspect. Regardless of the result, these training matches are very similar to our international matches in terms of intensity and mileage,” Micosse added.
Switzerland’s sole goal came from forward Alayah Pilgrim, with the leaked pictures confirming Lehmann’s involvement in the match despite doubts around her participation for the Euros after her drop from the national side.
Reports from Switzerland indicate that ahead of the Luzern game, the Swiss women had already competed against two other youth sides. They lost one and won the other. But two losses in three games against youth teams don’t augur well ahead of a big-ticket tournament, that too at home.
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