Ingle named in Wales squad for Euros despite no games since September
MANCHESTER, England :Former Chelsea midfielder Sophie Ingle was named on Thursday in Wales' 23-player squad for next month's Women's European Championship, despite being sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury since September.
"We needed to make sure that Sophie Ingle was in a good place, she's still on her path to full fitness but she's in a position now where she can contribute," Wales manager Rhian Wilkinson said.
The 33-year-old, who has been released by Chelsea, tore her ACL in a pre-season friendly against Feyenoord last September, but Wilkinson said the former Wales skipper who has 141 caps showed enough in training to merit a place in the squad.
"I don't want to get into (what role Ingle will play) specifically because Sophie's pushing, she's looking really good in training. She made me look foolish yesterday, I should never jump into training anymore, it's not good for my ego."
Wales will be making their first appearance at a major tournament at the Euros in Switzerland and they marked the occasion by announcing the squad from the summit of Snowdon, the country's highest peak.
Angharad James will captain a squad that includes her Seattle Reign midfield teammate Jess Fishlock, who is 38 and Wales' most-capped player with 161 appearances and 47 goals.
"Jess is going to be the face, the name of Wales. She knows that," Wilkinson said. "But equally there is a group of senior players who have come through the whole thing, they have seen it all, been through it all and fought the fights.
"To get the team over the line at what may be the end of their careers... it's one of those things as a coach you are really proud of, to help deliver that."
Wales are the lowest-ranked squad in the tournament that kicks off on July 3, and were drawn into a difficult group with defending champions England, France and the Netherlands.
Wales face the Dutch in their opening game on July 5.
Defenders: Charlie Estcourt, Gemma Evans, Hayley Ladd, Esther Morgan, Ella Powell, Rhiannon Roberts;
Midfielders: Josie Green, Lily Woodham, Jess Fishlock, Alice Griffiths, Sophie Ingle, Angharad James, Lois Joel, Rachel Rowe;
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Filipe Luis proud of Flamengo's resilience in win against Chelsea
Flamengo manager Filipe Luis said he was extremely proud of his team's resilience and composure as they fought back from a goal down to beat Chelsea 3-1 in their Club World Cup clash on Friday. It was a win that put the Brazilian side in pole position to finish on top of the Group D standings ahead of the tournament knockouts. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was tight-lipped after a red card for his star striker Nicolas Jackson essentially killed off any chance the Premier League club had of rescuing a result against Flamengo, only four minutes after coming on. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT: It was Jackson's second straight red in a little over a month, after he was also sent off for another rough challenge in a Premier League match against Newcastle. On that occasion, Maresca said Jackson should learn and improve. On Friday Jackson's reckless challenge left his team in a difficult situation, with the team finishing second in Group D facing the winners of a tough Group C featuring Bayern Munich, Benfica and Boca Juniors. Jackson will miss Chelsea's third and final group game against Esperance de Tunis on Wednesday. His absence will likely open the door for Liam Delap, the Blues' newest signing, for another start after he led the line-up against Flamengo. KEY QUOTES: Flamengo coach Filipe Luis: "I am very happy with the game. From the start, we always believed we had a chance. "I know the quality of European clubs, especially the elite of football. There are 12 clubs in the world that are part of the elite. I'm surprised by these results. They are not very used to the (hot and humid) climate. South Americans are very competitive, in the Libertadores it's very difficult to win, but the best doesn't always win." Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca: "It was a red card. So nothing to say. Congratulations to Flamengo, they deserved to win. I have not spoken yet with Jackson (about the red card). We tried to do something different, also for next season, for the future, but congratulations to them. I think they deserved it." Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella on Nicolas Jackson's red: "It is a bit of bad luck. He tried to put his foot in to kick the ball but he kicked the player's leg. That's it. We now miss him for the next game. He is a young player with a lot of quality and maybe he needs to improve this. We are not perfect, it's part of the game." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Filipe Luis proud of Flamengo's resilience in win against Chelsea
Flamengo manager Filipe Luis said he was extremely proud of his team's resilience and composure as they fought back from a goal down to beat Chelsea 3-1 in their Club World Cup clash on Friday. It was a win that put the Brazilian side in pole position to finish on top of the Group D standings ahead of the tournament knockouts. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was tight-lipped after a red card for his star striker Nicolas Jackson essentially killed off any chance the Premier League club had of rescuing a result against Flamengo, only four minutes after coming on. WHY IT'S IMPORTANT: It was Jackson's second straight red in a little over a month, after he was also sent off for another rough challenge in a Premier League match against Newcastle. On that occasion, Maresca said Jackson should learn and improve. On Friday Jackson's reckless challenge left his team in a difficult situation, with the team finishing second in Group D facing the winners of a tough Group C featuring Bayern Munich, Benfica and Boca Juniors. Jackson will miss Chelsea's third and final group game against Esperance de Tunis on Wednesday. His absence will likely open the door for Liam Delap, the Blues' newest signing, for another start after he led the line-up against Flamengo. KEY QUOTES: Flamengo coach Filipe Luis: "I am very happy with the game. From the start, we always believed we had a chance. "I know the quality of European clubs, especially the elite of football. There are 12 clubs in the world that are part of the elite. I'm surprised by these results. They are not very used to the (hot and humid) climate. South Americans are very competitive, in the Libertadores it's very difficult to win, but the best doesn't always win." Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca: "It was a red card. So nothing to say. Congratulations to Flamengo, they deserved to win. I have not spoken yet with Jackson (about the red card). We tried to do something different, also for next season, for the future, but congratulations to them. I think they deserved it." Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella on Nicolas Jackson's red: "It is a bit of bad luck. He tried to put his foot in to kick the ball but he kicked the player's leg. That's it. We now miss him for the next game. He is a young player with a lot of quality and maybe he needs to improve this. We are not perfect, it's part of the game."
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Soccer-Brazilian flair trumps European complacency as Flamengo humble Chelsea
Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group D - Flamengo v Chelsea - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. - June 20, 2025 Flamengo's Wallace Yan celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Lee Smith Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group D - Flamengo v Chelsea - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. - June 20, 2025 Flamengo's Wallace Yan celebrates scoring their third goal REUTERS/Lee Smith Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group D - Flamengo v Chelsea - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. - June 20, 2025 Flamengo's Danilo and Erick Pulgar celebrate after the match IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Kyle Ross REUTERS Soccer Football - FIFA Club World Cup - Group D - Flamengo v Chelsea - Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. - June 20, 2025 Flamengo fans celebrate after Bruno Henrique scores their first goal IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Kyle Ross REUTERS PHILADELPHIA - Flamengo delivered a potent reminder that the so-called superiority of European teams in club football is fading quickly after the Brazilian outfit beat Chelsea 3-1 in a Club World Cup contest that felt like a home match thousands of miles from Rio. The Brazilian champions turned Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field into a tropical carnival, with 55,000 passionate supporters creating an atmosphere that was in stark contrast to Chelsea's casual approach to the tournament. Just 24 hours after Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said the competition had "a pre-season feeling" to it and that he would rotate key starters throughout the group stage, his side became the second European giants in two days to be humbled by Brazilian opposition. Friday's result followed Paris St Germain's shock 1-0 defeat by Botafogo a day earlier that had ended Europe's 13-year dominance over South American opposition in intercontinental club football. Pedro Neto's opener for Chelsea proved to be a false start as they were given the run around following the interval. Flamengo, under the tactical guidance of former Blues defender Filipe Luis, responded with a ruthlessness that their theoretically superior rivals could not match. Bruno Henrique and Danilo struck in quick succession to flip the contest, before Nicolas Jackson's reckless red card – for a studs-up challenge that illustrated Chelsea's loss of composure – paved the way for youngster Wallace Yan to deliver the coup de grace. "When we conceded the first goal their fans started to be loud, and immediately after we conceded the second one," Chelsea's Marc Cucurella told DAZN, his words revealing the psychological impact of Flamengo's thunderous support. Following Yan's goal, the supporters let out synchronised chants of "olé" to hail their team's achievement. On Thursday, Botafogo put on a brilliant defensive performance to pull off the unexpected win over PSG, who had been in imperious form as they followed up their 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan in the Champions League final by routing Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their Club World Cup opener. Botafogo's solid discipline left PSG looking feeble and a shadow of the team that dominated European football throughout the season. "Botafogo were the team that has defended best against us all season. They were efficient. The only thing left for me is to congratulate them," PSG boss Luis Enrique told reporters. With Lionel Messi's Inter Miami also victorious against Porto, European clubs are in danger of returning home empty-handed from a tournament they had been odds on favourite to win. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
