Euro 2025: England thumps Wales 6-1 to set up quarterfinal clash with Sweden

ST. GALLEN, Switzerland (AP) — Another rampant England performance saw the defending champion demolish Wales 6-1 on Sunday and book its spot in the quarterfinals of the Women’s European Championship.

England had bounced back from losing to France in its opener by routing the Netherlands 4-0 and it raced into a 4-0 halftime lead against Wales following goals from Georgia Stanway, Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo.

Substitutes Beth Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones added more in the second half either side of Hannah Cain’s stylish consolation for Wales.

“We’re just happy that we continued the standards that we’d set against the Netherlands,” Stanway said. “It was super important that we continue where we’d left off and we could build momentum post that.”

The result saw Sarina Wiegman’s team advance as runner-up in Group D, ensuring England a potentially easier path to the final, after France beat the Netherlands 5-2 to win the group. Wales and the Netherlands are eliminated.

England will play Sweden in the quarterfinals and could then face either Norway or Italy.

Had they won the group, the Lionesses would have encountered Germany before a possible semifinal against World Cup winner and tournament favorite Spain, which plays host nation Switzerland in the last eight.

England beat Sweden 4-0 in the Euro 2022 semifinals, although the two subsequent matches between the two nations have ended in draws.

“It’s a completely different tournament, it’s really hard to compare anything that happens in other tournaments,” Stanway said. “Our focus is on us, our focus is making sure that we know our things going into the game.

“Today we focus on the result that we’ve just had and how proud we are to get out of the group. There’s been many days this tournament where we could have actually been going home, so to be in this situation, to be staying a few more days is something that we can be proud of.”

It was always going to be a tall order for Wales, on its tournament debut, to beat the reigning champion. It had lost nine of its 10 previous matches against England, only managing one draw against its neighbor and historic rival.

And the challenge for Wales became even harder when England was awarded a penalty — by the video assistant referee — after Carrie Jones tripped Stanway just inside the area.

Stanway sent the penalty into the bottom left corner to give England a 13th-minute lead and a disaster in defense allowed the Lionesses to double that tally eight minutes later.

An attempted clearance came off Stanway and fell to Russo, who rounded the Wales goalkeeper before rolling it across for Toone. The Manchester United forward’s first attempt was blocked by Wales defender Lily Woodham but she lashed the rebound into the top right corner.

Toone turned provider in the 30th, running onto a pass from Lauren James and crossing for Hemp to head in from a tight angle at the back post.

It was Hemp’s first goal since returning from a five-month layoff after undergoing knee surgery in November.

Wales had been poor, while England had been brutally efficient and the Lionesses added another goal on the stroke of halftime. A sublime pass from James — between two Welsh players — released Toone, who rolled it across for Russo to tuck into the bottom left corner.

With the result a foregone conclusion, Wiegman rang the changes at halftime, bringing on Jess Park and Mead for Toone and Hemp.

Mead was the Euro 2022 player of the tournament and she got her first goal in this edition in the 72nd minute after a superb bit of skill saw her latch onto a good ball from Beever-Jones and carve out some space in the area before slotting past Clark.

Cain briefly reduced the deficit before Beever-Jones headed in Mead’s cross in the 89th minute to wrap up the scoring.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

England's Alessia Russo, right, celebrates after scoring her sides fourth goal during the Women's Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and Wales at Arena St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Switzerland, Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

England's Beth Mead, right, celebrates after scoring her sides fifth goal during the Women's Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and Wales at Arena St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Switzerland, Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

England head coach Sarina Wiegman waves prior the Women's Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and Wales at Arena St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Switzerland, Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

England's Beth Mead, right, shoots to score her sides fifth goal during the Women's Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and Wales at Arena St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Switzerland, Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

England's Beth Mead, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring during the UEFA Women's EURO 2025 Group D soccer match against Wales at the Arena St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Switzerland, Sunday, July 13, 2025. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)

England's Lauren Hemp, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring her sides third goal during the Women's Euro 2025, group D, soccer match between England and Wales at Arena St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Switzerland, Sunday, July 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its bloody crackdown on protesters, a move coming as activists said Monday the death toll in the nationwide demonstrations rose to at least 544.

Iran had no immediate reaction to the news, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense.

Meanwhile Monday, Iran called for pro-government demonstrators to head to the streets in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said: “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.”

Trump said that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

He added: “The meeting is being set up, but we may have to act because of what’s happening before the meeting. But a meeting is being set up. Iran called, they want to negotiate.”

Iran through country's parliamentary speaker warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if America uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,600 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the death toll. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 496 of the dead were protesters and 48 were with security forces.

With the internet down in Iran and phone lines cut off, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government has not offered overall casualty figures.

Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a bloody crackdown. Protesters flooded the streets in the country’s capital and its second-largest city on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Online videos purported to show more demonstrations Sunday night into Monday, with a Tehran official acknowledging them in state media.

In Tehran, a witness told the AP that the streets of the capital empty at the sunset call to prayers each night. By the Isha, or nighttime prayer, the streets are deserted.

Part of that stems from the fear of getting caught in the crackdown. Police sent the public a text message that warned: “Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”

Another text, which claimed to come from the intelligence arm of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, also directly warned people not to take part in demonstrations.

“Dear parents, in view of the enemy’s plan to increase the level of naked violence and the decision to kill people, ... refrain from being on the streets and gathering in places involved in violence, and inform your children about the consequences of cooperating with terrorist mercenaries, which is an example of treason against the country,” the text warned.

The witness spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing crackdown.

The demonstrations began Dec. 28 over the collapse of the Iranian rial currency, which trades at over 1.4 million to $1, as the country’s economy is squeezed by international sanctions in part levied over its nuclear program. The protests intensified and grew into calls directly challenging Iran’s theocracy.

Nikhinson reported from aboard Air Force One.

In this frame grab from video obtained by the AP outside Iran, a masked demonstrator holds a picture of Iran's Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi during a protest in Tehran, Iran, Friday, January. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)