Host Swiss team exits Euro 2025 with respect from Spain and a new passion for women's soccer

BERN, Switzerland (AP) — The guard of honor Spain’s players gave their beaten Switzerland opponents leaving the field told a strong story.

A Swiss team whose prospects at its home Women’s European Championship were unclear a month ago left bathed in warmth and affection after a 2-0 loss to the tournament favorite in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Saluted after the final whistle by fans on all four sides of another sold-out stadium, Switzerland left the stage with clear respect from the world champion — and likely next European champion.

“It was a spontaneous gesture,” Spain star Aitana Bonmatí said in translated comments. “It was a way to congratulate them for a great tournament and it goes beyond that.”

“They made us live unique experiences we will never forget. We are playing in stadiums full of people,” the two-time Ballon d’Or winner said. “We wanted to thank them for that.”

And Switzerland is now a good team — almost unrecognizable to the one that went into training camp last month on an eight-game winless run dating to November.

“They have been a very serious team, very intense,” said Bonmatí, whose backheeled pass to Athenea Del Castillo created the opening goal in the 66th minute of an increasingly tense test for the World Cup and UEFA Nations League title holder.

Swiss captain Lia Wälti stopped at the end of the guard of honor to exchange words and a long hug with Alexia Putellas, another two-time Ballon d’Or winner. In May, Wälti’s club team Arsenal had dethroned the Barcelona of Putellas and Bonmatí in the Women’s Champions League final.

Minutes earlier, the 32-year-old Wälti was consoling her tearful 18-year-old teammate Iman Beney, who had a stellar breakout tournament.

The dynamic and fearless play of teenagers Beney, Sydney Schertenleib and Leila Wandeler, and 22-year-old Alayah Pilgrim — in thrilling finishes to group-stage games against Iceland and Finland – won over any lingering doubts among fans and media during the tournament.

“It hurts now,” midfielder Smilla Vallotto told broadcaster RTS, while looking ahead to “a beautiful future” with what she called the best fans in Europe.

A three-week journey at Euro 2025 seems to have changed completely the perception and passion of women’s soccer in Switzerland, which does not yet have a fully professional women’s league.

“I think it is hard to change a Swiss person, but we have made a change on the pitch and I’m very happy about that,” coach Pia Sundhage said. “It’s been a once in a lifetime feeling.”

Sundhage has been on this kind of journey before, developing the culture of women’s soccer in her native Sweden, China, the United States and Brazil.

Her Swiss project did not seem on track until that elusive win came in a final warmup game on June 26 against the Czech Republic.

The locker room got louder when the tournament arrived and the atmosphere built. There was more music and dancing, Sundhage said, hailing a “phenomenal change.”

The 65-year-old coach was last to walk off the field Friday, serenaded by fans next to the players’ tunnel at one end of the stadium chanting “Pia, Pia, Pia.”

“We are winning a positive attitude for women’s football,” Sundhage said. “Switzerland have a great future, absolutely.”

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

Switzerland players and staff gather at the center circle after the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Spain and Switzerland at Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, Switzerland, Friday, July 18, 2025. (Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP)

Spain's Lucia Garcia confronts Switzerland's Viola Calligaris at the end of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Spain and Switzerland at Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, Switzerland, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Switzerland's Noelle Maritz applauds the fans at the end of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Spain and Switzerland at Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, Switzerland, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Switzerland's players salute supporters after the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Spain and Switzerland at Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, Switzerland, Friday, July 18, 2025. (Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP)

Switzerland head coach Pia Sundhage waves supporters at the end of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Spain and Switzerland at Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, Switzerland, Friday, July 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)