It's been a difficult year for the Juventus winger but, after lots of doubt, she will play at a home major tournament this summer

Tickets

Women's Euro Tickets

• Secure your Women's Euro 2025 tickets for this summer's international tournament
• Location: Switzerland
• Stadiums: Various, including St. Jakob Park, Stadion Wankdorf, Stade de Genève and more
• Date: July 2 – 27
• Final: July 27, St. Jakob Park

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• Book hotels, apartments and accommodation across Switzerland for the Women's Euros
• Search for places to stay near the stadiums, across Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva and more
• Look for accommodation based on your dates, number of bedrooms, and budget on Booking.com

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Kits

Shop your kit

• New kits from adidas, Nike and Puma have been released for the Women's Euro tournament
• Grab your favourite team's kit to support throughout the games
• Search for your team, including Italy, England, Germany and more
• Available in sizes XS – XXL

From

€50

Buy nowRead More

Tickets

Women's Euro Tickets

• Secure your Women's Euro 2025 tickets for this summer's international tournament
• Location: Switzerland
• Stadiums: Various, including St. Jakob Park, Stadion Wankdorf, Stade de Genève and more
• Date: July 2 – 27
• Final: July 27, St. Jakob Park

From

€149

Buy nowRead More

Accommodation

Where to stay

• Book hotels, apartments and accommodation across Switzerland for the Women's Euros
• Search for places to stay near the stadiums, across Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva and more
• Look for accommodation based on your dates, number of bedrooms, and budget on Booking.com

From

€49

Book nowRead More

Kits

Shop your kit

• New kits from adidas, Nike and Puma have been released for the Women's Euro tournament
• Grab your favourite team's kit to support throughout the games
• Search for your team, including Italy, England, Germany and more
• Available in sizes XS – XXL

From

€50

Buy nowRead More

Tickets

Women's Euro Tickets

• Secure your Women's Euro 2025 tickets for this summer's international tournament
• Location: Switzerland
• Stadiums: Various, including St. Jakob Park, Stadion Wankdorf, Stade de Genève and more
• Date: July 2 – 27
• Final: July 27, St. Jakob Park

From

€149

Buy nowRead More

Accommodation

Where to stay

• Book hotels, apartments and accommodation across Switzerland for the Women's Euros
• Search for places to stay near the stadiums, across Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva and more
• Look for accommodation based on your dates, number of bedrooms, and budget on Booking.com

From

€49

Book nowRead More

Kits

Shop your kit

• New kits from adidas, Nike and Puma have been released for the Women's Euro tournament
• Grab your favourite team's kit to support throughout the games
• Search for your team, including Italy, England, Germany and more
• Available in sizes XS – XXL

From

€50

Buy nowRead More

Alisha Lehmann is one of the most recognisable women’s footballers on the planet. No one in the sport has more social media followers than the Switzerland winger, who has racked up 60 senior caps and represented West Ham, Everton, Aston Villa and, currently, Juventus. However, for a while, the 26-year-old’s bad luck when it comes to major international tournaments looked set to continue in a big way this summer.

Lehmann missed the 2019 Women’s World Cup due to an ankle injury, sustained in national team training, that required surgery; she ruled herself out of Euro 2022, describing herself as not being "mentally ready" to compete; and then, in Switzerland's first two camps of 2025, she wasn't called into Pia Sundhage's squad, just months before her nation was set to host the European Championship. To miss out on the honour of playing in a major tournament on home soil would be heart-breaking for any player.

Fortunately for Lehmann, things have turned around. After more than five months without a call-up, she was brought back into camp by Sundhage before being confirmed as part of the Euros squad at the end of last month. So how did she manage to go from almost out of the picture to back in the frame for La Nati's biggest-ever summer – and how big of a role will she now play?

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  Difficult year

  To miss out on the Euros would've been a brutal end to what has been a tricky year overall for Lehmann. After coming to the fore in England through her spells with West Ham and Aston Villa in particular, the pacey winger opted for a new challenge, following then-boyfriend Douglas Luiz to Juventus.

  It was an adventure that started relatively well for Lehmann, who marked her club debut with a goal in victory over Sassuolo. However, with just one more goal and one assist coming her way before Christmas, the 26-year-old found herself increasingly out of favour. After starting, and scoring, against Sassuolo in November, Lehmann wasn't named to a Juventus line-up in Serie A again until the final day, playing just 81 minutes of football across the next 14 matches.

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  Out of the picture

  Unsurprisingly, that lack of game time, as well as an injury, had repercussions on the international front. Lehmann was called into camp in October and November, but then wasn't involved in Switzerland's first two camps in the New Year as they kicked-off their Nations League campaign.

  "She was injured and hasn’t played for Juventus in a long time. She needs time to show that she belongs in the team," Sundhage said earlier this year, before adding: "The doors are open to everyone. At the end of the day, there will be a chance for everyone."

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  Competition aplenty

  There were other reasons to doubt Lehmann's chances of making the cut for Euro 2025, too. One was the fierce competition for places in attack as Barcelona teenager Sydney Schertenleib came to the fore, Roma's Alayah Pilgrim and Freiburg's Svenja Folmi showed good signs and the experienced duo of Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic and Ramona Bachmann remained well involved.

  On top of that, Sundhage had changed Switzerland's shape, and it no longer accommodated a natural winger from the start, as Lehmann is. Instead, ex-United States boss Sundhage was often setting her team up in a 3-5-2, meaning the Juventus forward not only had to get back fit and into the squad, but she also had to prove that she could be an asset in such a system.

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• Getty Images
  

  Just in time

  Fortunately, Lehmann got back on the pitch just in time to do all of that. Returning to action in a 2-0 win over AC Milan in mid-April, after over two months without an appearance, she started the following week as well, getting an hour under her belt in the final game of Juventus' title-winning season.

  At first, it looked like it was too late. When Sundhage named her Switzerland squad in May, for La Nati's final two matches of the Nations League group stage, Lehmann wasn't included. It was the last chance to play for her country before the roster for Euro 2025 would be named.

  But then a lifeline came. An ankle injury to Alena Bienz saw Lehmann called up at a later date, with her making her first international appearance in six months in the 4-0 defeat to France in late May. Picking up another cap a few days later, against Norway, it will have been a relief for a player who was seemingly out of the picture.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News