Euro 2025 Team of the Group Stage: Lioness Alex Greenwood and Ballon d'Or contender Mariona Caldentey feature in GOAL's best XI - but who else makes the cut?

So far, Euro 2025 has been a tournament about goals rather than clean sheets, with there not too many truly outstanding goalkeepers or defenders to pick from for this XI. When it comes to the shot-stoppers, Jennifer Falk has been very solid for Sweden and Switzerland's Livia Peng has had some encouraging performances after a big summer move to Chelsea. However, it's Lisa Lichtfus who gets the nod here.

Belgium might have gone home already but Lichtfus still managed to catch the eye, making more saves than any other goalkeeper in the group stage. The 6-2 loss to Spain will have been bitterly disappointing but that was more to do with La Roja's world-class attack rather than reflecting badly on the Red Flames' shot-stopper, who was arguably her team's best player in their two other group stages outings. Throw in that it was the 25-year-old's first major tournament as Belgium's No.1 and it makes her level even more impressive.

It's turning into quite a big summer for 18-year-old Iman Beney. Just last month, she completed a monumental transfer to Manchester City and she has shown just why the English giants moved for her with her performances at Euro 2025. Starting at right wing-back for Switzerland, only a year on from the bitter disappointment of missing the Women's World Cup due to a brutal ACL injury, the teenager has been a serious asset in attack in particular.

Switzerland's second most creative player through the group stages, Beney has caught the eye with her energy and confidence and while her defending can still improve, she has certainly contributed on that side of the ball, too, with only one team-mate winning more tackles so far.

No team has looked more assured at the back in this tournament than Sweden and Nathalie Bjorn has been crucial in that. Coming into the Euros off the back of a terrific season with Chelsea, both in terms of her individual displays and the three trophies she helped the Blues win, the 28-year-old has only continued that great form in Switzerland.

Making the performances of Bjorn, and this Sweden defence overall, all the more impressive is the fact that Peter Gerdhardsson has made changes in the back line for every game so far. Indeed, the Chelsea star has had three different centre-back partners to date. Her reliable consistency and growing leadership, as well as her obvious quality, are big reasons why that hasn't proved disruptive.

France didn't actually keep a clean sheet in the group stage and yet, Alice Sombath has been one of the most impressive central defenders on show at Euro 2025. There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Les Bleues in the last few months and, in particular, the centre-back position, thanks to head coach Laurent Bonadei's stunning decision to drop long-time captain Wendie Renard from the squad.

With Griedge Mbock Bathy then suffering an injury on the eve of the tournament, there was serious concern about how the France defence might look, especially with them in 'the group of death'. But Sombath, playing in her first senior major tournament, has stepped up marvellously to alleviate some of those fears. The 21-year-old has looked composed, assured and wise beyond her years.

England have had a left-back issue for several years now and part of the reason why is actually down to Alex Greenwood, who was previously a solid full-back but has transitioned into a world-class centre-back in recent seasons instead. But when the Lionesses lost to France in their Euro 2025 opener, Sarina Wiegman opted to move Greenwood back to her old role out of necessity and the Manchester City star has delivered the solidity that the European champions desperately needed.

It can't have been particularly easy to do that, either. Sure, Greenwood played on the left for a long time, but it's quite a while since she last did. Indeed, it's a role that doesn't lean into her strengths quite like a central one, as operating on the flank makes it difficult for her to be influential in possession. However, she's done brilliantly in England's last two games to overcome that obstacle, making her mark when the Lionesses are on the front foot while also improving the defence to ensure passage through to the quarter-finals.

Geraldine Reuteler was named Player of the Match in every single one of Switzerland's group stage outings, a feat which perfectly highlights just how good she has been for the host nation. Right now, it's not a stretch to say she has been one of the very best players at the tournament and a key reason why La Nati have been able to reach the knockout stages of this competition for the first time.

Ranking second for tackles won, third for interceptions made and fourth for how often she has won possession, Reuteler has been exceptional in her defensive work while also spearheading her nation's attacking play. No one has created more chances for Switzerland than the 26-year-old, who scored a lovely opener in the win over Iceland and then provided the vital assist against Finland as Riola Xhemaili's goal secured La Nati's place in the last eight.

After coming into Euro 2025 as the front-runner for the Ballon d'Or, Alexia Putellas has only enhanced that status through the first three games of the tournament. No one has been directly involved in more goals than the Barcelona midfielder, who has a remarkable three goals and four assists to her name already, and she also leads the way for chances created.

For the last few months, there has been a feeling that Putellas was perhaps playing at an even higher level than she was when she won back-to-back Ballons d'Or in 2021 and 2022. Her performances in Switzerland only support that theory, with it difficult to argue against her being the very best player on show so far.

With Reuteler and Putellas no-brainers in this XI, it's tricky to then pick between two of Sweden's stand-out players to complete the midfield. Filippa Angeldahl has been excellent in the engine room, covering so much ground in her successful efforts to be an asset in both attack and defence. However, it's hard to overlook Kosovare Asllani, who has three assists and a goal to her name from Sweden's superb group stage.

There were reasons to believe the creative midfielder wouldn't be at this level this summer. After all, she's 35 years old now and has spent the last season playing in England's second-tier, having joined London City Lionesses' ambitious project last summer. But after propelling her club to promotion to the Women's Super League, Asllani is now proving to be a leading figure in Sweden's bid for a first major title.

There have been so many excellent wingers at Euro 2025 so far. Jule Brand and Klara Buhl have been excellent for Germany, Caroline Graham Hansen has been Norway's best player as they've finally reached the knockout stages of this competition again, Lauren James has lit the tournament up with England and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd has been another key instigator in Sweden's impressive performances. However, it's impossible to fit all of them into an XI.

Instead, it's Delphine Cascarino who takes up the place on the right of this attack, having carried her incredible NWSL form over the Atlantic and unleashed it in Switzerland. When France beat England in their opening fixture, it was Cascarino who stole the show, simply ripping the Lionesses' defence to shreds in a 2-1 win - the scoreline certainly flattering the holders.

She got a well-earned rest for Les Bleues' second outing, against Wales, but returned to terrorise the Netherlands on matchday three, scoring twice and assisting another in a 5-2 battering that ended with Cascarino picking up her second Player of the Match accolade.

As with the wide areas, there were several centre forwards who could've grabbed this spot in the XI. Stina Blackstenius, Lea Schuller and Marie-Antoinette Katoto have all looked sharp so far, while Alessia Russo's all-round play has been excellent. But it's Esther Gonzalez who gets the nod, thanks to her tournament-leading return of four goals in three games.

Gonzalez was in superb form coming into the Euros, with 10 goals in her 13 appearances in the NWSL this year, and the confidence flowing through her veins has been evident in Switzerland. With a shot conversion rate of 33 per cent so far, the 32-year-old is in a ruthless mood that could not only fire Spain to glory, but also see her clinch the tournament's Golden Boot.

Another player who was in excellent form before this tournament and has continued in that vein throughout is Mariona Caldentey. The 29-year-old was exceptional for Arsenal last term as the Gunners claimed the Champions League title and she's been just as good in Spain's bid for a European triumph.

No one has won possession more often in the final third than the hard-working forward, whose efforts off the ball always impress, and her attacking output in those areas has been marvellous too, with two assists and a goal to her name after three games. Caldentey's performances have been so good, in fact, that it feels like she may now be Putellas' biggest rival for this year's Ballon d'Or.