UEFA Women's EURO 2025: How teams manage the end game

Over the course of UEFA Women's EURO 2025, UEFA's Technical Observer Group in Switzerland have been monitoring the key tactical themes shaping match outcomes in the tournament.

In a series of discussions ahead of this weekend’s final, a trio of technical observers – Tanya Oxtoby, Anna Signeul and Martin Sjögren – have reflected on the evolving trends in women's football and identified several prominent areas of focus.

In the first of a series of three articles, Sjögren explores the question of how teams are managing the final stage of matches, and he uses the example of hosts Switzerland and the changes made by coach Pia Sundhage during their second and third Group A matches – against Iceland and Finland respectively.

"We're going to talk about the end game and the tactical changes that have been made from teams and coaches to score a goal or try to secure a lead," he said. "We've seen good examples from the Swiss team who have been successful in the way they've changed their tactical set-up for these different scenarios."

In the first video above, Sjögren provides a detailed assessment of how Switzerland changed from a 5-3-2 to 4-4-2 in their second fixture against Iceland – a change that helped them secure a 2-0 victory.

The second video shines a light on how Switzerland made the same tactical switch at half-time during the decisive third fixture against Finland – and how Marko Saloranta's Finns then responded. Sjögren highlights the need for clear communication to players and he concludes: "It's all about taking the risks but also getting the rewards with the change in formation."