Amber Tysiak could barely watch. The then 22-year-old reluctantly looked on from the Belgium substitutes' bench as Linda Sembran fired home in the 92nd minute to send Sweden through to the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 semi-finals.
A moment that stung, but one that is spearheading Belgium’s charge ahead of this summer’s tournament in Switzerland.
Held in England, the Euros three years ago was Tysiak’s first-ever major tournament with her country, in which she made one appearance. Just six months later, she joined West Ham United women’s team from Oud-Heverlee Leuven and has since been ever present in Claret and Blue.
After failing to qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the heartbreak from the year prior, Tysiak and her country are determined to channel their hurt into success this July.
“I’m really looking forward to the Euros this summer,” said the Hammers No5. “It’s a tournament, and in a tournament anything is possible. I think we were (in the previous Euros) the underdog a little bit, and maybe for this tournament [we are] too.
“For me, personally, [in the last Euros] there were a lot of ups and downs, but I feel it made me more mature because of the things I had to face, the difficulties. It made me a complete player and person off the pitch too. But it was a great time, the team did fantastically.
“In the Sweden game, I remember the clock was ticking, we were still drawing and preparing for extra-time. But then they scored in the last minute and it was a very painful moment. I remember we said, ‘look, we’ll come back stronger’, and the time is here.”
Belgium came face-to-face with the play-offs to book their spot at the Euros after they finished third in qualification Group A3.
Their first battle came against Greece, whom they brushed aside 5-0 on aggregate with Tysiak playing 90 minutes across the two legs. Then was a two-legged play-off with Ukraine in December, and the 25-year-old played every minute of the tie as Belgium cruised to a 4-1 aggregate victory.
“Sometimes it’s hard to put a feeling into words, but it was just unbelievable,” said Tysiak, reflecting on her side’s play-off success before the turn of the year.
“It was unreal. We worked so hard. It was a tough road but at the end we did it, and we’re now participating in our third Euros in a row, which is good.”
So, Greece and Ukraine felt the wrath of Belgium in qualification, but who will Tysiak’s side face in the main event?
The Red Flames have been drawn in Group B alongside Spain, Italy and Portugal. Their campaign will commence at Stade Tourbillon in Sion when they face Italy (Thursday 3 July, kick-off 5pm BST), before they take on 2023 World Cup champions Spain (Monday 7 July, 5pm BST) at Stockhorn Arena in Thun. Belgium’s group stage will then conclude at Stade Tourbillon against Portugal (Friday 11 July, 8pm BST).
Belgium are familiar with two of their Group B opponents, having faced both Spain and Portugal twice respectively in the UEFA Women’s Nations League in recent international breaks.
“Spain and Portugal we know well now!” joked Tysiak.
“We’ve faced them a couple of times now, and that’s good so we know what we can expect [from them]. And then Italy, we faced them in the last Euros and we won, so there are only good memories. I’m just really looking forward to the tournament.
“I’m in a good flow, at international level and at West Ham I play a lot of games. It gives me a good feeling because managers believe in me, which is a nice feeling to have as a player. Week in, week out, I want to help the team.
“Even at West Ham, we have such a good group of players and I just love to play here, and it’s good for myself to develop with the opportunities I get. The league (the WSL) is the place to be right now. It’s tough, I face difficult forwards, but that makes me better and it’s been good preparation for the Euros.”
UEFA Women's Euro 2025, the 14th edition of the tournament, will be held in Switzerland from 2-27 July, and be broadcast live in the UK by the BBC and ITV.
