The Swiss women’s national soccer team is scrambling to regain focus just a week ahead of Euro 2025, and not because of an injury or tactical crisis. Instead, they are reeling from a “humiliating” 7-1 loss to a team of teenage boys.
Making matters worse is the fact that the closed-door training match against FC Luzern’s U15 team was never meant to go public. In fact, the Swiss Football Association (SFV) made an active attempt to keep the result under wraps.
However, the score was made public after one of the young players posted photos from the match to social media—revealing the “embarrassing” result in the comments.
The Swiss women’s soccer team is being mocked after losing 7-1 against a team of teenage boys
Image credits: Quality Sport Images / Getty
The match, which was meant to be a friendly test for the boys and a chance for them to play with national superstars, took a turn by halftime, with the teenagers leading 3-1. After coach Pia Sundhage rotated the entire squad in the second half, the floodgates opened.
The leak was a particularly hard shot at Alisha Lehmann’s public image, the team’s most recognizable face and a vocal figure in the conversation around equality in football.
Image credits: Martin Rose / FIFA / Getty
Lehmann, a forward for Juventus and the Swiss national team, has long used her massive social media following—now over 16 million strong—to champion women’s sports and advocate for equal treatment and pay.
She’s spoken out against the double standards female athletes face, both on and off the pitch, and hasn’t shied away from embracing her femininity in a sport that still scrutinizes women for doing so.
Image credits: Catherine Ivill / Getty
Granted fresh ammunition, netizens wasted no time and flooded the internet with mocking comments ranging from lighthearted jokes to outright derogatory statements.
“Hope those boys were being paid the same as their competitors!” one user wrote, sarcastically. “Wasn’t she moaning about getting paid the same money as men last year?”
“How embarrassing! The lads conceded a goal” another asked. “You could put that U15’s boys team in the women’s world cup and they would stroll through and win it easily.”
In the sport, it’s common practice for professional women’s teams to practice against male youth squads
Image credits: Blue News
Beyond online reactions, the match revealed serious nicks in the team’s preparations for their home Euros, which are set to begin on July 2. The team will face off against Norway in Basel after the tournament’s inaugural match between Iceland and Finland.
Image credits: www.facebook.com
Image credits: www.facebook.com
When questioned about the controversial result, SFV spokesperson Sven Micosse urged the public not to read too much into it, explaining that women’s teams practicing against junior boys’ squads is common practice.
“The aim is to add a competitive element and focus on the physical aspect during this phase of preparation,” he said.
“Regardless of the score, these matches mirror our international games in terms of intensity and running demands.”
Image credits: alishalehmann7
Male U15 teams make for a perfect practicing partner for professional women’s teams.
The arrangement is beneficial for both parties, as the experienced women provide the boys with lessons in coordination, tactical awareness, and positional discipline, while the teenage boys challenge the women with their raw intensity and superior cardiovascular endurance.
Image credits: fcluzern_offiziell (Not the actual photo)
In fact, the Swiss women’s team is far from alone in experiencing these types of results. For instance, in 2017, the US team lost 5-2 to FC Dallas’ U15 boys academy team in a closed-door match.
The training bout was meant to be a tune-up ahead of their match against Russia.
Alisha Lehmann has been long criticized for wearing makeup while on the field
Image credits: alishalehmann7
Regardless of how commonplace the practice of male teenage teams practicing against professional women’s teams is, netizens were ruthless in their mockery of the Swiss squad—and Alisha Lehmann in particular.
The 7-1 score became instant meme fodder, with some readers going so far as to call for “pay cuts.”
Image credits: alishalehmann7
Others took aim at Lehmann’s penchant for wearing makeup on the field, a common criticism that has followed her for most of her career.
“Probably was more worried about putting her makeup on and eye lashes before the game,” a user wrote.
Image credits: alishalehmann7
Lehmann has addressed the criticism before.
“People always hate that I wear makeup when I play,” Lehmann said in a recent podcast interview. “But I don’t know what’s the problem because I don’t hurt anybody. Like, what’s the problem?”
But she remains adamant in her decision, explaining that the hatred does nothing but embolden her.
“Not a surprise.” Netizens took to social media to further mock the Swiss team
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