February Internationals: Swaby leads, Larisey lifts silverware & Riley scores stunner

Women

27 Feb 2025

From Nations League clashes to invitational tournaments and friendlies, the Eagles have been well represented on the global stage during February's international break. Allyson Swaby captained her side to back to back wins in Peru, Clarissa Larisey won silverware in Spain, and a stunner from Indiah-Paige Riley earned her country a draw against Costa Rica. You can find out more below!

The February international break has been a busy one for Palace Women, as 13 players jetted off to represent their nations across the world.

Palace players representing Wales, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland competed in the 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League, while others have taken part in invitational cups and friendlies across the globe.

New Zealand

Indiah-Paige Riley

The Football Ferns managed a win and a draw in their double header against Costa Rica, with summer signing Indiah-Paige Riley starting in both fixtures.

It was 1-1 in the first game, with Riley scoring a sensational equaliser for New Zealand just after half-time.

Playing on the right wing, Riley picked the ball up from just outside the box and hit a fierce shot that beat the goalkeeper and found the far corner.

Riley also played in the second fixture and kept a clean sheet as New Zealand won 1-0, thanks to a late Maya Hahn goal.

Wales

Josie Green, Lily Woodham & Elise Hughes

Both Josie Green and Lily Woodham featured in their Nations League opener against Italy, where Wales narrowly lost 1-0 in Monza.

Hughes was an unused substitute, Woodham played the full game, and Green came on as a substitute in the 85th minute as The Dragons pushed to overturn the one-goal deficit.

All three Palace players featured in the second fixture against Sweden, as Wales drew 1-1 in Wrexham.

Green started in defence, whilst Woodham entered the fray midway through the second half.

Elise Hughes’ return to action in the 77th minute was an emotional one, as she played for Wales for the first time since suffering her ACL injury in April 2024.

These results leave Wales bottom of Group 4 in League A, with one point in the Nations League so far.

Republic of Ireland

Izzy Atkinson & Abbie Larkin

Whilst Wales' qualification to Euro 2025 meant both Abbie Larkin and Izzy Atkinson, who featured prominently throughout the Republic of Ireland's campaign, failed to qualify, big fixtures continue to come thick and fast for the duo at international level.

In Carla Ward's first game in charge as manager, Ireland beat Türkiye 1-0 in a nervy Nations League opener in Dublin. Neither Atkinson nor Larkin started the game, but the latter came on to replace Lucy Quinn on the 62nd minute.

An away trip to Slovenia followed for the Ireland team, where they lost 4-0 in Ljubljana. Atkinson didn't feature whilst Larkin was brought on 66 minutes in.

Despite the disappointment in Slovenia, Ireland find themselves in second place in Group 2 of League B in the Nations League.

Sweden

My Cato

Cato's stellar performances for Palace this season earned her a third call-up to the Sweden senior team, as her team compete in the Nations League having booked their place in Switzerland for Euro 2025.

Sweden marked their first game of the Nations League tournament with a 2-1 win against Denmark, with Cato not featuring.

Cato remained on the bench for Sweden's 1-1 draw against Wales, with the Blågult now top of Group 4 in League A with four points.

England

Lexi Potter (England Under-19s)

Lexi Potter was called up to Lauren Smith's squad, as England WU19s headed to Spain to play in the Albir Garden Tournament.

Potter played every minute against UEFA Women’s U19 EURO champions Spain as the Young Lionesses lost 2-0, thanks to goals from Real Madrid duo Paula Comendador Prado and Maria Luisa Garcia Antolin.

She then came on as a substitute against the USA, as England ran out 2-0 winners on Sunday afternoon.

The final game of the tournament was against the Netherlands on Wednesday, where Potter captained England to a win on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time.

Denmark

Katrine Veje & Mille Gejl

Like Sweden and Wales, Denmark have already secured their place in Switzerland for Euro 2025.

Denmark's first fixture was against Sweden, and Katrine Veje played the entire game as Sweden grabbed a 2-1 win away from home.

Mille Gejl has been withdrawn from Denmark's squad and has returned to the club due to injury, ahead of their Nations League match against Italy.

An impressive away performance followed for Denmark as they beat Italy 3-1 with neither Veje nor Gejl featuring.

This result means that Denmark currently sit in second place of Group 4 in League A with three points.

Finland

Ria Öling

January signing Ria Öling was called up to the Finland national team for their Nations League fixtures against Serbia and Hungary.

Öling played the entire game on Friday against Serbia in midfield, as her team narrowly lost 1-0 in Vojvodina.

She started for the game in Budapest as Finland got off the mark with a 1-0 against Hungary on Tuesday.

As a result, Finland now sit in second place in Group 3 of League B in the Nations League.

Jamaica

Allyson Swaby

Similar to New Zealand, Jamaica are also halfway through their friendly double-header, as the Reggae Girlz take on Peru in Callao after beating them in Lima.

January signing Allyson Swaby captained her side to a 2-0 win in Lima, marking a third straight win for the Girlz.

The teams met again on Wednesday evening as Swaby and the team made it two wins out of two in South America.

Swaby started and played the first half, where Jamaica raced into a 3-0 lead in Callao.

She was substituted on the 46th minute, and despite a late rally from the hosts to make it 3-2, the Girlz held firm and won their second game in Peru.

Canada

Clarissa Larisey

Canada Women are one of four teams competing in a round-robin tournament called the Pinatar Cup, an invitational women's association football tournament typically held in Murcia, Spain.

Larisey came off the bench in the 1-1 draw against China on Wednesday, and was an unused substitute in the 2-0 win against Mexico on Saturday.

Canada then faced Chinese Taipei on Tuesday, and came away with an impressive 7-0 win in Murcia.

Just ten minutes after she was brought on in the second half, Larisey scored Canada's seventh goal on 75 minutes, with a deft header into the corner.

This victory secured Larisey and Canada’s triumph in the fifth edition of the Pinatar Cup in Spain.

Women
Josie Green
Elise Hughes
Lily Woodham
Lexi Potter
Izzy Atkinson
Abbie Larkin
My Cato
Katrine Veje
Mille Gejl
Clarissa Larisey
Allyson Swaby
Indiah-Paige Riley
Ria Öling

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