Athenea: “It wasn’t intentional…” after her sending-off

“It wasn’t intentional…” Athenea said after a difficult night that ended with her in tears. The Spain international was shown a straight red card against the United States in a match won by La Roja in Washington. The dismissal took some of the shine off her team’s victory, and Athenea was later distraught in the dressing room.

She had been on the pitch for only a few minutes when she pulled Michelle Cooper’s hair as the pair contested the ball. Her teammates rallied around her. “We’re with Athenea. I’m sure it wasn’t intentional or malicious. It’s not a nice situation; we’ll be there for her,” Patri Guijarro said.

Eva Navarro also defended her: “It’s normal for her to feel like this, to be upset. I haven’t been able to watch the incident yet, but I understand it wasn’t intentional. All we can do is encourage her.”

Athenea’s reaction also drew critical comments during Telemundo’s broadcast. Journalist Carlota Vizmanos criticised her conduct and referred to similar incidents that had spread widely on social media. The dismissal consequently became a focus of reaction, with her teammates voicing support while criticism was heard on air.