And dominate they did. Re-energised and ready, Weir was leading from the front.
Two assists were provided in the first half, when she had a few sniffs of her own at goal, but it was after the break when the midfielder truly started banging on the door for a goal.
Andreatta’s side had, deservedly, fought back twice to level the game at 2-2 at half-time, but Euro 2025 hosts and quarter-finalists Switzerland, restored their lead swiftly into the second half.
Weir, along with numerous team-mates, had the opportunity to haul them back level again. No-one was more desperate than her to do so.
With each skied, skewed or saved shot, the midfielder appeared to grow in angst. Those in the stands certainly did.
Until, at two goals down and just under 15 minutes left, she slotted home. Dream, achieved. Or not.
Referee Abi Byrne was booed as she denied Weir, and Dunfermline, of their fairy tale moment for a handball in the build-up – the Scotland star said post-match she thought it was “unlucky” but was told “that’s the rule”.
It seemed an unspoken one that Weir was sure to have her moment, though. And in added time, it came.
A perfect pick-out from Martha Thomas presented Weir with the picture she’d envisioned from her early days in football – a sight, and shot, at goal at East End Park.
“It was such a cool moment for me to score in front of the Norrie McCathie stand, that has been a dream of mine since I was really young,” an emotional Weir told BBC Scotland.
“I’ve enjoyed every minute [of being here]. For me it’s been great and I think the girls have enjoyed it as well.
“My parents still live in Dunfermline, it’s still a massive part of my life so it really means a lot to be here.”
A few weeks ago Weir was in a red frock in France, walking the red carpet at the Ballon d’Or ceremony. On Tuesday, drenched, she was describing her goal in Dunfermline – a moment which “ranks right up there”.
East your heart out, Paris. The Kingdom of Fife rules.
Paris Saint-Germain’s French international forward Ousmane Dembele has been named the men’s Ballon d’Or winner for 2025, with Barcelona’s Spanish international Aitana Bonmati claiming the women’s title for the third consecutive year.
Dembele helped PSG to its first Champions League title in May, and saw off strong competition from Barcelona starlet Lamine Yamal, who helped the Spanish club to the La Liga title year, immediately off the back of his starring role for Spain in their Euro 2025 triumph.
There was better news for fellow Barca forward Bonmati, however, as she became the third person, behind former French international Michel Platini and Argentina legend Lionel Messi, to claim a hat-trick of titles.
Dembele succeeded Manchester City midfielder Rodri to become the sixth Frenchman to win it after Raymond Kopa, Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin, Zinedine Zidane and Karim Benzema.
Bonmati won ahead of her Spain teammate Mariona Caldentey.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembele holds aloft the Ballon d’Or award [Benoit Tessier/Reuters]
Dembele tops Yamal for club if not country
The award capped a remarkable turn of fortune for Dembele, who at one point last season was snubbed by PSG coach Luis Enrique for disciplinary reasons. But once repositioned as a No 9, he became a scoring machine and was inspirational in PSG’s historic Champions League campaign. The French club also completed a quadruple last season.
Dembele was praised after the Champions League final for the way he contributed to PSG’s pressing and his ability to defend during the 5-0 rout of Inter Milan. He delivered 35 goals and 16 assists in 53 official matches last season, and was involved in 14 goals (eight goals, six assists) in the Champions League in 15 appearances.
Dembele received the Ballon d’Or from former winner Ronaldinho and teared up during his acceptance speech, in which he asked his mother to join him on the stage.
“It’s incredible to win a trophy like this,” he said in French. “I worked for the team to help win PSG’s first Champions League. To then be rewarded with an individual trophy like the Ballon d’Or is truly exceptional.”
Barca forward Yamal, who turned 18 in July, also helped Barcelona to win the Copa del Rey last season, as well as the Spanish top flight, and to reach the Champions League semifinals. Yamal was given the Kopa award for the best under-21 player for the second straight year.
“I need to keep on working to win other awards in the future,” Yamal said through a translator.
Dembele was injured, but able to attend the ceremony in Paris, while his team lost at Marseille 1-0 in the French league. He was one of nine PSG players nominated for the men’s award, including goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, forward Desire Doue, who scored twice in the Champions League final, and winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati makes a speech after winning the women’s Ballon d’Or award [Benoit Tessier/Reuters]
Bonmati rises from Spain defeat to claim third straight Ballon d’Or
Although Bonmati lost to England in a penalty shootout in the Women’s European Championship final last summer, she was named the best player of the tournament, which she began just days after being hospitalised for viral meningitis.
Bonmati’s spot kick in the shootout was one of two saved by England’s Hannah Hampton, who was voted the best women’s goalkeeper.
“Third time in a row here, and I still can’t believe it,” Bonmati said. “I owe Barcelona everything. This is the club of my life.”
She won a domestic treble with Barcelona and also reached the Champions League final.
Barcelona has won the last five women’s awards, but it was expected that an Englishwoman would win for the first time. England won the Euros, and Arsenal took the Women’s Champions League. But with five England players among the women’s top 10 nominees, the highest placed was Alessia Russo at third.
Other trophies at Ballon d’Or awards
Barcelona forward Vicky Lopez won the women’s Kopa trophy, and Sarina Wiegman, who led England to European victory, took the Johan Cruyff award for best women’s coach. On a great night for PSG, Luis Enrique won in the men’s category.
PSG was voted the best men’s club, and Donnarumma received the Lev Yashin award for best goalkeeper. Donnarumma, whose shot-stopping in the knockout stages proved crucial to PSG’s success, left for Manchester City during the offseason. Hampton was crowned the best women’s goalkeeper.
The men’s and women’s Gerd Müller trophies for the top scorers went to Barcelona’s Ewa Pajor and Viktor Gyokeres, who joined Arsenal this summer from Sporting Portugal after a prolific season.
Aug. 12 (UPI) — United Launch Alliance successfully launched one of its Vulcan Centaur rockets into orbit Tuesday, demonstrating the viability of a newly developed technology for the U.S. military’s space capabilities.
The rocket at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 8:56 p.m. EDT Tuesday. It’s the third launch ever of the company’s Vulcan rockets and the first time it was used for a national security mission, referred to as United States Space Force (USSF)-106, reported Spaceflight Now.
“This is literally the mission that drove the design of the vulcan,” Tori Bruno, president and CEO of ULA, said during the company’s livestream leading up to the launch.
The video showed the rocket lifting off and its bright glare cutting through the Florida night sky.
The mission centers on the Vulcan delivering classified payloads as well as a Navigation Technology Satellite-3 system into orbit. The NTS-3 is operated by Air Force Research Laboratory and will be used to shield GPS technology and critical infrastructure from jamming, the deliberate jamming of signals.
ULA said in an X post earlier that it would deploy its mission at geosynchronous orbit, which is more than 22,000 miles above the Earth’s surface and more closely aligns with its rotation.
The Vulcan’s launch means an end to the U.S.’s reliance on Russian-made rockets as mandated by Congress as well as additional capabilities for Space Force, according to a press release. The launch is the first integrated navigation satellite experiment in nearly 50 years.
Col. Jim Horne, US Space Force mission director, during a media call Monday called the launch “a historic point in our program history,” reported Signal, a publication of the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association.
