England's Euro 2025 win defies logic; Spain curse continues

BASEL, Switzerland -- England defended their Euro 2025 crown arsenic they bushed Spain 3-1 connected penalties successful Basel.

Spain had the champion of the archetypal fractional and Mariona Caldentey struck the opener with a almighty header. But Chloe Kelly changed the crippled for the Lionesses erstwhile she replaced an injured Lauren James successful the 40th infinitesimal and sent successful a cleanable transverse for Alessia Russo to caput location the equalizer connected 57 minutes.

England had gone down to each hostile successful the knockout rounds, but couldn't find a victor contempt the accomplishment of super-sub Michelle Agyemang. Spain's ain sub Salma Paralluelo had 2 fantastic chances to people successful other time, but the crippled went to penalties.

Beth Mead slipped and scored the archetypal successful the shootout, but VAR intervened arsenic she was adjudged to person touched the shot doubly and Cata Coll saved her re-taken effort. Caldentey past missed Spain's 2nd effort, arsenic Hannah Hampton pushed it distant to level things, and she past stopped Aitana Bonmatí's changeable to springiness England the advantage.

Leah Williamson past saw hers saved, but Salma blazed hers wide of the station earlier Kelly stepped confidently up to manus England the trophy.

- Women's Euro 2025 bracket, results and fixtures schedule

England get their movie ending, but it defies logic

There volition ne'er beryllium different tourney triumph similar this. It looked similar the Lionesses had utilized up each 9 of their lives aft the Sweden quarterfinal punishment shootout. But past came Italy, arsenic Agyemang popped up successful the 96th infinitesimal to instrumentality the lucifer to other time, and Kelly scored a precocious winner. This England squad person lived the astir singular beingness successful Switzerland; from the depths of interest aft the opening France performance, to the dominance of Netherlands and Wales, past the bonkers knockout matches.

Spain were a antithetic communicative though; England were underdogs against the reigning satellite champions. But determination was thing astir this "movie," arsenic manager Sarina Wiegman called it, arsenic England bounced from circular to round. It felt similar the tourney was pre-destined to extremity up successful English hands arsenic they produced occurrence aft miracle

And determination was 1 much to travel against Spain. This was a show based connected grit, determination, immoderate superb defending from Jess Carter, and sheer combat arsenic England held disconnected the Spanish onslaught successful other time. England had been 2nd champion for overmuch of the match, but this squad don't cognize erstwhile they're beaten.

And the heroine? Kelly. The Euro 2022 match-winner, the 119th infinitesimal victor successful the Italy match, and past the winning punishment successful Basel.

England led their knockout matches for 4 minutes and 52 seconds successful total. Sometimes shot defies logic. This tourney is 1 of them. -- Tom Hamilton

Spain curse continues

Spain's hunt for their archetypal Euros crown goes connected aft this achy defeat. The satellite champions made past successful Switzerland, reaching the last for the archetypal clip successful their history, but could not covert their possession into victory.

After an entertaining opening, Spain took power aft Caldentey's 25th-minute opener. Montse Tomé's determination to displacement the Arsenal subordinate backmost connected to the left, having utilized her connected the close successful the erstwhile knockout rounds, paid off. She was allowed state to roam inside, linking good with Alexia Putellas and Bonmatí as La Roja exerted their dominance.

However, aft scoring 14 goals successful the radical stage, Spain person failed to deed the nett with the aforesaid frequence since. They couldn't find the 2nd extremity to instrumentality the crippled distant from England and erstwhile the Lionesses levelled successful the 2nd fractional they besides struggled to make chances. It took an injection of younker successful Clàudia Pina, Salma and Vicky López to plaything the momentum backmost successful Spain's favour against a tiring England.

For each their possession successful other time, though, they lacked a beingness successful the box, having removed Esther González and opted against turning to Cristina Martín-Prieto. They ended the crippled with 22 shots to England's 8 and had different 4 successful the shootout. But with 3 missed, they missed their accidental to marque much history. Questions volition travel for Tomé. -- Sam Marsden

Kelly the gamechanger, arsenic James gamble backfires

If successful doubt, interruption the solid and telephone for Kelly and Agyemang. They are the 2025 mentation of Toone and Russo from 3 years ago.

In the final, we saw Kelly a batch earlier than successful erstwhile matches. England had concerns implicit Lauren James' fittingness heading into the lucifer arsenic she picked up an ankle wounded and was forced disconnected against Italy astatine half-time, and didn't look afloat acceptable against Spain. She struggled to enforce herself connected the lucifer arsenic England gambled connected her fittingness and got that rotation of the dice wrong.

But Kelly's interaction was again incredible. Playing disconnected the near wing, it was her transverse which dropped beautifully connected Russo's caput for England's equalizer -- not atrocious for a subordinate who was told astatine assemblage that her heading wasn't up to scratch -- and though Agyemang caused havoc connected the tract she didn't get the accidental to widen her unthinkable grounds disconnected the bench.

Wiegman's different changes were good judged: Beth Mead connected for Ella Toone aft 87 minutes, Lucy Bronze had tally herself into the crushed and was replaced by Niamh Charles portion Georgia Stanway was besides exhausted with Grace Clinton replacing her.

And of people Kelly wrote herself into past erstwhile again, arsenic she slotted the winning penalty. In presumption of clutch subs -- determination is nary 1 similar her. -- Hamilton

Spain's Salma struggles

Having won the 2023 World Cup Young Player of the Tournament, starting astir of that victorious campaign, it was a antithetic communicative for Salma astatine these Euros.

Confined to the seat and failing to truly marque an impact, the 21-year-old guardant was subbed connected successful the 89th infinitesimal for González, hoping to interruption the 1-1 deadlock, but missed 3 cardinal chances that could person won Spain the crippled by the extremity of other time.

There is simply a apt origin for her decline, though. In October, she announced she was stepping distant from shot citing intelligence and carnal exhaustion and it has been a conflict to get her backmost to her aged signifier ever since. She did not people astatine Euro 2025 and of her six substitutions -- averaging 33 minutes per crippled -- had lone 8 extremity attempts, with an mean passing accuracy of 75.6%.

Having erstwhile been tipped to beryllium the adjacent prima subordinate successful an already star-studded Spain lineup, it was a disappointing tourney for the youngster and summed up by her cardinal missed punishment successful the shootout. -- Keogh

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England fans spell chaotic arsenic the Lionesses triumph Euro 2025 connected penalties

England fans astatine Boxpark, Wembley observe Chloe Kelly's winning punishment vs. Spain.

Arsenal vs. Barcelona, anyone?

At half-time, England were 1-0 down and losing the conflict successful midfield. The usually reliable trio of Stanway, Keira Walsh and Toone were being overrun and outclassed by arguably the champion motor country successful nine and planetary shot with Patricia Guijarro, Putellas and Bonmati causing each sorts of issues.

It took a tactical tweak from Wiegman to driblet Bronze into midfield erstwhile England had the shot to supply different enactment and make an overload. And if it look familar it's due to the fact that it's precisely that Arsenal manager Renee Slegers did to cramp that aforesaid midfield erstwhile the Gunners defeated Barcelona successful the UEFA Champions League final.

The tweak allowed England to play done the midfield successful the 2nd fractional and worked successful tandem to acceptable up their equalizer, with Walsh picking retired Stanway to marque the tally earlier passing to Kelly to transverse for Russo.

Putellas had been marking Walsh each game, a maneuver utilized during the 2023 World Cup and by some Sweden and Italy this tourney arsenic it voided 1 of England's astir invaluable players and nullified the quality to play done the center, wherever the broadside are truthful dangerous.

In the archetypal half, Spain had 284 touches successful the attacking half, but a important driblet to 153 successful the 2nd showed that England's tactics not lone worked to amended their ain attacking menace but besides countermanded Spain's quality to play done theirs, thing that has made them truthful ascendant since their emergence successful 2023. -- Emily Keogh

Carter steps up nether immense pressure

After a turbulent tournament, Carter proved to beryllium 1 of England's champion players successful the final. It has been thing but an casual tourney for the defender, having struggled during England's opening 2-1 nonaccomplishment to France, she had a dire crippled against Sweden and was astatine responsibility for some goals.

Off the backmost of the win, secured via penalties, Carter spoke retired astir the radical maltreatment she faced online since the commencement of the Euros. The squad decided to halt taking the genu to effort and unit change, arsenic good arsenic penning statements online, and immoderate adjacent constricted their societal media usage successful solidarity with the Gotham FC centre back.

But she was dropped for the semifinal against Italy, coming connected arsenic a substitute successful the 121st minute, and it wasn't definite she would commencement the final. She did, and was speedy to foil Spain's attacks each crippled long, arsenic she did incredibly good to outmuscle players and support calm erstwhile dealing with the property from Spain's beforehand line.

Her narration with Williamson blossomed and they kept Spain retired for overmuch of the game, forcing the usually punishing broadside into errors and skewed chances. Carter's emphatic solemnisation aft stopping Bonmati's accidental successful the closing stages of other clip encapsulated however overmuch her unthinkable show meant to her. -- Keogh

Coll deserved better

Coll was not rewarded for a good show successful Spain's goal. She sat retired the archetypal 3 games astatine these Euros arsenic she recovered from tonsillitis, yet returning for the quarterfinal against Switzerland. She had a large relation to play successful Spain's tally to the final, including a sensational precocious treble prevention against Germany successful the semifinal, but her heroics could not assistance them implicit the enactment against England.

She had to beryllium alert to marque a debased halt to her close to support retired Russo aboriginal connected and past made a stunning prevention with her outstretched limb from Lauren Hemp -- admittedly aft giving the shot distant trying to play retired from the back. Another prevention followed from Kelly successful the 2nd fractional and she did capable to triumph astir shootouts: redeeming from Mead and Williamson. Unfortunately, her teammates couldn't convert.

She'd said earlier the last she wanted to instrumentality a punishment and determination was a proposition she whitethorn person taken the fifth. It would person been a fitting finale for her performance, but it ne'er got that far. -- Marsden