Eagle-eyed fans left stunned at where England keeper Hannah Hampton kept her penalty ‘cheat sheet' before stunning win
The 24-year-old saved two penalties in the shootout to help the Lionesses to Euro 2025 glory against Spain.
4
4
The two teams were tied 1-1 after 90 minutes and extra-time meaning the dreaded spot-kicks were the only way to separate them.
Before the women stepped up for their date with destiny, Hampton was spotted near the dugout in conversation with the coaching staff.
And there on her forearm was a sticker that had the top tips on how to deny the opposition penalty takers.
Many goalkeepers keep such notes on their water bottle but with the obvious danger of it being taken - there was no way Hampton was risking that.
And it worked with the Chelsea keeper denying Mariona Caldentey and then Aitana Bonmati.
Chloe Kelly proved the hero as she scored the winning penalty to bag the silverware.
One fan wrote: "That's some serious preparation! Confidence is key in those moments."
Another posted: "We're going up a level with dark arts."
4
4
And one wrote: "Notes on Hampton's arm will go down in folklore if she wins this final."
And win it she did.
But there was drama all the way.
Mead slipped, kicking the ball twice as she scored and had to retake the opener, which was then saved.
Alex Greenwood and Niamh Charles finished theirs with a clinical touch before skipper Williamson saw hers saved.
The Spaniards had wasted their chances to win this all night and, having gone ahead in the shootout, never scored again.
And it was left to the ever-popular Kelly to win it with a hop, step and jump to send the crowd into raptures and cement Wiegman's legendary status.
England led for a single minute in the knockouts and are champions.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
a few seconds ago
- Daily Mirror
Touching moment Lucy Bronze consoles rumoured girlfriend and rival Ona Batlle
Lioness legend Lucy Bronze helped England clinch the Euro Cup on Sunday night, but despite their success, the defender made sure to comfort Spanish footballer Ona Batlle in an emotional moment The Lioness squad celebrated a triumphant victory on Sunday night, securing the Euro Cup for the second consecutive time. However, their win came as a crushing blow to Spain, which saw Ona Batlle comforted by England's Lucy Bronze amid rumours of their romance. In a thrilling penalty shootout against Spain, following an exhausting 120-minute final, the Lionesses emerged victorious. Mariona Caldentey initially put Spain ahead with a header in the 25th minute, but England's Alessia Russo equalised with a headed goal from Chloe Kelly's cross after half-time. During the nerve-wracking shootout, Lioness goalkeeper Hannah Hampton made a series of remarkable saves before Kelly stepped up to score the winning penalty following Sama Paralluelo's miss. Celebrations erupted across the Swiss stadium with 'Sweet Caroline' blasted through the speakers as the England squad soaked up their win. Lucy Bronze mum's powerful response when Lioness told 'You can't play football with boys' Lioness star Lucy Bronze's mysterious 'split' from teammate before baby bombshell But breaking away from celebrations with her team, defender Lucy Bronze was seen comforting Spanish footballer Ona Batlle. In a heartwarming moment, Bronze sat beside Batlle on the pitch, who was fighting tears over their defeat against England, and offered some emotional support. Later, Bronze sporting their gold winner's medal around her neck and Batlle having changed into her tracksuit, took a stroll around the stadium in another touching nod of support. Just a few years ago, the roles were reversed when Spain beat England during the women's World Cup final in 2023. After Spain took victory two years ago, Batlle was spotted consoling Bronze, who was in floods of tears on the sidelines. The Spanish player had her arms around a teary Bronze, who was sitting down wearing the iconic Lioness pink and blue coat from that year. Bronze and Batlle, who were previously teammates at Barcelona, appear to have struck up a close relationship over the years and have hinted at a possible romance. While neither of the pair has gone official, they have shared a series of cosy snaps together on social media. Just weeks before the Euros kicked off in Switzerland, Bronze and Batlle enjoyed a sun-soaked getaway together. In a series of photos shared on Instagram, Lucy wrote the caption: "Few days of sun," while Ona commented with a heart-eyed emoji. One snap from a trip saw the pair posing for a mirror selfie, where they look particularly close. They even took a trip to Disneyland Paris together in December last year, where they shared another sweet snap alongside each other. Bronze and Batlle are thought to have sparked up a close bond when they both played for Barcelona during the 2023-24 season. During this time, they won the Champions League, Liga F, the Spanish Cup, and the Spanish Super Cup together. Bronze moved back to Chelsea last summer as a right-back, while Batlle remains as a full-back for Barcelona. Sensationally, Bronze revealed that she played the 2025 Euro final with a fractured tibia. She revealed after the final match: "I've actually played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia but no one knew. Then I've just hurt my knee today on the other leg. "I think that's why I got a lot of praise from the girls after the Sweden game because I've been in a lot of pain, but that's what it takes to play for England." She added: "That's what I'll do. They know that, I think we inspire each other by playing through things like that, and they got us to the end of them in the end. It was very painful but I'm gonna party and gonna enjoy it, that's it." Last month, she opened up about her hopes of one day starting a family, saying it's the one thing she's "dying" to do. "My brother's got two kids and that's what I'm most jealous of, seeing my niece and nephew. But there's plenty of time for that – and what that looks like, I don't know," she told Women's Health.
Reuters
a few seconds ago
- Reuters
Spain search for answers after coming up short at Women's Euros
July 28 (Reuters) - Entering the tournaments as favourites, many expected Spain to add the Women's Euro crown to their world and Nations League titles, but an agonising loss to England in a penalty shootout on Sunday has left them searching for answers after dominating the game. Coming into the final on the back of five straight victories, Spain seemed to be able to find the solution to every problem they were confronted with, but they could not find a way to break the English resolve as the game finished 1-1 after extra time, eventually losing 3-1 on penalties. Such was Spain's dominance in most of their matches at the Euros that it usually seemed like only a matter of time before they would find a way through, and they scored after 25 minutes against England. Once Alessia Russo equalised, however, the Spaniards stuttered until extra time where they again took over, without ever finding the goal they needed to kill the game off. "England were a team who contested a lot of second balls and we weren't winning them, which caused us to struggle a bit," Spain coach Montse Tome said. "During extra time we managed to get the ball again and create attacking chances, but it wasn't enough to avoid penalties." Warning signs could be seen in Spain's group games, where they conceded sloppy goals to Belgium and Italy, and through they scored 14 times in their three matches, their attack looked ponderous for long spells as they controlled possession without really threatening. They beat hosts Switzerland in the last eight without ever really getting going, and it took a 113th-minute goal from Aitana Bonmati to get them past Germany in the semi-final in a victory that was comfortable without being convincing. The five teams Spain met in the run-up set the template for England in the final as they defended the space around their penalty area fiercely, living on the margins and hitting the Spaniards on the break when they could. Faced with that aggressive English defence, Spain changed the point of attack repeatedly but all too often they found themselves headed down blind alleys, falling into the trap of passing the ball among themselves for the sake of it. "We had some very good moments but just couldn't finish the chances," Spain captain Irene Paredes said. "England were happy just to reach penalties but, in the shootout, we didn't perform well. To be a champion you need some luck, and I believe they had it." However, England had more than luck. In a rematch of the 2023 World Cup final, which they lost 1-0, England had a never-say-die attitude the Spaniards would do well to emulate if they want to be champions of Europe.
Reuters
27 minutes ago
- Reuters
Piastri and Norris racing like champions in F1 title battle
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium, July 28 (Reuters) - McLaren boss Andrea Stella says teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are racing like champions and the Formula One title will probably be decided by fine margins and individual brilliance. The pair are 16 points apart in a two-horse race, with Australian Piastri leading McLaren's sixth one-two of the season in Belgium on Sunday and taking his sixth win of the campaign. Red Bull's Max Verstappen is third but 81 points behind with his hopes of a fifth successive title fast receding. There are 11 races left and the intra-team rivalry will be the major focus with McLaren set to retain the constructors' crown with ease as they now a massive 268 points clear of second-placed Ferrari. Norris won in Britain after Piastri was penalised for braking erratically behind the safety car but the Australian triumphed at Spa by slipstreaming past from second on the grid. "There is very, very little between our two drivers and this is because the two drivers are racing at a very, very high level," Stella told reporters. "I think the difference will be made by the accuracy, the precision, the quality of the execution," added the Italian, who worked with champions at Ferrari and said Piastri and Norris were both operating at that level. At Spa, the regular grid lineup was replaced by a rolling start in wet conditions after four laps behind the safety car, with Norris finding pole position was no real advantage once the race got going. Piastri had discovered the same during the Saturday sprint, when Verstappen won from second on the grid after seizing the lead on the opening lap. "We saw in Silverstone that an issue, a sporting issue for Oscar, during the safety car restart and the consequent penalty cost him the race," said Stella. "Here we saw that, somehow related to the circuit characteristic, it would have been very difficult for Lando to keep the position, starting first at the safety car restart." Stella discounted a battery problem that appeared to be an issue initially, saying a slight anomaly had occurred on both cars and Norris should not have been any worse off. "It would have always been very difficult for Lando to keep the position starting first at the safety car restart, but at the same time I think Lando didn't help himself by not having a great gap...," he said. "So I think the execution is what is going to make the main difference." Piastri was not unhappy after qualifying second, observing that Spa was probably the best place not to have the best lap and planning his next move already. "The move through Eau Rouge, I knew it was going to be by far my best opportunity to try and win the race. I'd been thinking about it for a while, put it that way," said the Australian.
