England 1-1 Spain AET (3-1 on pens): Wiegman gets her calls right as Lionesses win Euro 2025

New York Times

2 days ago

England held their nerve again. England fought to the bitter end again. England are European champions yet again.
In a tournament defined by never-say-die triumphs throughout, Sarina Wiegman's side went toe-to-toe with Spain for 120 minutes in Basel and then shone 12 yards to retain the European Championship crown they first won at Euro 2022, winning 3-1 on penalties after a pulsating 1-1 draw at St. Jakob-Park.
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In the shootout, Hannah Hampton saved from both Mariona Caldentey and Aitana Bonmati to put England on course for their Euro 2025 coronation, with Chloe Kelly dispatching the decisive spot kick to start the party.
Kelly also had a hand in England's equaliser in normal time. Spain took control of proceedings early on and their first-half dominance was rewarded when Caldentey thumped home a header from Ona Batlle's cross, finishing off a sumptuous team move.
But England rolled up their socks and levelled things up just before the hour mark, with Alessia Russo rising highest to guide home a delightful delivery from Chloe Kelly.
The two teams could barely be separated from there on out, with Wiegman's side keeping their cool when it mattered.
Michael Cox, Laia Cervello Herrero and Tamerra Griffin break down the Euro 2025 final.
Somehow, they always manage to do it.
England were not the best side in this tournament. They were arguably not the better side in any of their three knockout games, although this performance against Spain was their best of that trio.
They have defended their tournament in completely unconvincing fashion, and yet it's impossible not to be impressed by the relentlessness and the commitment of this side, and the depth of their squad.
Spain are superior to England technically and in terms of cohesion. When they went 1-0 up, they threatened to play keep-ball and kill the game. But England refuse to let opponents kill the game. With various players clearly on their last legs and playing through the pain barrier, England struggled to create many chances — but they didn't allow Spain any either.
Retaining the European Championship in this era is a hugely impressive and some of these players will go down in history. Meanwhile, winning three on the bounce for Wiegman is a truly momentous achievement, further cementing her position as the most revered manager in the women's game.
Michael Cox
Sarina Wiegman has a reputation for keeping her usual starting XI intact. There are rarely any major surprises for big matches. But this time around, things were different.
There were three surprises, none of which proved overwhelmingly transformative, but maybe helped England to start the match strongly.
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When the team sheet was released, it was a major shock to see Jess Carter recalled in the centre of defence in place of Esme Morgan. Carter struggled at both left-back against France and at centre-back against Sweden. Twice, Wiegman had swapped her with another defender to hide her shortcomings. Morgan seemed to have performed well in her place against Italy.
But Carter was back in. And she performed solidly — it was the old, reliable Carter we're familiar with. She looked assured with the ball at her feet.
Carter was particularly good in the second half of normal time, reading the play excellently, getting the better of Esther Gonzalez physically, and also coping with the speed of substitute Salma Paralluelo. In extra time, her last action of the game was tracking a Aitana Bonmati run and putting in a tackle that not merely dispossessed her but knocked the ball against the Spain star and won England a goal kick. Wiegman got this call right.
The second surprise came in at kick-off, when Lauren Hemp lined up on the right and Lauren James on the left — the opposite of England's approach in their last four matches. Both were involved in the early stages, with James cutting drifting inside onto her right foot, and Hemp attacking Olga Carmona. Hemp had England's best chance when Cata Coll's pass for Carmona was under-hit. Hemp pounced but could only fire straight at Coll.
And the third surprise was the positioning of an individual player. Lucy Bronze moved inside into midfield rather than overlapping down the flank: perhaps to give England numbers in the middle and possibly to guard against counters through the middle. This did sometimes result in England getting into difficult situations, though, with Mariona Caldentey looking to stay on the outside of Bronze and run in behind.
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As it happens, the goal came from the reverse — Caldentey charging inside Bronze to head home.
Michael Cox
What a treat to witness two gorgeous headed goals in a final, one from each team.
Spain set the trend: Athenea del Castillo's smart hold-up play allowed Battle to time her run…
…and although Del Castillo's pass was just a touch off pace, Battle adjusted marvellously to whip her hips around the ball and pull back the cross.
It's understandable the main concern there was Esther, which could be why Lucy Bronze appeared to have a lapse in concentration and leave space between herself and goalscorer Caldentey, who crashed her header home.
Considering the year she's had — her first at Arsenal, where she was voted player of the season in the Women's Super League (WSL) and helped them beat her old club Barcelona in the Champions League final — this has been a relatively quiet Euros campaign for Caldentey.
Before the final, she'd tallied two of Spain's 17 goals and contributed two assists, which made her third all the more momentous.
The tide for attention on Spain is high thanks to Bonmati, Alexia Putellas, Esther and Claudiua Pina — but Caldentey's header was a two-pronged reminder of sorts: The first being that she is closer to those players than she tends to receive credit for; the second that England could be punished for not recognizing just how many players they must pay attention to.
England's response was equally emphatic, and came from two players who, similarly in their own ways, had things to prove. Chloe Kelly was subbed on during the first half for the first time in this tournament to replace an injured Lauren James.
There had always been a question of how much of an impact she could make with more minutes, and in the second half she provided an answer, whipping in an inward-swinging cross to cap off a well-worked spell of possession for England.
On the receiving end was Russo, who, in ironically similar fashion as her Arsenal club colleague Caldentey, has had a lukewarm Euros with two goals and two assists leading up to the final.
But where Caldentey's header scorched the net, Russo's was lofted and arced, placed well out of reach from Spanish goalkeeper Coll.
Tamerra Griffin
I know that game is not over and maybe we go to extra time but, just in case:
The only change to Montse Tome's starting line-up was the removal of Pina and the inclusion of Athenea del Castillo. Perhaps this was because the Spanish coach remembered that Pina had been the perfect substitute two months earlier against England in the Nations League match played in Barcelona, where a brace from Pina completed Spain's comeback 2-1 victory against England.
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When, in the 71st minute, Pina waited on the sideline to come on with the score tied, everyone thought the substitution would be for Del Castillo. However, Alexia Putellas was the one who came off. Tome's decision was brave, but it was the right one. Why did she decide to take off a team icon like Spain's No 11 to keep the forward line intact? Here are the reasons:
While Putellas started and was the best player on the team in the group stage, she did not shine in the final phase. Especially in the final.
However, Del Castillo played games that deserved more minutes. Her inclusion was decisive in several matches and putting her in the starting line-up proved to be a wise decision, even if it may have been an unpopular one.
She was intense in pressing, offering help in defence at various points in the game. She linked up well with Batlle and Bonmati when the ball came in deep.
She may not be the most technical player or the one who best fits Spain's style of play, but she came into the final stages of the competition with a lot of confidence and spark.
Laia Cervello Herrero