Spain miss two penalties but defeat Switzerland to reach Euro semis
Bern
World champions Spain missed two penalties but defeated women's Euro 2025 hosts Switzerland 2-0 on Friday in Bern to reach the tournament's semi-finals.
After winning the World Cup in 2023 and the Nations League last year, Spain are now seeking their maiden European title.
Spain coach Montse Tomé was full of praise for her players.
'The team has made history. These players are destined for greatness,' she told a press conference.
'We knew Switzerland would defend well, stay compact and be lifted by their home crowd - and that's exactly what happened,' Tomé said.
'We managed to keep a clean sheet, which was one of our goals. We're in the semi-finals - objective accomplished.' In the semi-finals, they will face either record champions Germany or France, who play their quarter-final match on Saturday.
The game Spain were the better team throughout the entire game, but had a rough way to victory.
They could have broken the deadlock in the ninth minute, but Mariona Caldentey missed a penalty after she was fouled by Nadine Riesen.
Shortly before the break, the world champions got close to the opener again, but this time captain Irene Paredes hit the post after a corner.
There was another big moment in the 61st as Patri Guijarro met Claudia Pina's deep corner with a header that came back off the post.
The ball ricocheted to Esther González, who hit the opposite post from close range.
The deserved lead finally came in the 66th. Spain carved open their opponents with Aitana Bonmati's flick releasing Athenea del Castillo, who neatly slotted the ball past Livia Peng.
The spot in the semi-finals was sealed by Pina, who curled a stunning effort into the net from outside the box in the 71st.
Alexia Putellas had the chance to add a third, but she missed yet another penalty in the 88th.
Bonmati, who was named player of the match, praised Switzerland's defensive set-up.
'We didn't expect anything different - it's a quarter-final and they were at home. Switzerland have had a great tournament; they've been a very solid and competitive team,' she said.
'They made things difficult for us and didn't allow us to play through the middle. We have to take the positives - we're in the semi-finals.' Bonmati did not reveal whether France or Germany were her preferred semi-final opponents.
'Honestly, I don't mind. Both are the best teams in the tournament to me. May the best team win tomorrow.' 'Merci, fans' Switzerland offered admirable resistance against Spain, but ultimately couldn't avoid the defeat against the top favourite team at Euro 2025.
But the players wrote their names in the national team's history with a first run to the quarter-finals at a major tournament.
'We stood up to Spain pretty well for 65 or 70 minutes, so it's bad to concede two. We tried our best, which is most important. The fans were crazy - they were still cheering us on even though we lost,' Switzerland midfielder Smilla Vallotto told womenseuro.com.
After the final whistle, the players held a large banner saying 'Merci, fans' ('Thank you, fans').
'I hope the tournament pushes more people to start playing football - both young girls and boys.
'The main goal of this tournament was to motivate people to come to women's football, so we're pretty happy,' Vallotto added.
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