Spanish newspapers react to Lionesses' Euro 2025 triumph as press hits out at ‘cocky' Chloe Kelly
The Arsenal winger tucked home her spot-kick after Spain missed three in a row, sealing the Euro 2025 title for the Lionesses as she wheeled away in celebration, running directly in front of heartbroken La Roja goalkeeper Cata Coll.
This has been lamented by the Spanish press, with Diario AS branding the celebration as 'unnecessary'.
The publication wrote: "This is unnecessary, my friend: Kelly's cocky gesture to Cata Coll after scoring the decisive penalty. The England specialist changed her run during her penalty celebration to get past the goalkeeper she had just beaten."
Marca's frontpage, meanwhile, led with the line: 'Football is unfair sometimes.'
The newspaper was sure to praise Cata Coll's impressive display in which she saved two shootout penalties, but reiterated the apparently undeserving nature of the Lionesses victory by writing: 'Spain loses a final in which it was superior to England.'
This was the sentiment echoed by player of the tournament Aitana Bonmati, who said: "It was very cruel given how the tournament went and how the match went. But sometimes in football, it's not the best team that wins, nor the team that deserves to win on the pitch.'
The feeling of disappointment was also clear to see in Diario Sport's coverage of the final, who simply wrote: 'Cruel ending.'
Mundo Deportivo, however, pointed the finger at the Spain team for their shortfalls in the shootout, in which Mariona Caldentey, Bonmati and Salma Paralluelo all failed to convert. The newspaper wrote: 'Maximum penalty.'
The Lionesses had to fight tooth and nail to reach the tournament decider in Basel, coming back from the brink of elimination against both Sweden and Italy to book this revenge mission against the same side who beat them at the 2023 World Cup in Sydney.
Caldentey ensured England would need another fightback when she nodded in a 25th-minute opener, which was cancelled out by her Arsenal team-mate Alessia Russo with a header of her own from Kelly's cross after the break.
After extra time failed to separate the sides, Hannah Hampton made two spectacular saves in the shootout before Kelly netted the dramatic winner following Paralluelo's miss.
They will return to England as heroes on Monday and kick off their homecoming celebrations, which will continue with a homecoming parade in London tomorrow.
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