Spain Lose To England In Women’s Euro Final On Penalties

England triumphed over Spain to secure the UEFA Women’s European Championship final on Sunday 27th July, which took place in Basel, Switzerland.

The match concluded with both teams tied at 1-1 after extra time, leading to England prevailing 3-1 in the penalty shootout.

Chloe Kelly struck her penalty decisively, clinching the victory for England. This marks the second consecutive Women’s Euros final in which Kelly has scored the decisive goal.

England’s goalkeeper, Hannah Hampton, successfully saved penalty attempts from Mariona Caldentey and Spain’s Aitana Bonmati, while substitute Salma Paralluelo missed her shot, sending it wide of the goal. ‘This is a very difficult moment for us,’ stated Spain captain Irene Paredes in an interview with Spain’s national broadcaster following the match. ‘We gave our all today, but the shootout did not go in our favour,’ she remarked.

‘Ultimately, we deserved more. We controlled the match, but it simply wasn’t our day.’

It appeared that Spain might replicate their victory over England in Sydney during the World Cup two years prior, as they dominated the match and took the lead with Mariona Caldentey’s header in the first half.

However, England remained composed, having previously come from behind against both Sweden in the quarter-finals and Italy in the semi-finals to secure victories. Alessia Russo scored the equalizer just before the hour mark, and with no additional goals, the match proceeded to a shootout where Kelly — who once again made a significant impact as a substitute — scored the winning penalty.

For Spain, it was a heartbreaking defeat, as they failed to convert three of their penalty kicks, with reigning Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati having her attempt saved. Sarina Wiegman’s England has thus become back-to-back European champions, achieving this victory three years after they overcame Germany in extra time at Wembley to win their first major tournament in women’s football.

Defeating Spain in Basel serves to alleviate the disappointment of losing the World Cup final in 2023, and this victory further solidifies Wiegman’s status among the coaching elite.

She has now secured three consecutive European Championships, having previously led her home country, the Netherlands, to victory in 2017 before achieving the same success with England.