Women’s Euros Final Preview: England vs. Spain | OneFootball

And here we are. After 3,000 plus minutes of soccer played over thirty games, we have the final match of the UEFA Women’s Euros 2025.

England, the defending champions, will face off against Spain, picked by many (including myself) as the tournament favorites. Neither team’s path to this fixture was straightforward, however.

Germany 0 – 1 Spain

With Aitana Bonmatí’s clutch strike deep into extra time, Spain eked out a win over a bruised but defiant German team. They were far from their scintillating norm, but the Spaniards ground out the win, something they hadn’t done before.

I had predicted Spain to return to the flowing and vibrant play of their group stage games, but the Germans had other plans. They disrupted and absorbed Spain, keeping them for controlling the game’s tempo.

On the attack, Spain looked guilty of overplaying. Too many chances were built up, only to have that one extra touch, or the cheeky pass, lead to a turnover or allow the Germans to organize defensively. Once again, German keeper Ann-Katrin Berger’s performance was remarkable. Her eight saves came on top of the previous games nine, and while she didn’t earn any spot-kick heroics one of the defining images of this tournament is hers: that scrambling backtrack and leap to clear a deflected ball off the line. All the more ironic, then, that she was complicit in the only goal of the game. With Bonmatí driving towards the touchline, she cheated ever so slightly to her right, anticipating the pass back. But Bonmatí pulled the trigger and blasted the ball, beating Berger on her inside post.

England 2 – 1 Italy (a.e.t.)

England weren’t the most convincing in their victory against the underdog Italians. With one day’s less recovery than their opposition, and having logged an extra thirty minutes of play to boot, the Lionesses looked a bit flat throughout the match. Italy struck first against the run of play, when Barbara Bonansea hit a gem of a goal after feathering the ball into the air and hammering the volley. Truly world-class. It was also Italy’s first shot of the game.

As the game progressed, England continued to hound the Italian defense but couldn’t break through. In previous second halves, manager Serina Weigman had been quick to get fresh legs on the pitch. She hesitated in this match, for some reason, and I believed that Michelle Aygemang and Chloe Kelly were put on too late. Boy was I wrong.

Deep into stoppage time, England were crashing the gates. Chloe Kelly put in one of her trademark crosses, with teammate Beth Mead running in pell-mell to connect. The Italian keeper, Laura Giuliani, distracted by the run, mishandled the ball, which fell kindly to Agyemang who was lurking in the box. The 18-year old didnot squander the gift, hammering the shot home.

Extra Time Heroics

That put the game into extra time, and it looked to be headed into a penalty shootout. I was preparing myself for another spot-kick horror-show when the Croatian referee, Ivana Martincic, gave a PK to England at the 118th minute after Kelly was brought down in the box. It was BIG call, and I’m sure my colleague The Qooligan has some thoughts on that. In any event, Kelly stepped up and coolly converted the pen, queuing English mayhem on the pitch and stands.

There’s a part of me disappointed to see Italy bow out. They weren’t the most talented side, but they played with a tenacious élan and pure joy. In the end, however, England’s quality proved too much.

The Hooligan Take

This is a true heavyweight fight. These two were among the best of the tournament and seeing them in the penultimate fixture feels right.

For Spain, the key is trusting the system. They can’t let England bully them around and control the pace. They have to control the midfield tempo and create the freedom for their flowing style to shine.

Of course, England have to do the opposite. They’ll be buoyed that Lauren James, who left the previous game with an ankle knock, is back and at full-strength. But it will curious to see if Michelle Aygemang can get another goal off the bench. She’s been a revelation this tournament and I suspect she’ll have a critical role to play.

Zooey’s Call: England 2 – Spain 1.