How England beat Spain on penalties after 1-1 draw to retain their European Championship title – The New York Times

Women's Euros
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England have won the European Championship for the second time in a row, beating Spain 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was the hero, saving two penalties before Chloe Kelly smashed in the winning spot kick.
It was a gutsy victory for Sarina Wiegman's side, coming from behind in normal time and hanging on in extra time to take the game all the way. Mariona Caldentey gave Spain the lead on the night with a brilliant header but Alessia Russo came up with a header of her own to equalise in the second half.
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Inside the Lionesses’ Euro 2025 win: Wiegman’s ‘new England’ mantra, ‘hard’ talks and… penalties
With the 2025 Women's European Championship in the books and the trophy in the hands of the English players, the focus will very quickly switch to the 2027 Women's World Cup.
The best national teams on the planet will head to Brazil where Spain will be defending their status as world champions.
This England team fell at the final hurdle in Sydney two years ago and will be hungry to go one step further in Rio.
Although I'm sure Emma Hayes and her USWNT players will have something to say about that…
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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.
Follow the link below to read on.
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England 1-1 Spain AET (3-1 on pens): Wiegman gets her calls right as Lionesses win Euro 2025
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.
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. 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. And the third was the positioning of an individual player: Lucy Bronze moved inside into midfield rather than overlapping down the flank.
Follow the link below to read on.
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England 1-1 Spain AET (3-1 on pens): Wiegman gets her calls right as Lionesses win Euro 2025
What a treat to witness two gorgeous headed goals in a final.
The tide for attention on Spain is high thanks to Aitana Bonmati, Alexia Putellas, Esther Gonzalez and Claudia Pina — but Mariona Caldentey’s header was a two-pronged reminder of sorts: the first being she is closer to those players than she tends to receive credit for; the second that England could be punished for not recognising 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.
There had always been a question of how much of an impact Chloe Kelly could make with more minutes, and in the second half she provided an answer, whipping in an in-swinging cross to cap off a well-worked spell of possession for England.
On the receiving end was Alessia Russo. Where Caldentey’s header scorched the net, Russo’s was lofted and arced, placed well out of reach from Spanish goalkeeper Coll.
Follow the link below to read on.
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England 1-1 Spain AET (3-1 on pens): Wiegman gets her calls right as Lionesses win Euro 2025
Chloe Kelly's Euro 2025-winning penalty was the fastest goal of the entire tournament.
The connected ball technology in Adidas' Konektis match ball measured the penalty at 110 km/h, meaning the last goal of the tournament was also its fastest.
Montse Tome also spoke about how she chose her team's penalty takers for the shootout, in which Spain only scored one of their four spot kicks.
💬 “We trained them a lot, we chose those players who did well in the training. Mariona (Caldentey) usually takes penalties, Patri (Guijarro) doesn’t take penalties for her team but does for us, and same for Aitana (Bonmati) and the rest.
“I asked them if they were happy to take penalties, they were all confident, but it was my decision. Anyone can score or miss, but overall they did an excellent tournament.”
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Spain coach Montse Tome said that her team were "better" than England today but struck an understanding tone in her post-match press conference.
💬 “This is sport. You must know how to lose and today we missed the penalties. I think we did a good first half and then (after) the 1-1 (goal) we sank, and then in extra time we managed to control the ball but we didn’t manage to get the victory.
“We were better but football is a sport where not always the best team wins. England are an excellent side, they showed a high level during the tournament.”
There were so many heroic performances out there for England today. Hannah Hampton was the hero of the penalty shootout while the defensive resolve of Leah Williamson and Jess Carter was monumental.
What may have got a little lost in all that was the unbelievable effort shown by Lauren Hemp right up until the 120th minute.
As Stephen W. has emailed: Hemp for England head and heels above the rest.
The Manchester City winger has got a terrific engine and she was key in getting England up the pitch this evening.
This is the inside story of England's triumphant Euro 2025 campaign.
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Inside the Lionesses’ Euro 2025 win: Wiegman’s ‘new England’ mantra, ‘hard’ talks and… penalties
Well, there were no shortage of talking points in that final and here are some of your comments over on our discussion tab at the top of the page and available here.
Josh M. said: “Chloe Kelly having quite a year! One of us, COYG.”
Matt C. added: “Replacing all our regular penalty takers may have helped!”
Simon T. posted: “So proud of the Lionesses! Brilliant resilience and skill against the best in the world. Well done! Fully deserved.”
It has been quite the end to the season for those Arsenal players in the England squad.
Just over two months ago, Leah Williamson was lifting the Champions League trophy after leading the WSL giants to a 1-0 win against Barcelona in Lisbon and she got her hands on silverware again today.
A whirlwind summer for Williamson, Alessia Russo, Chloe Kelly, Beth Mead and Lotte Wubben-Moy.
A cruel, cruel couple of months for the 10 Barcelona players in the Spain squad…
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She's a warrior whenever she pulls on an England shirt — here's Lucy Bronze's thoughts on her second Euros win, speaking to the BBC.
💬 “We never lost belief in ourselves. There was a lot of noise on the outside but we stuck together. To go to extra time back to back to back is incredible. We give each other energy and what we’ve done today is incredible.
“I don’t think we were thinking too much about the World Cup (final defeat). It always goes that they win, then we win, then they win so it was our turn today.
“To win on penalties is an amazing feeling but to lose on penalties is the worst feeling. They’re great players, they’ve achieved a lot. It wasn’t meant for them today, it was meant for England.
“We’ve shown resilience and fight.”
This is a remarkable thing to learn as Lucy Bronze speaks to the BBC on the back of a second Euros win. The right-back, who came off before the shootout with a knee injury, has been playing through the pain of a serious injury.
💬 “I’ve played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia but nobody knew and I’ve hurt my knee today. Which is why the girls gave me a lot of love after the Sweden game.
“It’s very painful but I’m going to party.”
England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton spoke to the BBC after the match to express her delight.
💬 “I don’t think it’s going to sink in for a while. We’re the team that never gives up and we got the result for it today.
“It’s an amazing moment and I don’t think I’m really going to come to terms with what has just happened for a while.
“I knew when (Kelly) was stepping up that she was going to score, she’s our penalty maestro. That one rattled into the back of the net.
“There were a lot of things I had to deal with before the tournament that the team helped me with and to be standing here as a back-to-back Euros winner is incredible.”
It wasn't just a game filled with drama to the very end, it was also a superb game of football.
So often we see major finals fail to deliver in the way of quality, but that was a proper tussle between two of the best teams in the world.
Spain dominated possession and were the better of the two teams but England showed immense resolve to bring themselves back into the game and then drag the game to a penalty shootout.
And when a game involving England goes the distance, it is so hard to beat them.
Sweet, sweet revenge for Sarina Wiegman and her players after the disappointing World Cup final defeat of two years ago.
Thanks to Dan Z. for the email — here is what he thought of this evening's final:
It was a very competitive match as one would hope of a final. The penalties added to the drama. Well done England!
And Theresa C. added:
Well done girls, we’re so proud of you!
You can follow Dan and Theresa by getting in touch with us at live@theathletic.com.
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Leah Williamson, speaking to the BBC after the match, hailed her side's team spirit.
💬 “Total disbelief, but at the same time I knew it was going to happen. Playing for this England team is just unbelievable. You cannot put us down. It's such an amazing team to be a part of. The way we defended, nothing came through us. It just felt like it was going to be our day.
“We're relentless, we've got players who just absolutely love it. When it's their moment, they stay up. To win it again, we just did it. No one thought we would after losing the first game.
“The stakes were higher, we've ridden our luck and we pulled up at the right time.”
Michelle Agyemang has had a remarkable impact on this tournament for England. And she is rightly getting the plaudits after a superb tournament — she spoke to the BBC a little earlier on.
💬 “I’m so happy, I’m so grateful and I thank God for where he’s brought us. It was so tough after losing the first game but we’ve done it. It’s surreal to have come this far so quickly, it’s only by the grace of God. My team-mates, the staff have put in so much effort to get me where we are today.
“Don’t give up, when you see other people around you that are progressing faster than you are, believe in your abilities. You’ll get there.
“We’re going to have a good time (celebrating).”
The stuff of dreams for this team and their fans.

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