It's coming home, again: England defeat Spain in penalties to claim the 2025 UEFA Women's European Championship, winning a second consecutive title.
Spain's penalty curse struck once again as three of the four penalty takers were unable to convert penalties against England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton. Despite missing two of their penalties, the Lionesses struck three to take the game, with Arsenal's Chloe Kelly scoring the winning shot.
"I actually missed three penalties in practice yesterday," Kelly said. "But it's the belief in the squad, all 23 players and the unseen staff members, that gets you through the tournament. I'm proud to be English and proud to be part of the girls.”
Earlier in the game, Europe's top two teams were neck-to-neck in a tightly contested race to control the ball. Spain took the early lead after defender Ona Batlle sent a cross to striker Mariona Caldentey, who scored with a header in the 25th minute. La Roja's midfield dominated possession, winning important duels to give strikers more opportunities to attempt a shot.
The Lionesses are no stranger to falling behind, only to end the game with a result. England mounted a comeback in the second half, leveling the score with a header from striker Alexia Russo. Russo's goal, alongside a compact backline, kept the Lionesses in the game until the end of extra time.
A Euro final AND a Gotham FC reunion 🥹
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 2025-07-27T17:31:27.258Z
Spain attempted 22 shots compared to England's eight. But Spain's shots were disrupted by English defenders Jess Carter and Lucy Bronze, who was playing with an injured tibia. It was a battle between Gotham FC teammates as Carter faced Spain's Esther González, as she and Aitana Bonmatí struck two of the five goal attempts on target; however, a combination of Carter in defense and Hampton in goal limited Spain to a singular goal.
"As a team, we were unbelievable," said Hampton. "Jess Carter had an unbelievable game in defense. She was an absolute rock, and no one was getting past us today. As a back line, we were defensively secure, we knew what our game plan was going into the game and as a team we executed it perfectly," she said of the Gotham FC player.
Hampton's performance earned her the Player of the Match, a fitting award given her ability to read the ball and quick reflexes that denied a second Spanish goal. Teammate Michelle Agyemang, whose heroics saved England from being knocked out in the semifinal against Italy, earned Young Player of the Tournament. The 19-year-old subbed in for Russo, holding her own against an aggressive Spanish side while creating chances for the Lionesses. Gotham striker González took home the top Euros scorer award with four goals throughout the tournament, while Bonmatí was named player of the tournament.
Neither team broke past the other in extra time, prompting both teams to select their penalty takers ahead of an inevitable penalty shootout. The curse that seems to linger over both the Spanish men's and women's national teams continues to reign, with no coach from either team implementing a successful penalty lineup.
Hampton saved both Caldentey and Bonmatí's penalties, while Spain's fourth and final penalty from Vicky López went wide. Despite missing their first penalty, England rallied: Alex Greenwood and Niamh Charles scored back-to-back before Kelly struck the fifth and final penalty of the night to give England the win.
Courtesy @foxsoccer
This squad is the first English national team to defend a major tournament in history. The title comes on the heels of the team's loss to Spain in the World Cup just two years prior, when Spanish defender Olga Carmona scored the only goal of the final.
"It’s been incredible," said Russo. "This tournament was tougher than the last one, and it will get tougher. The teams, the players, everything was so hard. To win this and do it back-to-back feels surreal right now. I'm just so proud of everyone."
