England leaves Spain without a glory that still eludes it

BarcelonaBy Hannah Hampton's command and wish, England will continue to reign supreme in continental European football after beating Spain in the Euro 2023 final on penalties (1-1, 3-1). The Birmingham goalkeeper, with two saves from Mariona Caldentey and Aitana Bonmatí, and a mistake from Salma Paralluelo, who shot her penalty wide, lifted the English team back to glory. The Spanish team, with eleven Barça players and eight Catalans in the squad, was playing in its first Euro 2023 final, one of the few major titles left to be won by a generation of talented players who will have to keep waiting.

The Sankt Jakob-Park stadium in Basel witnessed a replay of the 2023 World Cup final – won by Spain – and also evoked memories of the quarter-finals of the last Euro 2023, with an English triumph and the experienced Sarina Wiegman on the bench for the British. The prestigious coach has won the last three finals of the continent's top international competition: in 2025 and 2022 with England, and in 2017 with the Netherlands.

In a very even match, the Spanish national team came out with a vengeance, dominating their opponents in the first half. Esther had the first clear opportunity, with good control at the near post and a shot cleared by Hampton after a cross from Olga Carmona. With the English team focused on nullifying Tomé's team's 100% Barça midfield—Aitana, Alexia, and Patri—the bursts down the wings of Carmona and Ona Batlle were one of the ways Spain could get into the box. The Spanish national team was the one that promoted and loved the ball and felt increasingly comfortable as the minutes passed, despite a scare caused by a mistake by Cata Coll. She herself resolved the issue with a good save from Hemp.

Shortly after, Mariona opened the scoring with a powerful header after a delightful combination between Athenea del Castillo and Ona Batlle. The goal lived up to what was being seen on the pitch. With Tomé's team dominating and England losing Lauren James to injury before halftime, Spain went into the locker room with a lead and a good feeling. After the restart, however, it was Wiegman's team who stepped up, a coach who has demonstrated on numerous occasions a great ability to analyze the opponent's approach and fight back.

England equalized in the second half

In the 57th minute, Chloe Kelly—who had come on to replace James—found the necessary space against Ona Batlle and delivered a precise cross that Alessia Russo, Mariona's teammate at Arsenal, converted to equalize with an unstoppable header, despite the defensive inaction of Laia Aleixandri and Irene Paredes. The draw marked the beginning of a new match in which Spain would recover, but England once again displayed great resilience to take the match to extra time. Montse Tomé made a move by bringing on Claudia Pina for Alexia Putellas, seeking more directness.

Shortly after, Vicky López and Salma Paralluelo also entered the field to provide freshness in the final minutes. Sarina Wiegman, meanwhile, relied on her youth with Agyemang, a heroine against Italy. Attacking substitutions between two teams seeking glory. Pina tested Hampton with her left foot, Vicky sent a curling shot over the bar, and Cata denied Kelly from scoring a second for the British team.

All this led to extra time, where Salma had the clearest chances against an England side that simply held on while the Spanish team tried to avoid a penalty shootout. Despite two good saves from Cata, the final ended in a very painful outcome for Montse Tomé's players.