The first half saw a confident Spain side control possession, leading to a goal in the 25^th minute, off the head of Mariona Caldentey. Despite falling behind, the Lionesses displayed some strong defending throughout the half, keeping them in the game. At the other end of the pitch, England struggled to carve out clear chances but showed promise on the counter, with Lauren Hemp and Chloe Kelly both testing the Spanish backline. With Spain’s dominance in the midfield evident, the Lionesses remained resilient, looking for openings. As the teams headed in for the break, England needed to find more accuracy on goal if they wanted to stay in the game. 

Going into the second half, the battle continued. England came out with more grit, putting them back into the game. After a cool cross from Chloe Kelly, the head of Alessia Russo was found and the ball hit the back of the net. With both teams even, the ball traveled end to end of the pitch. Once England manager, Sarina Weigman, introduced the star girl, Michelle Agyemang, England fans erupted with excitement as they hoped for her to pull off something big. With no further goals scored in the second half, the game progressed onto extra time. 

Both teams competed in extra time but no goals were scored to seal off the game. Penalties seemed inevitable.

Players lined up for a tense shootout. With goals and misses from both sides, there could only be one winner. Finally, England’s, Chloe Kelly, stepped up and with her signature ‘skipping’ penalty, she blasted the ball into the back of the net. England had done it. European champions – once again. 

UEFA Women’s Euros Final: 3-1 (England win on penalties)