England completed their incredibly dramatic run to the Euro 2025 title on Sunday, beating Spain on penalties to avenge defeat in the World Cup final
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Throughout the knockout stages of the 2025 European Championship, it felt like England were being propelled forward by something intangible, some sort of fate or destiny that had their name on this trophy already and was helping them to escape the jaws of defeat time and time again. On Sunday, anyone who held that feeling throughout the crazy lows was validated, as the Lionesses came from behind once more to beat Spain in the final, emerging as 3-1 victors in the penalty shootout after the score remained at 1-1 after extra-time.
This result didn't feature England's most miraculous stunt in a portfolio that any great escapologist would be proud of. That was probably in the quarter-finals, when the Lionesses were 2-0 down with 11 minutes to play, only to score twice in three minutes to stay alive, before surviving a penalty shootout that saw Sweden miss two spot-kicks that, if scored, would've sent Sarina Wiegman's side home.
What happened in the semi-finals ran that close, though. England were just two minutes away from elimination when Michelle Agyemang equalised, and then Chloe Kelly converted the rebound of her saved penalty in the penultimate minute of extra-time to break Italy's hearts in dramatic fashion. To recount all that knockout stage drama is to make England's win on Sunday seem pretty uneventful, actually. But that is because the route to a second-successive European title has just been so extraordinary.
The Lionesses were up against it once more in the big finale. As was the case in the last eight and the last four, the opposition scored first, as Mariona Caldentey gave Spain the lead with a fantastic header midway through the first half. However, parity was restored just before the hour by Alessia Russo, and things were relatively even from there on, with both teams having decent spells. The majority of the big chances, though, fell to Spain – and the more missed opportunities that came and went, the more that familiar feeling of England being destined to triumph grew stronger.
Perhaps the word 'inevitable' would be best to describe the Lionesses' latest success, an adjective that could be used in the case of two of the main instigators of their success. One of them is Wiegman, who has now won the last three editions of the Euros; the other is Kelly, who was the hero in the final of Euro 2022 and assumed the main character role again here, assisting Russo's equaliser before thumping the winning penalty into the top corner in the shootout.
As she exuded cool with her celebration, wheeling away to celebrate with a 'calm down' gesture, everyone else associated with the Lionesses provided the wild scenes that soon engulfed their queen of the pressure moment. England are European champions again, despite all the bumps in the road they have had to ride out and all the obstacles they have had to swerve in order to lift that trophy for the second time in succession. No senior England side had ever won a major tournament on foreign soil before. It's little surprise, though, that a group with as much resilience as this one was able to claim that piece of history.
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from St. Jakob Park in Basel…
Getty ImagesWINNER: Sarina Wiegman
The last time a head coach not named Sarina Wiegman won the European Championship title was way back in 2013. That is incredible. On Sunday, as she watched her England team get over the line in truly dramatic fashion, the Dutchwoman sealed her third-successive continental title, and only cemented her status as the best manager in the international women's game.
Wiegman has come in for criticism at this tournament – and justifiably so. She has played with fire when it has come to substitutions and team selection, something that didn't stop in the final. Her decision to start Lauren James, who clearly was not fit after picking up an ankle injury in the semi-finals, could have been costly, while the withdrawal of Russo midway through the second half was also scrutinised by fans and pundits alike.
But there are a lot of things Wiegman got absolutely spot on in this tournament which were incredibly influential in the final outcome. She chose Hannah Hampton over Mary Earps as her No.1 goalkeeper, and the Chelsea star grabbed the opportunity with both hands, standing out as the best player in her position at Euro 2025. She took a bit of a risk in bringing along the inexperienced Agyemang, who had only one cap to her name, and the 19-year-old emerged as a super-sub so impactful that she was named the Young Player of the Tournament. On Sunday, there were eyebrows raised when she restored Jess Carter to the XI after some shaky displays, and the defender stood tall as one of England's best players on the night.
What underpins all of this is the remarkable environment and team spirit Wiegman has created within the squad. It is something that was questioned in the build-up to the Euros, as Earps announced her shock retirement and Millie Bright withdrew from selection for her own physical and mental well-being. But anyone questioning Wiegman's management style and the togetherness in her team was hushed emphatically as the Lionesses repeatedly dug deep, showed incredible resilience and came up with clutch moment after clutch moment on their way to another Euros triumph. In Sarina England trust – and this is why.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLOSER: Alexia Putellas
For many, Alexia Putellas was at least one of the players of the tournament at Euro 2025, if not player of the tournament. When Montse Tome opted to bring the two-time Ballon d'Or winner off with 20 minutes of the 90 left to play and the score 1-1, then, it certainly raised a few eyebrows.
Putellas wasn't the star of the show on Sunday, no, but she has been the star of this past season. The level she has been playing at is incredible, arguably surpassing that which won her the Ballon d'Or in 2021 and again in 2022. She always has it in her to produce game-changing moments of magic, the kind which Spain needed in Basel. Plus, she wasn't having a bad day out by any means, with some nice movement and passes often central to La Roja's better moves.
Perhaps that was what was going through Putellas' own head as she left the pitch, for she didn't look impressed. And who could blame her? To be taken off at that point would frustrate any player, especially one who believes she can make the difference, having done so with regularity at the top level. Instead, the 31-year-old had to watch from the sidelines as Spain failed to get over the line, unable to complete the unfinished business she has with a competition that she tore her ACL on the eve of in 2022.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that it could well dent her hopes for the 2025 Ballon d'Or, for which she was the front-runner before the Euros began.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Chloe Kelly
It's been told over and over again now, but Kelly's redemption story is worth repeating. Six months ago, she was desperately searching for a route out of Manchester City, having fallen so far out of favour that she couldn't even make the matchday squad at times, never mind get on the pitch. On Sunday, she lifted the European Championship title, having lifted the Champions League trophy only two months ago.
And Kelly hasn't just been part of the England squad this past month. She's been the woman of the moment, providing the two assists that helped the Lionesses fight back from 2-0 down in the quarter-finals against Sweden, scoring the winner in extra-time as they saw off Italy in the last four, before assisting the equaliser in Sunday's final and scoring the decisive spot-kick in the shootout.
There was a world in which Kelly was not even at Euro 2025, where her lack of game time at club level would see her fall out of the England picture and not make the cut for Wiegman's final squad. Everyone associated with the Lionesses will be glad they don't live in that world.
Getty ImagesLOSER: Lauren James
It was a surprise to see James named to the England XI on Sunday, just five days after she limped off at half-time in the Lionesses' win over Italy due to an ankle problem. Having played a heck of a lot of football at Euro 2025, especially after having spent almost three months on the sidelines before the tournament began, it looked like it had just taken its toll, with the Chelsea star even looking a little leggy in the quarter-final against Sweden. But Wiegman took a gamble and decided to start England's most talented player in the final, even if she wasn't fully fit.
It didn't pay off. James had some moments, most notably when she pressured Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll into a mistake that presented Lauren Hemp a huge chance, one which should've ended with the Manchester City winger squaring the ball to James for a tap-in, really. However, she also failed to keep her eye on the ball for another opening that could've broken the deadlock, then didn't track effectively enough in the build-up to Caldentey's goal.
None of that was James' fault. Wiegman knew she wasn't going to be at her best but decided to take the risk, and it was one that almost came back to bite her. Fortunately, both she and James ended the day as European champions, but it was a shame that the latter couldn't make her mark on this game, for reasons out of her control. Hopefully her injury is only a minor one.