Is football coming home again?

-

England v Spain Euro 2025 final preview

After a month of continental football played across Switzerland, Euro 2025 will come to a close on Sunday in Basel, where Spain face England in a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final.

Author | Lauren W

Euro 2025 | England and Spain matches

This will be Sarina Wiegman’s fifth consecutive major tournament final as a manager, a remarkable record that underlines her consistency at the highest level.

How the sides reached the final

England’s path to their 2022 European Championship triumph was largely serene, with six wins from six and only two goals conceded. Their title defence has been far more turbulent. A defeat to France in their opening match was followed by confident victories over the Netherlands and Wales, but they were forced to come from behind against both Sweden and Italy in the knockout rounds. Yet Sarina Wiegman’s side, aided by the strength of their bench, continue to find a way through.

READ MORE | What else has happened at Euro 2025

Spain, by contrast, have looked sharp from the start. They scored 14 goals across the group stage and topped their section with ease. The knockout rounds have been more testing, but they edged past hosts Switzerland before beating the 2022 runners-up Germany to reach their first UEFA Women’s EURO final. Their World Cup final win over England last year may offer a slight psychological edge as they look to add to their 2024 Nations League title.

Who to watch from England

Euro 2025 | Pre match at England v Italy

When they need a decisive moment, Chloe Kelly often delivers. Whether she starts on Sunday will depend on Lauren James’s fitness, but Kelly’s influence rarely requires a full 90 minutes. She scored the winner in the Euro 2022 final, converted the decisive penalty in the 2023 Finalissima against Brazil, and held her nerve again from the spot to knock out Nigeria at last year’s World Cup. At these Euros, she has played a key role in the comeback against Sweden and scored the late winner from the penalty spot against Italy. Whatever happens in Basel, Kelly is likely to be involved at a crucial moment.

Who to watch from Spain

Much attention will fall on Aitana Bonmatí, the reigning Ballon d’Or winner, but that focus may create space for Salma Paralluelo and especially Clàudia Pina. The Barcelona forward has been in excellent form throughout the tournament. She scored twice when Spain beat England in the Nations League in June and has added two more impressive goals at these finals, cutting in from the left and curling the ball into the top corner.

Popular posts from this blog

Rangers progress after draw in Athens

-
Image
Panathinaikos 1 - 1 Rangers (Rangers won 3-1 on aggregate) Not the best performance for Rangers but they got the job done Author | Alan White Stadium | Olympiako Stadio Spyros Louis Rangers are now guaranteed Europa League football and will face Viktoria Plzen of the Czech Republic in a third round Champions League qualifier. A closer look at what happened in Athens As was the case during the first half at Ibrox, Rangers looked exposed and were fortunate to survive a barrage of Panathinaikos pressure in a charged Athens atmosphere. Anastasios Bakasetas set the tone with an early effort from the edge of the area, narrowly missing the target. What followed was a sustained spell of dominance from the hosts. Jack Butland, outstanding throughout, produced a sharp save to deny Fotis Ioannidis at his near post, before stopping a powerful close-range header from the same player. READ MORE | Who's excited for another Champions League season? READ MORE | News from across Scotland on Supe...
Read more

England win Euro 2025 after dramatic final

-
Image
England 1 - 1 Spain (England won 3-1 on penalties) England etched their name into the history books once again with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Spain. Author | Lauren W Stadium | St. Jakob-Park Chloe Kelly, who famously scored the winner in the Euro 2022 final at Wembley, was the hero once more. She calmly converted the decisive penalty after Spain missed three in a row, with goalkeeper Hannah Hampton making two crucial saves. It is the first time any England team has won a major tournament on foreign soil. The result also reinforces Sarina Wiegman’s status as one of the finest managers in the game , having now secured three consecutive European titles with two different nations. The Lionesses became the first team to win a single-legged Euros final after trailing at half-time, showing remarkable resilience yet again. They had fallen behind in all three knockout matches and once more found a way to respond. READ MORE |  The story of Euro 2025 READ MORE |  New...
Read more

Rangers progress despite poor performance in Czech Republic

-
Image
Viktoria Plzeň 2 - 1 Rangers (Rangers won 4-2 on aggregate) Rangers reached the Champions League play-off stage after surviving a testing night against Viktoria Plzen Author | Mark Lee Stadium | Doosan Aréna Post match in Plzen Lyall Cameron’s second-half equaliser proved the key moment for Russell Martin’s side, who fell behind early and later conceded again during a fraught evening in which Plzen squandered a host of opportunities. Having overcome a tough test against Panathinaikos in the previous round, Rangers’ three-goal advantage from the first leg always looked sufficient to see them through. Yet against opponents seemingly a step down in quality from the Greeks, this encounter turned out to be a far greater challenge than anticipated.  One Rangers fan told us: "It's better to be lucky than good."  They'll almost certainly require a combination of the two if they are to progress to the lucrative League Phase of the Champions League and potentially bring i...
Read more