Spain will face England in Euro Final after beating Germany courtesy Bonmati’s strike deep into extra-time.
Spain to face England in Euro 2025 final after Bonmatí’s extra-time strike sinks Germany.
Even if it seemed inevitable for three weeks, Sunday’s inaugural European Championship final feels like a significant milestone. The final hurdle is presented by England, and it should be a matchup between two teams that had to cross the finish line in different ways.
It had to be Aitana Bonmatí in the end. As extra time came to an end, Spain was demanding a spark from the best player in the world for the first time this summer.
A typical moment of brilliance or the results of careless goalkeeping? A fair reading would go towards the former, and the discussion will rage over Bonmatí’s winner. When Athenea del Castillo played Bonmatí, who allowed the ball to run through her legs and darted to meet it, towards the right byline, Ann-Katrin Berger, who had been spotless between the posts for Germany, did not appear to be in immediate danger.
She was unable to respond in time to the smashed first-time strike inside her near post, which few players would have dared attempt under the conditions. It is assumed that Berger had put herself up for a cross. The scorer’s intention was undeniable. According to Bonmatí, Spain was well aware of Berger’s tendency to leave that part of her objective exposed.
In a turn of circumstances that seriously hampered Spain’s preparations, this was the same Bonmatí who had been hospitalised a month earlier due to viral meningitis. It would have required a commendable amount of hope in those days to see her persevering through a tense, rough, captivating last-four match and finally brandishing the magic wand. She and the rest of a team that, if not playing at its best here, is still a step ahead of all the other teams in this competition must be dealt with by England.