Hampton talks about her penalty shootout antics as she threw away Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll’s water bottle.
Hannah Hampton, the goalie for England, has disclosed how, during the Lionesses’ victory in the European Championship final via penalty shootout, she hurled Spain’s Cata Coll’s water bottle into the stands, discarding its tactical notes.
Hampton had a piece of paper with England’s insider information tied to her left arm. She stopped Aitana Bonmatí and Mariona Caldentey before Chloe Kelly scored the game-winning kick to help the Lionesses keep the trophy.
The 24-year-old acknowledged that she used the occasion to attempt to counteract any potential effects of Spain’s penalty studies. Even after a retake, Coll saved attempts from Leah Williamson and Beth Mead in the shootout, which England won 3-1.
“The Spanish keeper had it on her bottle,” Hampton told TalkSport. “So I thought when she was going in goal I’ll just pick it up and throw it into the English fans so she can’t have it.”
The Chelsea player added: “I never put it on a bottle because anyone can do that, so that is why I put it on my arm, and the TV caught that. It wasn’t hard – when she has gone in the goal it [the bottle] is on its own, isn’t it? It is in a towel, you just pick it up.
“Mine is blank, but it has the same sponsors and stuff so I just put mine in there, chucked her one into the fans and she had an empty bottle. She was looking for where it is. She was walking back and I was walking the other way. She was so confused. I was trying so hard not to burst out laughing [because] I was like: ‘Oh, I don’t know where it has gone’ … but you have got to do something haven’t you?”