Spain beat Germany to set up Women’s Euro 2025 final with England

World champions Spain defeated Germany 1-0 in their Women’s Euro 2025 semifinal to set up a title decider this weekend against England, with Aitana Bonmati scoring the only goal of the game late in extra time.

The 113th minute winner of the tense match in Zurich surprised the usually trustworthy German goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger at her near post with a penalty kick.

Although it wasn’t one of Bonmati’s most significant performances, the Barcelona star still delivered when needed to ensure Spain won their first European Championship title.

They were also appreciative of goalkeeper Cata Coll’s crucial interventions, including a spectacular double save that ended the match for Germany by denying Klara Buhl and Carlotta Wamser.

In a repeat of the 2023 World Cup decider, when La Roja won with a 1-0 victory in Sydney, Spain will now face reigning European champions England in Basel on Sunday.

If Montse Tome’s side wins again, they will become the first team to hold both world and European titles at once, almost 15 years ago.

Spain’s first-ever Euro final, which would give them the chance to establish themselves as the dominant force in international women’s football, was a result of their previous defeat to Germany.

After playing almost the entire game with 10 players, they should have been the more recent of the two teams in this one, having last played their quarterfinal against hosts Switzerland the day before Germany defeated France in penalties.

With right-back Sarai Linder injured and Kathrin Hendrich and Sjoeke Nusken suspended, Germany were also without three starters from that game.

Berger was in goal for Christian Wuck’s team at Zurich’s Letzigrund Stadium, but they unsurprisingly had the majority of the 22, 432 spectators in the back.

She was the star of the victory over France when she prevented Esther Gonzalez, her teammate at Gotham FC in the United States, from intercepting a shot just before the halfway point of the first half, tipping the ball over for a corner.

Irene Paredes, the skipper of Spain, fired a Claudia Pina corner, and Berger denied Gonzalez once more before half-time.

Germany had the best chances in the second half before Coll made a crucial block from Buhl just after the hour mark, and the Bayern Munich player curled a free kick just wide late in.

The Barcelona goalkeeper kept a deflected Buhl shot that was looping in front of him before making the stunning double save that was made just before the end of the four minutes of injury time, and he quickly stopped Wamser’s follow-up.

Perhaps that indicated that Germany’s night was not yet here. After overstretching while attempting to stop Salma Paralluelo’s clean through on goal, they then saw defender Sophia Kleinherne leave in tears just before the end of the third period.

In the 113th minute, Bonmati beat Berger with a shot from a close range past Athenea del Castillo before letting a ball from Athenea del Castillo run past her in the area.