The Assist: Celebrating the Lionesses

Sophie and Rachel from GirlsOnTheBall sum up their experiences at the Euros and we look forward to the future for this newsletter.

Finals can be sometimes be forgiven for falling a bit flat. Two teams wracked with nerves and overwhelmed by the occasion can mean that the game may not live up to its billing as the climax of four weeks of tournament football. This was not the case in Basel with a gladiatorial encounter between two nations at the pinnacle of the sport.

The final of Euro 2025 was played out between the current holders and the World Cup champions. England against Spain, part five or six or seven… these two have become such familiar opponents that it is probably the most exciting rivalry in women’s football at the moment.

England dumped Spain out of the last Euros in the quarterfinals while Spain beat England in the 2023 World Cup Final so there was a sense of revenge in the air. 

Looking at both teams’ form across the tournament, Spain were the understandable favourites. They came into this finale unbeaten, scoring 17 goals and conceding just three. Crucially, they had only faced extra-time once – in the semi-final against Germany – meaning they should have been fresher despite having one day less to prepare. 

Conversely, England opened their campaign with a defeat to France - essentially meaning every match felt like a knockout game from that point. They have taken themselves and all their supporters on nothing short of a rollercoaster ride over the last four weeks with inconsistent performances that varied from the brilliant to the underwhelming. They found themselves on the brink of elimination twice, requiring last-ditch comebacks and extra time to get through both the quarterfinals and semifinals. But as inconsistent as they were, the Lionesses also displayed grit, determination and a dogged resilience across the campaign. Sarina Wiegman’s team never know when their race is run and perhaps many underestimated how much that fight would galvanise them as they faced their old rivals. 

The game itself played out like a chess match. Spain played their typical technical possession-based football, wracking up the passes and on-the-ball stats. England, meanwhile, looked to defend from the front, patiently waiting for their opportunity to capitalise on the spaces left in La Roja’s backline. 

It was Montse Tomé’s side who pounced first, proving that any lapse in concentration would be punished. With Aitana Bonmatí, Athenea del Castillo and Ona Batlle combining to unlock England’s left-side, Mariona Caldentey found herself in plenty of space to head home the latter’s cross. 

As we have seen so often in this tournament, however, the Lionesses would not stay down for long. Mariona’s Arsenal teammate Alessia Russo scored almost a carbon copy from the opposite side, splitting the defence and sending a towering header into the back of the net. England dug in, personnel changes were made for both teams and the game ultimately crept over into extra-time with neither able to find a winner. It was actually quite fitting that these two heavyweights, having spent 120 minutes trying and failing to get the better of each other, could only be separated by penalties. 

Hannah Hampton and Cata Coll made two super saves each, while Salma Paralluelo saw her spotkick go past the post. The decider, as it so often does for England, came down to Chloe Kelly. The super sub, the finisher, the penalty expert, and once again in a Euros final, she delivered when it mattered most. Whatever way the result went, new records would have been set but it was the Lionesses writing their names in the history books once more. Victory in Basel saw them become the first senior English team to win back-to-back major tournaments and the first English team to win a major tournament on foreign soil.

With Aitana Bonmatí and Alexia Putellas part of Spain's all-star midfield, it is easy to overlook the influence of Patri Guijarro sitting in the deeper midfield role. The Barcelona star, however, is a crucial cog in the wheel that gets the Spanish attack moving. Her value was on full display this tournament. She was constantly involved, registering more touches, more successful passes, more tackles won and more ball recoveries than anyone else in her position. Her player of the match performance in their final group game against Italy was eye-catching, scoring a valuable second goal and registering a 92% pass completion rate. England took care to make sure her impact was nullified in the final, illustrating just how important she is to getting them flowing.

Based on FotMob’s average player ratings across the Euros as a whole, Spain dominate our Team of the Tournament. The data backs up our thoughts on Patri Guijarro’s influence at the heart of La Roja’s midfield but there’s only room for one Lioness. Alessia Russo’s tireless efforts up front were rewarded with five goal contributions, including England’s equaliser in the final.

Agyemang’s 81^st minute goal in the quarter finals to complete England’s comeback and force extra-time plus her 96^th minute equaliser versus Italy in the semi final made her a worthy winner of the Young Player of the Tournament and our Breakout Star. Remember Agyemang, her surname, unsurprisingly translates to “saviour of the nation” in Ghanian.

The Switzerland team were our biggest surprise at the tournament. Coming into a home Euros with a terrible record and several players missing through injury, many of us were understandably a little concerned about their progress.

It always feels better when the home nation does well and that they did. Not only did they get through to the knock-out stages for the first time in their history, but they played impressively throughout, winning fans over both in their own country and the wider competition.

Numerous players put their name on the map with some memorable performances, Iman Beney, Géraldine Reuteler and Livia Peng to name but a few. Joining 25,000 Swiss fans as they marched through the streets ahead of their quarter final with Spain will live long in the memory.

We can’t help but say England winning it again. Although Sophie felt confident throughout I, like many fans out there, certainly went through long periods where I was convinced the Lionesses were going home. The manner in which they won it is incredible. And sitting through three extra-times and two penalty shoot-outs, with a heart rate through the roof, I’m not sure we’ll every fully recover. But to see them lift the trophy again, after all of that, has got be THE standout moment for us.

Now Euro 2025 has come to a close, you can keep track of everything Girls on the Ball are up to via their website - here, and their social channels - here.

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