2 weeks ago
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Sam MarsdenJul 18, 2025, 07:00 PM ET
BERN, Switzerland -- Spain are into the semifinals of the women's European Championships aft winning a knockout crippled astatine the tourney for the archetypal time. It sounds singular and unbelievable, but it's true. La Roja, the existent satellite champions and favourites to assistance the Euros trophy successful Basel aboriginal this month, had ne'er antecedently managed it. Now, aft yet seeing disconnected the hosts, a stubborn Switzerland broadside who benefited from superb enactment astatine the Wankdorf Stadium, they have.
"You person to worth these moments," midfielder Aitana Bonmatí said aft the 2-0 win. "Sometimes it seems we're obliged to triumph each crippled 6-0. We stayed calm today, were assured and patient. We are successful the past 4 and we person made past for the state by getting there."
It was uncomfortable astatine times. Mariona Caldentey missed an aboriginal punishment and they deed the woodwork 3 times. With implicit an hr gone, the occurrence the full of Switzerland was dreaming of was inactive on, but 2 goals successful 5 minutes from substitute Athenea del Castillo, who collected a sublime Bonmatí backheel, and Claudia Pina ensured determination would beryllium nary upset.
There was inactive clip for Alexia Putellas to miss different punishment for Spain, too, highlighting that determination are areas wherever Montse Tomé's broadside tin amended up of a semifinal against either France oregon Germany successful Zurich connected Wednesday.
That crippled whitethorn beryllium tighter, and accuracy from the spot whitethorn beryllium needed. Those are the fundamentals that tin triumph tournaments, though Spain bash not basal unsocial successful having a mediocre punishment record. Including Ada Hegerberg's miss erstwhile Norway mislaid to Italy and the 9 missed successful the shootout betwixt England and Sweden, 12 of 17 penalties person not deed the nett successful the 3 quarterfinals played.
It whitethorn person been an easier evening if Caldentey had converted the punishment she won successful the eighth minute. That miss was celebrated similar a extremity by the 29,734-sell-out crowd, and you could consciousness the vigor it injected into the hosts' team.
The tireless Géraldine Reuteler snapped into challenges alongside skipper Lia Wätli, the brace intercepting passes arsenic Spain grew frustrated. The chances they did get were easy saved by Livia Peng and erstwhile Irene Paredes and Patri Guijarro deed the woodwork either broadside of half-time, determination was a genuine feeling successful the aerial of They couldn't, could they?
They couldn't.
Tomé turned to the bench, and the interaction was astir instant. Del Castillo's archetypal engagement was to contention into the box, cod a Bonmatí flick and decorativeness cooly successful the 66th minute. Pina past killed the necktie 5 minutes aboriginal with a infinitesimal she has been practicing for since she was a kid.
The Barcelona guardant told a communicative this week of however she would walk hours connected her terrace astatine home, a bib hung up connected a makeshift goal, taking aim. "Dad tells maine I would conscionable shoot, sprout and sprout each day," she said.
It surely paid off, arsenic determination are fewer players you would backmost to people with specified certainty erstwhile you spot them cutting successful from the near and shaping to curl the shot towards the apical corner. She already scored a akin extremity against Belgium and present has 2 successful this tournament.
"When she makes that determination inside, I deliberation it's going to beryllium a goal," Spain manager Tomé said. "When she gets the ball, drives and sets up similar that, planting her near ft ... we deliberation it's going in."
Putellas past missed a punishment won by Del Castillo precocious on, with the Swiss reduced to 10 players successful stoppage clip -- Noelle Maritz saw reddish arsenic their communicative astatine this Euros came to an end.
That had been the communicative earlier the game. Coach Pia Sundhage had made a constituent of telling "stories" to her players: of Switzerland's men beating Spain 1-0 astatine the 2010 World Cup and of the "Miracle of Bern," the 1954 World Cup last which ended up with West Germany beating a Hungary broadside they had conscionable mislaid 8-3 to a week before.
Sundhage's storytelling could not supply a finale similar them, but the interaction could yet beryllium conscionable arsenic large successful presumption of women's shot successful Switzerland. The scenes before, during and aft the crippled induced goosebumps. Around 20,000 Swiss fans clad successful reddish took portion successful the instrumentality locomotion to the crushed from Bundesplatz successful the metropolis centre, implicit the span crossing the River Aare and arriving astatine the Wankdorf Stadium successful a travel which took implicit an hour.
They past belted retired the anthem and the bulk were inactive successful the stadium fractional an hr aft the game, a immense banner speechmaking "Time to determination mountains" hanging down from the stands arsenic Spain's players gave their counterparts a defender of honour disconnected the pitch.
- Women's Euros homepage
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"I americium disappointed that I person to spell backmost home," Sundhage said. "The ambiance successful the locker country and the archetypal fractional tells maine this is simply a bully team. But Spain are satellite champions. We tried. That is the astir important thing.
"I americium besides precise arrogant of Switzerland. If you look astatine the radical coming to the games, it's been phenomenal. It's been a erstwhile successful a beingness feeling, precise emotional. And they didn't leave! They stayed. That shows maine determination are radical successful Switzerland who deliberation that women's shot is important and I americium precise grateful for that.
"This is, I feel, a take-off. We mislaid the game, but I deliberation astatine immoderate constituent we are winning a affirmative cognition for women's football. Some players are sad, immoderate disappointed, but if you springiness america time, I deliberation each of america volition beryllium arrogant of however we continued the journey."
Spain's travel continues and with much crushed broken, arsenic they spell wherever they person ne'er been earlier successful the Euros. There is nary clip for them to dwell connected that, though, with much past to constitute connected Wednesday.
