The Lionesses held their nerve to win the European Championship for the second time in a row, beating World Champions Spain 3–1 on penalties after a gripping 1–1 draw in normal time on Sunday night.
Chloe Kelly, England’s go-to hero in big moments, smashed home the decisive penalty to seal the victory in a nerve-jangling shootout that saw both sides falter from the spot.
Sarina Wiegman’s side came into the final as underdogs but came out firing. A high press unsettled Spain early, with Lauren Hemp nearly putting England ahead after pouncing on a defensive slip—only to be denied by Cata Coll in goal.
But Spain found their rhythm and opened the scoring in the 25th minute. A slick move down the right ended with Barcelona’s Ona Batlle swinging in a perfect cross for Mariona Caldentey, who was inexplicably left unmarked to head home. Lucy Bronze could only watch in despair.
To make matters worse, Lauren James limped off before the break, but her replacement, Chloe Kelly, wasted no time making her mark. Ten minutes after the restart, she delivered a sensational cross for Alessia Russo, whose perfectly placed header levelled the match and reignited England’s hopes.
Spain turned the screw late on, dominating possession and piling on pressure, but couldn’t find a way through. Extra time passed without a winner, setting the stage for a dramatic shootout.
Beth Mead slipped and had her retaken penalty saved, but Hannah Hampton pulled off two brilliant stops. Salma Paralluelo missed the target entirely, and when Kelly stepped up, there was no doubt. She hammered it in, sealing glory for the Lionesses.
England are European champions once again—and they’ve done it the hard way!
