Aitana Bonmati netted a 113th-minute winner as Spain edged past Germany with a 1-0 semi-final victory into their maiden UEFA Women’s Euro Final.
Bonmati pounced on Athenea Del Castillo’s through-ball pass to tuck a low tight-angled shot into the far left corner, which saw Spain secure passage to their first-ever UEFA Women’s Euro Final appearance.
Spain now await England in the final at St Jakob’s Park, Basel, on Sunday 27 July at 6pm CEST (5pm UK Time), after the Lionesses had beaten Italy in the opening semi-final.
Despite having played much of their last two matches with ten women, Germany matched Spain toe-to-toe in the opening minutes until an eighth-minute long ball up the left found Klara Buhl but she fired wide across goal.
Buhl eight minutes later saw a shot blocked as Germany continued to soak up Spain’s dominance on the counter-attack.
Spain however showed a first glimpse of their free-flowing quality in the 21st minute as a move up the left saw Olga Carmona’s cross put on goal by Esther Gonzalez, yet Ann-Katrin Berger crucially flicked the shot over then saved Irene Paredes’ unmarked header from a second quick corner.
Germany continued to look a menance on the counter-attack as Giovanna Hoffmann fired wide from Julie Brand’s 31st-minute curled through-ball pass into the box, before Buhl fired wide across goal a further seven minutes later.
Spain finished the first half on top but Alexia Putellas nodded wide across goal whilst Gonzalez, Aitana Bonmati and Carmona failed to put their shots on target, as Germany managed to keep the world champions at bay into half time despite injury-time blocks from Berger to deny Gonzalez and Claudia Pina.
Germany in response started the second half on the front foot as Hoffmann headed wide after 58 seconds on the restart, before Brand saw a shot blocked by Paredes’ right arm but no penalty was awarded due to Paredes’ arm having been in a natural position.
Ona Batlle and Bonmati saw shots blocked as Spain soon began to wrestle control, but Cata Coll kept the Spanish in the game with a 63rd-minute block of Buhl’s shot.
Bonmati almost punished Buhl’s failure to convert her chance just six minutes later as she pounced onto a loose headed clearance, but volleyed her right-footed shot wide amidst a spell of substitutions for both teams.
Both teams soon began to toll under the threat of extra time which Germany almost avoided after they won a 85th-minute free-kick just outside of the box, after Athenea del Castillo had fouled Elisa Senss.
Buhl however curled just wide of the bottom right corner with her low strike despite Coll having dived the opposite way.
Spain also missed a chance to avoid the dreaded extra half-hour as Carmona played a slick pass into the box seconds into injury-time, yet substitute – Salma Paralluelo flicked her shot into Berger’s arms.
Germany almost snatched victory at the death after Coll flapped away a dinking deflected shot from the top right corner, then swiftly blocked Carlotta Wamser’s rebound shot as the game eventually couldn’t be settled in regulatory time.
A tense first-half of extra time followed as Wamser fired wide for Germany just two minutes into the additional period, whilst Spain’s Paredes headed over from a 105th-minute corner.
Spain eventually capitalised on a sloppy 113th-minute clearance from Sydney Lohmann which Del Castillo intercepted, and calmly played Bonmati through to bend a shot past Berger into the far left corner from the right post and secure Spain’s first-ever appearance in the final of this competition.
Teams
Germany: Ann-Katrin Berger, Carlotta Wamser, Sophia Kleinherne (Lohmann 97′), Janina Minge, Rebecca Knaak, Franziska Kett, Julie Brand, Elisa Senss (Schuller 114′), Sara Dabritz (Dallmann 64′), Klara Buhl, Giovanna Hoffmann (Cerci 86′)
Substitutes: Selina Cerci, Linda Dallmann, Laura Freigang, Giulia Gwinn, Stina Johannes, Sari Linders, Sydney Lohmann, Ena Mahmutovic, Lea Schuller, Cora Zicai
Spain: Cata Coll, Ona Batlle, Irene Paredes, Maria Mendez, Olga Carmona, Aitana Bonmati, Patricia Guijarro, Alexia Putellas, Mariona Caldentey (Martin-Prieto 103′), Esther Gonzalez (Paralluelo 68′), Claudia Pina (Del Castillo 77′)
Substitutions: Jana Fernandez, Lucia Garcia, Vicky Lopez, Cristiana Martin-Prieto, Adriana Nanclares, Leila Ouahabi, Salma Paralluelo, Alba Redondo, Esther Sullastres, Maite Zubieta, Athenea del Castillo
Referee – Edina Alves Batista (Brazil)
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