England’s Dramatic European Victory: A Historic Triumph

One could argue there was no more fitting way for England to cap off their historic and triumphant European Championship campaign than with a dramatic finale.

No strangers to coming from behind, the Lionesses pulled off their third knockout-stage comeback in the final against reigning world champions Spain. Remarkably, the team spent less than five minutes in the lead across all three of their elimination matches, including stoppage time. Once again, they responded after conceding the first goal, fought back to equalize, and held on for 120 minutes to force a penalty shootout.

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England retained the European Championship trophy by defeating Spain. This is the story of their triumphant journey.

The penalty shootout victory perfectly encapsulated the Lionesses' path to glory—a mix of misfortune, meticulous preparation, and ice-cool nerves in decisive moments.

The Athletic breaks down the events exactly as they unfolded.

As both teams huddled to prepare for penalties, England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was seen rolling up one of her long green sleeves, revealing a strip of tape with handwritten notes on her forearm. While reminders of opponents' penalty tendencies are nothing new, goalkeepers usually keep them on their water bottles—as Sweden’s Jennifer Falk did against England in the quarterfinals.

It seemed like a promising start for the Lionesses.

However, Beth Mead slipped while taking her penalty. Though she scored the first attempt, she was forced to retake it—a heart-stopping moment for the forward, followed by brief relief. That relief was short-lived, as VAR ruled out the initial penalty due to an irregular touch caused by her stumble.

On the second attempt, Mead was denied by Spain’s Cata Coll, who dove the same way both times. What could have been a psychological blow for England may have instead given Spain a confidence boost. Or perhaps the early setback was exactly what the Lionesses needed to regroup.

After all, their Euro campaign had begun with a 2-1 group-stage loss to France.

As Mead walked back to the halfway line, comforted by teammate Grace Clinton, Spain stepped up for their first penalty.

For Patri Guijarro—considered by many a strong Ballon d’Or contender—this was a pivotal moment. Knowing England were already behind in the shootout added extra pressure, but Guijarro handled it masterfully. Her powerful shot down the middle caught Hampton mid-movement to the left, leaving no chance for a save.

Before placing the ball for her penalty, defender Alex Greenwood bounced it three times in her hands. Manager Sarina Wiegman had deployed Greenwood both at center-back and left-back throughout the tournament, and against Spain, she stood firm against their relentless attack over 90 minutes and extra time.

It was yet another chapter of resilience for a team that turned adversity into glory.