Women's Euros: Resilient Lionesses show another string to their bow to defeat Spain
When England came off the pitch at the Amex Stadium against Norway nine days ago, they had just wiped the floor with their Group A opponents, knocking them out 8-0.
Suffice it to say, returning to Brighton to face Spain in the quarter-finals was a tougher encounter for Sarina Wiegman's side, but they showed real grit and determination to qualify for the semi-finals of the European Women's Championships.
Spain were the last team to prevent England from winning, their 0-0 draw in February being the final result before the Lionesses embarked on a nine-game winning streak (now 10). They were also the only team England failed to score against in their first 17 games under Wiegman.
However, a fierce performance from the hosts saw them come from behind to secure a 2-1 victory in extra time, knocking out one of the other pre-tournament favourites.
Before the game, La Roja boss Jorge Vilda seemed to be playing mind games, aiming to put pressure on his opponents.
"If I imagine Spain playing a quarter-final against England, in a home Euro that they organized, a team from Spain playing in a big Spanish stadium, I imagine that I think it might take more away than it brings," he said in his pre-match press conference.
He seemed right as England struggled to find anything like the fluidity they enjoyed in later games for much of normal time, be it nerves or a well-executed Spanish game plan .
It was a hesitant start on the south coast of England, clear immediately that Spain would be a tougher proposition than Norway. They had only lost one game (against Germany in the group stage) in their last 26 international matches (W21 D4), so they were always going to be a tough nut to crack for England.
Mariona Caldentey caused problems for Lucy Bronze on the Spanish left and netted the first shot on target after 16 minutes as the visitors began to impose their possession game, giving England a problem they didn't have not yet faced in the tournament so far.
Olga Carmona was tasked with silencing the tournament's top scorer, Beth Mead, and she did just that, as the England star was unable to wield any authority over the game.
>Despite being largely on the back foot, the hosts thought they had taken the lead in the 37th minute when a free-kick headed for Ellen White, who fired home, only to have an offside flag properly goes up, with White robbed of the chance to equal Wayne Rooney's England record 53 goals.
Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas was a clear miss for Vilda's side. The Barcelona captain finished top scorer in the Champions League with 11 goals last season and ended her domestic campaign with 18.
Spain's most capped player (100), who also won FIFA's Best Women's Player award in 2021, will miss the next 10-12 months with an ACL injury, and would have probably was a key factor in this one as La Roja dominated the ball for long stretches but struggled to force their way into Wiegman's side.
England, who were leading 6-0 at half-time when they faced Norway, only managed one shot in the first 45 minutes here, and that only happened in the second half. 40th minute, Spain having six.
The Lionesses started the second half with flying colors, however, pressing noticeably higher up the pitch and with more fervor.
However, it was Spain's half-time substitute Athenea del Castillo who produced some magic to open the scoring, sinking Rachel Daly from the right before coming back to Esther Gonzalez, who returned and finished well ahead of Mary Earps. in the 54th minute.
Wiegman responded by making his own substitutions, surprisingly dropping Mead and White for Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly.
It almost made a difference straight away when Russo kicked a ball for Lauren Hemp, which was brought down in the penalty area, but referee Stephanie Frappart dismissed the claims much to the chagrin of vocal fans at home .
It looked like England had given their all, until another substitute made the difference as Ella Toone ran into a knockdown from Russo to push the ball past Sandra Panos and equalize with six minutes remaining.
That forced extra time and the momentum swung in England's favor as Georgia Stanway launched a run down the middle before unleashing a ferocious strike past Panos from 25 yards out to delight the home fans.
>Stanway's effort was the 100th goal England have scored under Wiegman in just their 18th game, and the 11th from outside the penalty area.
It was now Spain who seemed to be out of ideas, and despite some minor scares, England held on to seal their place in the last four and show that they don't always need to dominate matches to get the job done.
A loud roar went up from the 28,994 crowd in Brighton, enough to scare away the local seagulls, as England celebrated a hard-fought victory.
When England came off the pitch at the Amex Stadium against Norway nine days ago, they had just wiped the floor with their Group A opponents, knocking them out 8-0.
Suffice it to say, returning to Brighton to face Spain in the quarter-finals was a tougher encounter for Sarina Wiegman's side, but they showed real grit and determination to qualify for the semi-finals of the European Women's Championships.
Spain were the last team to prevent England from winning, their 0-0 draw in February being the final result before the Lionesses embarked on a nine-game winning streak (now 10). They were also the only team England failed to score against in their first 17 games under Wiegman.
However, a fierce performance from the hosts saw them come from behind to secure a 2-1 victory in extra time, knocking out one of the other pre-tournament favourites.
Before the game, La Roja boss Jorge Vilda seemed to be playing mind games, aiming to put pressure on his opponents.
"If I imagine Spain playing a quarter-final against England, in a home Euro that they organized, a team from Spain playing in a big Spanish stadium, I imagine that I think it might take more away than it brings," he said in his pre-match press conference.
He seemed right as England struggled to find anything like the fluidity they enjoyed in later games for much of normal time, be it nerves or a well-executed Spanish game plan .
It was a hesitant start on the south coast of England, clear immediately that Spain would be a tougher proposition than Norway. They had only lost one game (against Germany in the group stage) in their last 26 international matches (W21 D4), so they were always going to be a tough nut to crack for England.
Mariona Caldentey caused problems for Lucy Bronze on the Spanish left and netted the first shot on target after 16 minutes as the visitors began to impose their possession game, giving England a problem they didn't have not yet faced in the tournament so far.
Olga Carmona was tasked with silencing the tournament's top scorer, Beth Mead, and she did just that, as the England star was unable to wield any authority over the game.
>Despite being largely on the back foot, the hosts thought they had taken the lead in the 37th minute when a free-kick headed for Ellen White, who fired home, only to have an offside flag properly goes up, with White robbed of the chance to equal Wayne Rooney's England record 53 goals.
Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas was a clear miss for Vilda's side. The Barcelona captain finished top scorer in the Champions League with 11 goals last season and ended her domestic campaign with 18.
Spain's most capped player (100), who also won FIFA's Best Women's Player award in 2021, will miss the next 10-12 months with an ACL injury, and would have probably was a key factor in this one as La Roja dominated the ball for long stretches but struggled to force their way into Wiegman's side.
England, who were leading 6-0 at half-time when they faced Norway, only managed one shot in the first 45 minutes here, and that only happened in the second half. 40th minute, Spain having six.
The Lionesses started the second half with flying colors, however, pressing noticeably higher up the pitch and with more fervor.
However, it was Spain's half-time substitute Athenea del Castillo who produced some magic to open the scoring, sinking Rachel Daly from the right before coming back to Esther Gonzalez, who returned and finished well ahead of Mary Earps. in the 54th minute.
Wiegman responded by making his own substitutions, surprisingly dropping Mead and White for Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly.
It almost made a difference straight away when Russo kicked a ball for Lauren Hemp, which was brought down in the penalty area, but referee Stephanie Frappart dismissed the claims much to the chagrin of vocal fans at home .
It looked like England had given their all, until another substitute made the difference as Ella Toone ran into a knockdown from Russo to push the ball past Sandra Panos and equalize with six minutes remaining.
That forced extra time and the momentum swung in England's favor as Georgia Stanway launched a run down the middle before unleashing a ferocious strike past Panos from 25 yards out to delight the home fans.
>Stanway's effort was the 100th goal England have scored under Wiegman in just their 18th game, and the 11th from outside the penalty area.
It was now Spain who seemed to be out of ideas, and despite some minor scares, England held on to seal their place in the last four and show that they don't always need to dominate matches to get the job done.
A loud roar went up from the 28,994 crowd in Brighton, enough to scare away the local seagulls, as England celebrated a hard-fought victory.
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