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Spain makes history: breaks its curse with Germany and reaches its first Euro Cup final

Spanish women's football continues to write golden pages in its history. This time, in Zurich, Spain defeated Germany in extra time (0-1) and qualified for the final of a European Championship for the first time. The opponent was none other than the all-powerful German team, eight-time champions of the tournament and, until today, an insurmountable obstacle for our team: five defeats and three draws in previous encounters. But Montse Tomé's Roja decided to break the mould and write their own script. And boy, did they do it.

It was a tough, hard-fought match, the kind that is not decided by pure talent but by mental resilience and the ability to suffer. Spain had control of the ball, as expected, but Germany managed to tie up the midfield with a solid block and a lot of tactical discipline. Despite their dominance, the Spanish team could not find any gaps or clear solutions in the final metres. Everything seemed to be heading for penalties, until Aitana Bonmatí appeared in the 112th minute to unleash the madness.

The Barça player latched onto a measured pass from Athenea del Castillo — fresh off the bench — and placed her shot into the near post to beat Ann-Katrin Berger, who had been a wall up to that point. That goal not only put Spain in its first Euro Cup final, it also knocked out a German team that had reached the semi-finals after another extra time just four days earlier and with several key players missing.

The German team, despite physical exhaustion and absences (Nüsken, Hendrich, Gwinn and Linder), did not make it easy. Their plan was to wait back and come out like arrows on the counterattack. And the idea worked for much of the match. In fact, they had a couple of very clear chances, especially one from Bühl that grazed the post, and another that Cata Coll saved with two consecutive saves in injury time.

Spain, for its part, remained true to its style. Control, movement, patience... and also frustration. Only in the final stages of the first half and during a few moments of the second half did Tomé's team really trouble the German goalkeeper. Mariona, Esther, Ona and Pina tried their luck, but Berger was always there with reflexes from another planet.

That was when the changes that would make the difference came. Tomé made his move by bringing on Salma Paralluelo and Athenea del Castillo to seek more width and depth. And that was the key. With Germany already counting down the minutes, Athenea found the gap to deliver the decisive pass to Aitana, who made no mistake.

The goal was the final blow. From then on, all that remained was to hold on. Cata, impeccable between the posts, made one last save worth its weight in gold against Schüller, and La Roja secured a victory that is worth a place in the final. The last stop on a dream journey that began with the world title in 2023 and continued with the conquest of the Nations League.

Now there is one last step: England. The current European champions await in Sunday's grand final at St. Jakob-Park in Basel. A sporting rematch and a historic opportunity for Spain, which has already made history... but wants more. This generation never tires of winning.