Football thriller in Brighton: The hosts from England advance to the semi-finals thanks to a spirited performance. Meanwhile, Spain mourns missed opportunities.
England’s footballers have continued to soar and have reached the semi-finals of a European Championship for the second time in a row. The hosts beat Spain 2-1 (1-1, 0-0) after extra time in Brighton in a thriller and can continue to dream of winning the title in their own country. Either Sweden or Belgium await in the fight for the final in Sheffield on Tuesday.
Future Munich player Georgia Stanway (96th) made the decision in front of 28,994 fans. Ella Toone (84th) had saved the “Lionesses”, who had already shone in the preliminary round with three wins and 14:0 goals, into extra time. Coach Sarina Wiegman’s team is in the semi-finals of a major tournament for the fourth time in a row. Esther Gonzalez (54th) initially put the guests in the lead.
England’s equalizer controversial
As in the 2-0 loss to Germany in the group stage, Spain started with a lot of possession, but didn’t take advantage of the few chances they had in the fight for only their second participation in a European Championship semi-final. The negligence was almost punished just before the break, but a goal by Ellen Wight (37′) was ruled out because it was flagged for offside.
Spain then struck early in the second half: Substitute Athenea sent a smart pass to Esther, who found a low shot. The English team responded to the tournament’s first goal with wild attacks and were rewarded with an equalizer just before the end of regular time, but the equalizer was disputed because of a previous foul. A right-footed shot by Stanway finally put England on the road to victory.