Spain understood that to keep their hopes of following up their World Cup triumph with a Euros victory alive, they needed to achieve their first-ever win against the tournament's most successful team, Germany.
The eight-time champions had the first chance when a long pass played Klara Buhl through one-on-one, but her left-foot shot went wide of the right post.
The Spanish team began to assert themselves in the match, controlling possession as is their style, and nearly took the lead when Olga Carmona’s cross into the box was not cleared; the ball fell to Esther Gonzalez, whose powerful first-time shot was tipped over the bar by the vigilant Ann-Katrin Berger.
The captain of the Red Ones Irene Paredes had to make a crucial defensive play to stop Giovanna Hoffman’s shot from getting to Cata Coll, and shortly after, the center-back nearly put her team ahead with a header from a corner that hit the right post.
With Spain dominating the latter part of the first half, Gonzalez had another opportunity to score when a precise long ball found her, but her close-range shot was saved by Berger.
All indicators suggested that Spain - who had won their last nine games - would elevate their performance after halftime; however, to the credit of the Frauenteam, they managed to frustrate their rivals much more effectively. While successfully keeping the tournament favorites at bay, Christian Wuck’s team posed a threat on the counter and almost took the lead with 25 minutes to go when Buhl’s close-range attempt was denied by Coll.
As the clock wound down, the German winger had two more chances in the closing moments to secure a place in the final. First, her free-kick from 25 yards struck the outside of the right post, and then in the final minute of stoppage time, her shot from just outside the box was deflected and looped towards the goal, with Coll managing to push the ball back into play before recovering in time to thwart Carlotta Wamser’s follow-up attempt as the match proceeded to extra time.
Chances were scarce during a tense extra 30 minutes at Stadion Letzigrund, with both teams reluctant to make a critical mistake that could lead to defeat.
The match seemed destined for a penalty shoot-out. However, just as England had done the night before, Spain managed to find a dramatic late winner.
In the 113th minute,Bonmati’s shot from the byline caught Berger off her line, and the ball slipped in at the near post, igniting celebrations among the Spanish fans in attendance.
That goal set up a rematch of the 2023 World Cup final in Basel on Sunday.
Flashscore Player of the Match: Aitana Bonmati (Spain)
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