When reigning World and Nations League champions, Spain Women, took to the field with their German counterparts for their Women’s European Championship semi-final, they both knew that Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses lay in wait for them in Sunday’s final. A repeat of either the 2022 Euros final or the 2023 World Cup final was on the cards, and though Spain had long been the tournament favourites, they’d never reached a European final.
Germany had reached seven of the last eight finals Germany on the other hand, had the experience of nine previous Women’s Euros finals to draw upon, including seven of the last eight – six of which they’d won.
Despite this, it was the Spain starting XI on Wednesday that had made 165 collective appearances at major tournaments (World Cup/Euros), compared to just 93 collective appearances among the Germany starting line-up.
As might be expected, the first 10 minutes of the game was an exercise in both teams settling themselves down and working out areas of attack. The Spanish dominated the passing stats, with Irene Parades completing 26 passes in the opening 15 minutes.
No Germany player had made more than five, and the German team had just 33 collectively by that point in the match.
German central midfielder, Sara Dabritz, soon picked up her side’s seventh yellow card of the tournament, and that was even before she’d made a single pass in the game.
Spain’s domination of the ball continued, and both Paredes and tournament top-scorer, Esther Gonzalez, worked Ann-Katrin Berger in the German goal with shots on target.
Spain’s 78% possession Although the Spaniard’s had 78% possession after half and hour, their opponents defence remained resolute and, as a result, Montse Tome’s side had managed only five touches in the German box.
It meant a sense of deja vu was already creeping in given that in the last six meetings between the sides, Spain had been kept goalless in four and scored only one goal in the other two matches – none of which had been won.
Incessant Spanish pressure in the lead up to half-time saw another eight shots in the final six minutes of the half, three of which were on target and one hitting the woodwork.
