In a summer draped in anticipation and nostalgia, the England Lionesses carved their names into history once again, emerging as EURO 2025 champions on a charged night in Basel. Against a talented Spain, for so long the team tipped to be the continent’s next queens, England summoned all their reserves of courage, grit, and belief to become the first-ever senior England team men’s or women’s to lift a major trophy on foreign soil. And in a final laden with drama, tension, and emotional peaks, it was Chloe Kelly, the Lionesses’ very own “queen of clutch”, who wrote the fairy tale’s final page. 

Spaniards Set the Early Tone 

With St. Jakob Park bathed in evening gold and dominated by a wall of English banners, there was energy in the air from the first whistle. Spain, as expected, were swift and sharp: Olga Carmona settling quickly and providing the game’s first moment of real danger, her crosses twice finding Esther Gonzalez in space. The Spanish striker, however, saw her efforts denied by England’s ever-dependable Hannah Hampton, who produced a sharp early save at her near post. 

It was a pattern soon established, England scrapping for rhythm while Spain glided between the lines, and in the 25th minute, the pressure told. Batlle escaped down the right, clipped a delicate cross to the penalty spot, and Arsenal’s Mariona Caldentey rose between white shirts to steer a measured header past Hampton’s despairing fingertips. Spain’s celebrations felt ominous: their passing crisp, movement fluid, their intent clear. 

Yet England are a side forged by adversity and soon Lauren Hemp, bustling and brave, tested Cata Coll in the Spanish net, while Lauren James harried Spanish defenders before a harsh injury ended her night in the 41st minute. Enter Chloe Kelly, a change that would shape the story of the match. 

Russo Answers Back, Lionesses Roar 

With England trailing at the break, manager Sarina Wiegman’s side-talk had to inspire more adventure. It took just eight minutes. Kelly, already providing width and purpose, shaped a superb curling cross from the right, and Alessia Russo, ghosting between defenders, rose brilliantly to send a thunderous header back across goal and in off the underside of the bar 1-1, and the contest wide open once again.

With belief flooding back, England pressed. Kelly almost put the Lionesses ahead minutes later, carving into the box from the left and firing low, only for Coll to save smartly at full stretch. As tension ratcheted up, Leah Williamson stepped forward in midfield, surging clear but unable to find a teammate with her inviting low ball. 

But Spain had not been subdued. The introduction of Salma Paralluelo injected further pace and intent; the youngster flashing a shot narrowly wide and then seeing another effort blocked by the tireless Williamson. It became a war of nerves, each side probing, seeking the moment that would tip the balance. 

Extra Time: Survival and Heroics 

As fatigue and nerves crept in, Spain found renewed intensity, Vicky Lopez and Claudia Pina threatening to break English hearts, but England’s resolve and Hampton’s gloves stayed strong. On the stroke of the first period of extra-time, disaster nearly struck: Batlle slung a cross to the far post and Paralluelo, poised for glory, swung and missed by inches. 

Each tackle, pass, and clearance now had the weight of destiny. Williamson, playing through pain, marshalled her troops with defiance: blocking, sprinting, urging. When Pina’s cross squirmed dangerously across England’s six-yard line, only desperate defending kept parity. 

The Shootout and Kelly’s Coronation 

It would fall, as so often in English tournament history, to penalties. Not since Kelly’s Wembley winner in 2022 had an England side faced such a pressure moment and the ghosts of yesteryear surely hovered. 

Drama came immediately. Beth Mead’s opener had to be retaken; her second attempt was saved. Spain’s Guijarro converted, ramping the pressure. But then the tide shifted: Caldentey missed, Greenwood scored, and Niamh Charles coolly dispatched her effort after another Hampton save, this time from Bonmati. 

Hampton cheered on wildly behind the goal stood tall, palming away Spain’s fourth as Paralluelo shot wide. When Kelly stepped up, the whole stadium knew: one successful strike would mean history. 

She delivered. Her trademark run-up, a stutter and then a cannon blast into the top corner. She tore away, arms aloft: for a second time, Chloe Kelly was the Lionesses’ golden girl. 

Celebration and Perspective 

As red-and-white shirts swarmed across the Basel turf, players wept, coaches embraced, and the pocket of England supporters sang themselves hoarse, Coach

Sarina Wiegman allowed herself a rare moment of euphoria: “We said we could win by any means and we have. This is the chaos of football, and the beauty too.” 

There were individual warriors everywhere for England. Hampton, whose penalty saves underpinned it all; Williamson, the captain who played through pain and fatigue; Kelly, forever the emblem of late, lethal composure. But above all, it was the collective – the team spirit that rescued parity, defied adversity, and fulfilled a dream denied so many English generations. 

A New Chapter for English Football 

For Spain, tears and regrets but also pride in a fearless final performance. For England, the ultimate reward: European champions for the second consecutive tournament, the nation’s first trophy conquered on foreign grass. The Lionesses lifted the trophy to a din of English pride, their triumph echoing not only in Basel, but across every stadium, street, and living room back home. 

The world watched, and once again, the women in white delivered roaring proof that this era of the Lionesses is no fairy tale, but a golden reality.