England’s Euro 2025 final win: tactical analysis

England retained their status as European champions by beating world champions Spain in this Euro 2025 final. In a rematch of the 2023 World Cup final, Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses held their nerve in a penalty shootout to successfully defend the trophy they won on home soil in 2022. That was a victory that catapulted progress in the women’s game in England – and this triumph will hopefully serve to further its development.

England showed remarkable resilience en route to the final, and their redoubtable spirit got them over the line once again. For their part, Spain grew into the game and took the lead midway through the first half with a Mariona Caldentey header. England hit back with a header of their own – Alessio Russo converting a Chloe Kelly cross just before the hour mark. Neither side could find a winner, with Hannah Hampton going on to prove her worth in goal for England in the shootout. It was then left to Kelly – who scored the winning goal in the Euro 2022 final – to write her name into the history books with another winning strike.

How the managers saw it

“We said we can win by any means and that’s what we have shown again today,” said Wiegman. “It has been the most chaotic tournament on the pitch – all the challenges we had on the pitch against our opponents. From the first game it was chaos. Losing your first game and becoming European champions is incredible. Football is chaos.”

“Of course, I think this team deserved more,” said Spain head coach Montse Tomé. “This is sport. You must know how to lose and today we missed the penalties. We did a good first half. Then with the 1-1, and then in extra-time, we managed to control the ball, but we didn’t manage to get the victory. I think we were better but football is a sport where not always the best team wins. England is an excellent national team. They showed a high level during the tournament. They draw and then they defend themselves to get to the penalty [shootout].”

Rotations on Spain’s left

From their 4-3-3 shape in attack, Spain’s rotations on their left caused England lots of problems in the first half. Mariona Caldentey moved inside, giving left-back Olga Carmona space to advance high and wide. Midfielders Alexia Putellas and Patricia Guijarro then dropped and supported left centre-back Laia Aleixandri, as she stepped into midfield to connect with those ahead. Right number eight Aitana Bonmatí, meanwhile, made penetrative runs, essentially becoming another forward in the central spaces (below).

Spain’s left side created problems for Lucy Bronze in particular, who was often unsure whether to follow Caldentey’s narrow movements or track Carmona’s overlaps. The forward passing of the dropping Putellas helped Spain to play through England’s lines, creating crossing opportunities with Carmona’s overlaps around Bronze. Spain also found Caldentey between the lines at times, as she worked off the shoulders of England’s midfielders. Caldentey could then combine centrally as Bonmatí waited patiently away from the ball (below).

England responded to Spain’s left-side rotations by converting into a 4-4-2 block. Ella Toone and Russo became a first-line pair and dealt with Spain’s pivot, as well as individually pressing outwards to the widest player in Spain’s back-three build-up. Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway tracked any central midfield runs, while Lauren Hemp worked back to cover Carmona’s overlaps. This allowed Bronze to track Caldentey’s runs inwards, limiting Spain’s left-sided play (below). But it resulted in England getting locked in, unable to counter effectively as Spain dominated possession – nearly 70 per cent in the first half. The world champions eventually took the lead when right-back Ona Batlle got forward to cross for Caldentey to head in.

England’s central overload

Wiegman responded at half-time by moving right-back Bronze into central midfield when England had possession. This gave England a 4v3 overload, which finally gave them sustained periods of possession. Whenever England found their spare central players, they could play straight through Spain’s block and into their wide front line (below). Hemp and substitute Kelly (on for the injured Lauren James) were dangerous as they regularly attacked 1v1 against their full-back opponent. It was Kelly who delivered the cross that Russo met with a superb header to equalise early in the second half.

England had their best period of the game in the second half as they were able to frequently find their spare central player. But with Bronze moving inside so early, her direct opponent Clàudia Pina – on for Putellas in the 71st minute – began to narrow when defending, which helped Spain to deal with England’s central numbers. England were also able to play around and over Spain’s midfield, though, sometimes directly into wingers Kelly and Hemp (below). Russo and her 71st-minute replacement, Michelle Agyemang, were also useful targets to play off, as England connected with their front line through short and long passes.

Spain reverting back to 4-3-3

At half-time, Spain coach Tomé moved her team back to a traditional 4-3-3 – likely in response to England having ended the first half in a 4-4-2 low block. Wingers Athenea del Castillo and Caldentey held the width, with the latter especially no longer inverting. This meant the inside channels were free for number-eight runs from deep, or high positioning to receive between the lines (below). As a result Spain connected well with their number eight and winger pairings, from which they were able to penetrate England’s back four.

Spain’s 4-3-3 continued to create problems in the inside channels, as Tomé made second-half substitutions. Caldentey moved into midfield following Pina’s introduction to the left side of the front line in the 71st minute. In the 89th minute, Vicky López replaced Del Castillo on the right and Salma Paralluelo came on for Esther González at centre-forward. Throughout the second half, Spain were a consistent threat, despite England having moments of momentum. Spain’s wide combinations – particularly inside-channel combinations where they worked around or inside England’s full-backs (below) – allowed them to play dangerous low crosses across goal. Crucially, as it transpired, they were unable to turn these opportunities into a second goal. 

Throughout extra-time Spain dominated the ball and were very much on the attack. They often played through England thanks to their number eights widening to receive and play forward, as England’s high press faded. Spain’s midfielders received off the shoulders of England’s midfield, and penetrative runs from their fresh wingers aided progression (below). They often attacked with a front five, as their midfielders overlapped the wingers when needed.

But despite looking likeliest to score in extra-time, Spain couldn’t break the England defence. Instead, Wiegman’s comeback queens became the first team to win a Women’s Euros final having trailed at half-time.

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