The drama didn’t stop with the quarterfinals! The knockout rounds of this tournament have been delivering in terms of entertainment.
England vs. Italy (2-1)
After taking Sweden all the way to a penalty shootout in the quarterfinals, England came out against Italy looking leggy. They saw most of the ball and had almost twice as many opportunities as Italy, but more than half ended up off target. Italy’s gameplan almost worked. Stout defensive organization for long stretches while pushing forward at key moments. Neutralize the midfield to leave the frontline on an island. They were able to pull apart the England defense enough while going forward to allow Barbara Bonasea to land the first blow in the 33rd minute. Italy placed heavier emphasis on the defensive end of things as the game went on and did an excellent job getting numbers behind the ball and staying compact.
Despite England having more of the ball and more of the momentum throughout the second half, they just could not land quality chances on frame. As time ticked away, it felt like Italy had done it. However, despite all of the Italian’s efforts in time wasting, some odd decisions (taking a long-range shot on a clean breakaway..???) gave super subs Michelle Agyemang and Chloe Kelly just enough time with the ball to make the necessary difference for England. In the 96th minute, Agyemang found herself in the box ready to play clean up crew on second balls, equalizing for England in the nick of time. This, reasonably, deflated Italy. In that moment, it felt really unfortunate that captain Christiana Girelli had to come off the pitch earlier in the match with an apparent injury. Through additional time their defensive lines, that had looked so pretty throughout the game, started to lose their shape and tired legs limited their ability to make clean clearances. Goalkeeper Laura Giuliani started to bobble shots that she had previously stopped cleanly.
In the last minutes of additional time, Italy committed a soft foul in the box awarding a penalty kick to England. Kelly stepped up to take it. After sinking her penalty against Sweden, I’m sure English fans breathed a sigh of relief. Her kick actually ended up being saved, however, Giuliani wasn’t able to smother the ball allowing a rebound, which Kelly slotted home. Quite the rollercoaster to end the game. England emerged victorious and will be heading to their second Euros final under Head Coach Sarina Weigman. I hope their recovery regimen is comprehensive because two 120 minute games in a row has got to take a toll on their minds and bodies.
Germany vs. Spain (0-1)
Germany had really been through it this tournament. In the group stage they lost their captain Gulia Gwinn to injury. Their backup right outside back, Carlotta Wamser, was suspended from the quarterfinals for a DOGSO handball. Defender, Kathrin Hendrich, was sent off during their quarterfinal against France for hair pulling. Sjoeke Nüsken would also be suspended from the semifinal due to yellow card accumulation. Despite all of that, they approached Spain with a solid gameplan.
The Germans kept numbers behind the ball. Stand-in outside back, Franziska Kett, put in another great shift managing Mariona Caldentey. Sophia Kleinherne and Rebecca Knaak consistently put in crucial tackles to keep Spain out centrally. As a team, Germany disrupted Spain’s midfielders Alexia Putellas, Aitana Bonmatí, and Patri Guijarro to throw off Spain’s final product. Unfortunately, all the hustling by Kiara Bühl and Jule Brand came to nothing in the limited opportunities they had going forward.
It’s not to say that Spain were without chances to score. Striker Esther González, had multiple good opportunities. Spain took 22 shots with 9 on target, but when the Germans did break down defensively, goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger was there to save the day. It took a moment of individual brilliance from Aitana Bonmatí, who had been hospitalized right before the tournament due to viral meningitis, to put Spain over the line at the end of additional time.
As perhaps many expected all along, Sunday’s meeting will be a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final. As a neutral, I was hoping for something different. It felt like Italy and Germany’s performances were worthy of advancing, but alas. As an Angel City fan, I’m all too familiar with the concept of a team needing to put in a “full 90(+) minute performance,” and the consequences that come along with failing to do so. Sometimes the game is cruel.
I hope the chaos doesn’t cut out for the final. In my opinion, both Spain and England have something to prove with regard to their performances in the tournament thus far. Spain cruised through their group, but seemed easily frustrated in the knockout rounds. England has frankly looked to be in poor form against top competition (sorry Netherlands), but emerged with the results thanks to their substitutes. At the end of the day, the only thing that really matters in tournament football is winning and advancing. On paper, both of these teams undoubtedly deserve to be in the final. I’ve been learning over the past year or so the impact of squad depth. Oftentimes, it feels like one of the main factors that separates a good team from a championship team. England and Spain are probably the two deepest teams in the tournament so it makes sense that they find themselves at the end. When other teams may have to take big players off and try to lock it down, these two can find another gear in the dying moments of a game. I just hope that the performances from each team leading up to the final don’t leave us with a tough watch, and they both come out sharper.