Lionesses win another episode of the battle of eras to retain glory in the European Championship.

England's Lionesses beat Spain on penalties to win back-to-back Women's European Championships, bringing to a climax a journey that began with a defeat.

It was a long journey getting here. The Lionesses overcame adversity several times en route to facing the world champions in the final, which was another mission in itself, as the two have become dominant forces in women's football in recent years.

Clashes between the two heavyweights are becoming more famous these days, and they mostly come in the advanced stages of major tournaments due to their dominance over other nations.

They have met in the last three major tournaments (the European Championship twice, and the FIFA Women's World Cup), excluding their double-header in the group stages of the UEFA Nations League earlier this year.

For England, whose FIFA World Cup dreams were dashed two years ago in Australia and New Zealand, and for Spain, who lost out in the semi-finals of the last European Championship, it was much more than just another final fixture; it was becoming more of a rivalry.

At the end of the night, after coming from a goal down to level matters and force extra time, England went on to win on penalties, continuing their impressive shootout record under Sarina Wiegman — four wins from four.

Chloe Kelly was the heroine again as she came off the bench to assist the equalizer, and then scored the winning penalty in the shootout, becoming responsible for scoring the winning penalty in three of the four shootouts since Sarina took charge of the team.

England Avenged at WEURO 2025

The Lionesses' win isn't just about them; it extends to the men's team, who have reached the final of the previous two European Championship editions, but lost in both, with the most recent defeat coming against Spain.

Spain has become a thorn for England, though the English have also dealt them blows; yet the ones dealt by the former have been more devastating.

England's men's team has not won a major title since their FIFA World Cup triumph in 1966, and the current generation has made efforts to end the drought, only for Spain to stand in their way to glory just last summer.

In the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, the Lionesses were also close to going two better than their historical third-place finish in 2015, but their hard work was undone by Spain, who beat them in the final courtesy of Olga Carmona's first-half goal.

Earlier this summer, the Lionesses surrendered a one-goal lead to Claudia Pina's second-half double, as Spain eliminated them from the UEFA Nations League to progress to the knockout stages, where they went on to win it.

Preparing for meetings with the world champions is no easy feat. Spain is the best possession-dominant side in the world, and this fact extends to the men’s team.

In the concluded tournament, they had an average of 71.5 percent possession, whilst no other nation had more than 60. They also completed 626.7 passes per game, over 200 more than the second-place England on that list.

England was prepared to suffer, and Spain did not fail to make them. The Lionesses gave up 65 percent of possession and faced a total of 22 shots excluding penalties, but in the end, it was all worth it.

Mariona Caldentey headed the world champions in front just after the first quarter, but her goal was canceled out by Arsenal teammate Alessia Russo, who was assisted by the Lionesses' ever-reliable substitute Chloe Kelly — also an Arsenal player.

Another extra time for England, who became the first-ever team to have three different matches go to extra time in a single edition of either the Women's FIFA World Cup or UEFA European Championship, after requiring it against Sweden and Italy in previous rounds.

Neither of the two sides was able to find a winner after extra time, and England finished the tournament having led for only four minutes and 52 seconds in all of their three knockout round games combined — all against Italy.

The tournament did not fail to preserve its reputation after it went to a penalty shootout. Of the nine penalties attempted, just four found the back of the net, as England, who missed their first attempt, beat Spain, who had scored their first, by 3-1.

England finally gave Spain a taste of their own medicine as they avenged the defeats in the FIFA Women's World Cup final, the Nations League, and that of their men’s team in the European Championship last summer.

Spain, whose men’s team had already lost in the final of the UEFA Nations League earlier in the summer, now suffers another defeat. But their consolation will be the Women's Nations League title, and the truth that you can only be so good to be beaten at the top level.

And Still The Lionesses 

The Lionesses have successfully retained the title they won for the first time three years ago, finally making up for their years of heartbreak in the finals of 1984 and 2009.

The current generation has shown much commitment, winning back-to-back European Championship titles and a Finalissima in between, even though they have not been the best-ranked national team during these periods.

Leah Williamson, Lucy Bronze, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway, Alex Greenwood, Lauren Hemp, Beth Mead, Ella Toone, Lauren James, and the others, under the watch of Sarina Wiegman, have represented their country with pride.

They’ve faced their so-called best in the game, and in the moment, they’re second to none. Their next priority will be to go one better in the next FIFA World Cup, a vision that will surely be shared by their manager, if she remains in charge.

Sarina Wiegman has now won each of the last three Women's European Championship titles, following the back-to-back wins with the Lionesses and the conquest with her home country, the Netherlands, in 2017.

Six of the players from England have also completed the UEFA double by winning the Champions League with Arsenal just before the start of the summer.

Leah Williamson, Chloe Kelly, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead, Lotte Wubben-Moy, and Michelle Agyemang fall in this category, denying their club teammate Mariona Caldentey of Spain the same pleasure.

As the curtain falls on another unforgettable summer, where the Lionesses have again proved that champions aren't made by chance, but by resilience, they confirm their status as a mainstay at football’s summit.

While Spain may return stronger and have their revenge in the future, the night and the tournament belonged to England, whose journey continues, but the destination remains the same: to keep roaring where the world listens.