Claudia Pina scored twice and Germany crumbled on Tuesday as Spain retained the UEFA Women’s Nations League title with a 3-0 victory in the final’s second leg.
Vicky Lopez also scored after Pina finally broke the deadlock in the 61st minute with Germany stubbornly hanging on as Spain had done in the first leg, a 0-0 draw in Kaiserslautern on Friday.
Spain were without three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati, who broke her leg in training on Sunday.
Photo: AFP
Lopez took Bonmati’s place and Spain dominated from the start. Esther Gonzalez swept the ball just past the post and Mariona Caldentey forced a save from Ann-Katrin Berger early on as the flag-waving fans roared encouragement.
Nearly 56,000 supporters attended the match at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano, easily a record for the Spain team at home. Many children were also present on a cold night in the Spanish capital. None of the supporters seemed to mind the cold with most staying in their seats long after the final whistle.
“One of the most magical nights we have ever experienced, one of the best in my career,” two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas said.
Photo: EPA
“Some of us have been playing for the national team for 13 years and never imagined this,” Putellas said of the attendance. “It says a lot about what we have achieved with women’s soccer in Spain. We will continue to inspire girls and boys to fight for their dreams, which sometimes come true.”
Gonzalez tried her luck with an acrobatic scissors-kick, and Mariona, Lopez and Mariona again all had good chances before the break, with Berger doing well to deny the latter.
Nicole Anyomi had a rare opportunity for Germany in a one-on-one with Cata Coll before the halftime whistle, only to drag her shot wide of the right post.
Photo: EPA
“That has to go in and she had another one in the box in the second half,” Germany coach Christian Wuck said. “That’s the difference between us and the technically gifted Spanish players.”
Pina got the party under way in the 61st minute when she breezed past a Germany defender and played a one-two with Mariona before beating Berger with a low shot. Berger got her hand to the ball, but could not stop its progress inside the right post.
The 19-year-old Lopez scored seven minutes later when she cut in from the right and unleashed a curling shot inside the far post.
Pina sealed the win in the 74th minute after getting a gift of the ball from Germany’s Janina Minge. The Barcelona forward set off for goal and let fly from about 20m past the despairing Berger.
“The goal was to win again and retain the Nations League title. It was all worth it,” Sonia Bermudez said after winning her first title as Spain coach.
The former team captain took over from Montse Tome in August.
It was only Spain’s second win over old foe Germany. The previous came at the UEFA European Women’s Championship last summer when Bonmati scored in extra-time for a 1-0 win in the semi-finals. Spain lost to England on penalties in the final.
That was the only disappointment after reaching the finals of the past four tournaments. Spain beat England in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and bettered France in last year’s Women’s Nations League. Tuesday’s win over Germany made it three wins from four finals.
SEESAW CONTEST: The Pistons remain top of the Eastern Conference after battling to a win over the Hawks in a game that saw the lead change 27 times The Phoenix Suns on Monday shrugged off an injury to Devin Booker to end the Los Angeles Lakers’ seven-game winning streak with an emphatic 125-108 victory on the road. Booker exited in the first quarter, but the loss of the star point guard did little to halt the flow of Phoenix points over the remainder of the game. Dillon Brooks led the Phoenix scoring with 33 points, while Collin Gillespie added 28 — including eight three-pointers — as the Suns romped to victory. The Lakers were left ruing a colossal 22 turnovers — at a cost of 32 Suns points — on a
New Zealand yesterday reached 231-9 at stumps on a first day of the first Test against the West Indies shortened by rain after Justin Greaves triggered a middle-order collapse with the wicket of Kane Williamson. New Zealand tumbled from 94-1 to 148-6 on a bowler-friendly wicket after Williamson was dismissed for 52, his 38th Test half-century. Michael Bracewell and Nathan Smith arrested the slide with a 52-run stand for the seventh wicket. Smith eventually fell for 23 and Bracewell for 47. After Matt Henry went for 8, Zak Foulkes and Jacob Duffy were both on 4 when bad light stopped play after 70
SSC Napoli on Sunday joined AC Milan at the top of Serie A after winning 1-0 at title rivals AS Roma, as Inter kept pace with the leading pair by beating Pisa SC 2-0. David Neres stroked home the only goal of a feisty game in the 36th minute at the Stadio Olimpico, ending a blistering counterattack with a calm finish which put Napoli on 28 points. Napoli are behind Milan on goal-difference, and just one point ahead of both Roma and Inter in a tight scudetto battle in which Antonio Conte’s team are to host Juventus at the weekend. “To come to
The Apes yesterday dominated the Buccs 20-12 to claim the APEX5 Season 2 crown in five-on-five flag football at Taipei Medical University. Kui Wang threw three touchdown passes for the Apes, with captain Richie Han, Hiromu Toshimitsu and Bryce Jacobs crossing for six-pointers for the champions. Toshimitsu also executed four sacks in a big defensive effort. “It was great,” Apes defensive linebacker Mike Nicholaides said. “A whole team win. I love playing for Richie and the Apes.” “The Buccs played hard and made it really fun,” Nicholaides added. “I’m so happy to get the win.” Flag football is to be played at the 2028 Olympic
RSS