Spain chasing Euro history

ZURICH (AP):

WORLD CUP winners Spain have never reached the final of the Women’s European Championship. They have also never beaten Germany.

Both those things could change today.

Spain play Germany in the Euro 2025 semi-finals in Zurich, knowing they have never managed to get the better of their opponents in eight previous meetings – five losses and three draws.

“For my experience in the Spanish team in the last seven years, I had the chance to play five times against Germany. We never managed to beat them, but I also feel that in those five times, we were closer and closer to the victory,” Spain coach Montse Tomé said yesterday.

“Today, we are in another point. They are also a different team. But Germany is always Germany.”

Spain beat Switzerland to reach only their second-ever Euros semi-final – 28 years after their first. After winning the World Cup and Nations League in the past two years, the team is moving closer to adding the European Championship trophy to its collection.

Spain have lost just one of their past 15 matches – winning 12 – since their last encounter with Germany, a 1-0 defeat in the bronze medal match at last year’s Paris Olympics.

“Every player tries to find a way to write history,” captain Alexia Putellas said.

“I see tomorrow’s match more as an opportunity than revenge.

“The Olympics was a totally different competition. That game will have nothing to do with tomorrow’s game. We have the opportunity to beat them for the first time.”

While Spain are favourites to progress, Germany have proven you can never write off the record eight-time European champions.

Germany managed to beat France on penalties in their quarterfinal despite playing with 10 players from the 13th minute after midfielder Kathrin Hendrich was sent off for pulling an opponent’s hair.

And Germany are ready to dig deep to defy the odds again.

“Well, I think the performance we have shown is the blueprint of all the matches, really,” Germany defender Rebecca Knaak said.

“It’s the perfect example of passion, mental strength. All these things are characteristics we exhibit.

“So this is important tomorrow as well, and, of course, we have been prepared on a tactical level as well by the coach and the team,” she added.

“But the fundamental characteristic has been built in the French match.”

That was actually the second straight time Germany had to play the majority of the match at a numerical disadvantage. Defender Carlotta Wamser was sent off barely half an hour into a 4-1 loss to Sweden in their final group stage match.

Wamser returns, but Germany will again have to reshuffle their defence with Hendrich suspended and Sarai Linder joining captain and right-back Giulia Gwinn on the injury list.

Midfielder Sjoeke Nüsken is also suspended after receiving her second yellow card of the tournament against France.

“It says a lot about the team that we accepted every situation as they came along,” Knaak said. “There were so many different and unusual situations, and we adapted.

“We supported each other, and at the end, it doesn’t really matter who plays next to whom,” she continued.

“We are a team, and we have the squad for exactly those reasons, that we can adapt and we can adapt to the opponents as well.”