On July 28, 2025, in Basel, Switzerland, the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 final was held.
England and Spain played to a 1-1 draw after extra time, and the match went to penalties.
In that dramatic moment, England trusted their goalkeeper, Hannah Hampton — and she delivered again.
England won the shootout 3-1. And this win wasn’t just luck.
1. Strategy Built from Experience – The Quarterfinal
England had already faced a penalty shootout in the quarterfinal against Sweden.
They won that game thanks to two saves by Hannah Hampton.
That match gave the team more than a win — it gave them trust in their goalkeeper.
So in the final, maybe England thought:
“If we reach penalties, we know we can win.”
And during the game, England played as if that plan was clear from the start.
2. Extra Time Decision – Defense Over Attack
In the 30 minutes of extra time, both teams were tired. But their plans were different.
England didn’t try to attack. They focused only on defending.
| Stat | England | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 0 | 5 |
| Shots on target | 0 | 0 |
| Expected goals | 0 | 0.72 |
| Clearances | 16 | 6 |
| Interceptions | 3 | 2 |
- England didn’t take a single shot.
- Spain took 5 shots, but none were on target.
- Hampton didn’t have to make any saves in extra time — the defense did it all.
This was not just defending. It was a smart and planned strategy.
3. Zero Mistakes? — Small Errors, Big Discipline
| Stat | England | Spain |
|---|---|---|
| Mistakes leading to shots | 1 | 1 |
| Mistakes leading to goals | 0 | 0 |
Both teams made one mistake that led to a shot, but neither allowed a goal from those errors.
- England's defense stayed calm even after the small mistake.
- More importantly, they didn’t collapse or lose shape, even under Spain’s pressure.
So while it wasn’t zero mistakes, it was still a highly disciplined performance —
the kind that wins finals not with flair, but with focus.
And again, at the center of this discipline was their trusted last line: goalkeeper Hannah Hampton.
4. Spain's Possession Game — and Its Limit
Spain came into the final with the highest average possession in the tournament: 77%.
But in the semifinal against Germany, their style didn’t work as well.
Germany’s high pressing made Spain uncomfortable. They still won, but needed extra time.
In that match, Spain’s possession dropped to 66% — a big change for them.
In the final, they had more possession again, but the pattern repeated:
| Period | Spain Possession (%) |
|---|---|
| 1st Half | 67% |
| 2nd Half | 59% |
| Extra Time | 71% |
Even with 71% of the ball in extra time:
- They didn’t hit a single shot on target.
- All 5 shots were blocked or missed.
Spain showed something important:
“When their possession is broken, their whole game can fall apart.”
Possession brought them far, but goals — or good defense — win trophies.
5. Goalkeeper Performance Data and Analysis
In this final, two goalkeepers played a very important role:
Hannah Hampton (England) and Cata Coll (Spain).
When we compare their performance, we can see some interesting points.
Key stats explained:
- Cmp% (Pass Completion Percentage): This shows how many passes the goalkeeper made successfully. Hampton completed 33.3% of her passes, which is much higher than Coll’s 16.7%. This means Hampton was better at passing the ball.
- Launch% (Long Pass Success Rate): This is the success rate of long passes or goal kicks. Hampton’s success rate was 47.5%, which is much better than Coll’s 18.8%.
- Launch%_crosses (Cross Success Rate): This shows how well the goalkeeper completed crosses (passes through the air). Hampton had a very high success rate of 94.4%, while Coll had little or no success in this area.
- Stp% (Sweeper Stop Percentage): This shows how often the goalkeeper stopped the opponent’s attacks early. Hampton had a 3.6% success rate, showing she was more active in stopping attacks.
Looking at these stats, we can understand why England’s trusted goalkeeper, Hampton, played such an important role in the final.
6. Belief Became a Strategy
England didn’t give up on attacking.
They chose to trust Hampton and play for penalties.
"We have a goalkeeper we trust. And we’ve won a shootout before."
That belief led them to the top again.
The star of the final wasn’t a striker — it was the goalkeeper who kept the goal closed after the first half.
Final Thought: Defense Was a Choice — and Hampton Led It
This win wasn’t about the best shooter.
It was about trust, strategy, and experience — and Hannah Hampton.
England trusted theiar goalkeeper.
And that trust brought home the Euro 2025 trophy.
🙋♀️About Me
Hi, I’m Marina Kim (Eunji), a sports data content creator learning and sharing football stories through data.
Tools: Python, pandas, matplotlib, Seaborn
Data Source: Flashscore
Github: https://github.com/k-eunji/weuro_final
I’m open to new opportunities in sports data and content creation. Let’s connect if you’re interested!
Sure! Here’s the title and table in English as you requested:
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