England are through to their second consecutive Women’s Euros semi-final after overcoming Spain in extra time in the first quarterfinal.
The hosts struck late in the second half after conceding their first goal of the tournament before finishing off the job in extra-time to seal a 2-1 win.
Their quarterfinal showcased the European women’s game at its best with both teams playing smart technical football at a high tempo at a resonating Amex Stadium.
After a competitive first half, Ellen White had the ball in the back of the net for England only for her goal to be ruled out for offside and the match to remain goalless heading into the break.
Spain, the pre-tournament favorites, got a deserved lead in the 53rd minute when Athenea del Castillo broke in from the right and played the ball back to Esther Gonzalez to fire past England keeper Mary Earps to make it 1-0. The goal was the first allowed by the Lionesses in 482 minutes of play.
But with the support of their home fans behind them, England leveled things in the dying moments of the second half through Ella Toone as she pounced on a header from Lauren Hemp that fell right to her feet and smashed it home to send the game into extra time.
With momentum on their side, Georgia Stanway scored a sublime solo goal picking up the ball in Spain’s defensive third and dribbling towards the penalty area before unleashing a thumping shot from distance to put England ahead.
England then shut up shop agaisnt Spain and saw out the game to reach their second consecutive Euros semi-finals and sixth in total.
Though far from their absolute best, England now has confidence in their ability to come back from a losing situation which will help them against either Belgium or Sweden in the semifinals.
Spain meanwhile is left wondering what could have been if their talismanic captain Alexia Putellas had not gotten injured on the eve of the tournament.
