After missing her shot in the tiebreaker, the two-time Ballon d’Or winner publicly apologized.
Heading into the final, Spain were clear favorites — both on paper and with their early performance on the field. They started strong, dominating possession and creating chances. But things began to unravel. After 120 minutes of intense battle, it all came down to penalties — and Spain, shockingly, fell short. Even their star midfielder, Aitana Bonmati, couldn’t find the back of the net. The heartbreak of falling short so close to glory is something she’s still struggling to accept.
Sunday’s UEFA Women’s Euro final ended 1-1 after extra time. England triumphed 3-1 in the shootout.
Spain dominated much of the match, holding 65% possession and firing 22 shots, five of which were on target. England, in contrast, managed only eight shots — five of them on target.
Spain took the lead in the 25th minute through Arsenal forward Mariona Caldentey. Despite maintaining control for much of the match, they couldn’t double their lead. Instead, England equalized in the 57th minute with a goal from Arsenal’s Alessia Russo.
Spain had beaten this same England side in the 2023 World Cup final to clinch their first world title. This time, they were dreaming of their first European Championship. But it wasn’t to be. In the shootout, Bonmati, along with Mariona Caldentey and Salma Paralluelo, missed their penalties.
The collapse at the final hurdle still feels unreal for Bonmati. She’s since asked fans for forgiveness.
“I am stunned. We gave everything we had. Of course, I have to apologize for missing the penalty and congratulate England. But I believe we played well. We were the better team, although that’s not always enough… to win, you have to put the ball in the net.”
“In my opinion, England is one of those teams that can win even when they don’t play well. Some teams don’t need to do much to win.”
Just five days before the tournament began, Bonmati was hospitalized with a viral infection. But she recovered in time and returned to lead her team, even scoring the only goal in their semi-final win over Germany.
Her tournament performance was exceptional. Bonmati was named Player of the Tournament, and her teammate Esther González took home the Golden Boot with four goals.
Still, the accolades bring little comfort. For Bonmati, the pain of losing the title overshadows everything. She compared this heartbreak to Barcelona’s defeat in the Champions League final against Arsenal just a few months ago.
“I’m devastated. We worked so hard for this. We had a similar experience with Barcelona in the Champions League.”
“This disappointment, this pain… it feels so cruel right now. It feels like everything has gone wrong, but honestly, I think we played the best football, had the most talent, and deserved more than this.”
