UEFA Women's Euro 2025: Aitana Bonmati laments 'cruel' Spain shoot-out loss to England and insists 'we were better on the pitch'
Published 28/07/2025 at 09:48 GMT+1
Two-time Ballon d'Or Feminin winner and Spain star Aitana Bonmati believes her side were "better on the pitch" in the Euro 2025 final against England, in which The Lionesses triumphed on penalties. Bonmati was one of three Spanish players to miss their spot kick, with the heroic Hannah Hampton saving Bonmati's and allowing Chloe Kelly to step up and seal a historic win for England's women.
'We were better' - Spain players after penalty shootout heartbreak against England
Video credit: SNTV
Aitana Bonmati has said that Spain were the better side in their UEFA Women's Euro 2025 final loss to England, calling their penalty loss to The Lionesses "cruel."
Bonmati, who was voted player of the tournament, was one of three Spanish players to miss in the shootout before Chloe Kelly delivered her emphatic winner to make England back-to-back victors.
England's campaign had not always been pretty. They were taken to penalties by Sweden in the quarter-finals, and Italy led in stoppage time until substitute Michelle Agyemang delivered a heroic equaliser and Chloe Kelly scored in extra-time.
Spain were largely dominant on the ball and had the better of their chances, but it was England who prevailed regardless of the previous 120 minutes, as they have done throughout the knockouts.
''Yeah, today it hurts a lot because we were convinced that we were doing a great tournament and we were with the mentality to come today and win," Bonmati said after the final.
"But in football, who plays better doesn't always win. I think we were better today on the pitch, but you have to score one more goal than your opponent to win the match and we didn't do it. So we go to the penalties and we lose it.''
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She continued: "It was very cruel given how the tournament went and how the match went. But sometimes in football, it's not the best team that wins, nor the team that deserves to win on the pitch.
"There's this thing called penalties, and we definitely didn't do well there. I take my share of the responsibility and it's tough, to be honest."
The heroic Hannah Hampton denied Bonmati from the spot after keeping out Mariona Caldentey's effort moments before. Salma Paralluelo then saw her low shot fizz wide of the goal.
It is almost fitting that the tournament ended in a shootout. Just over a week ago, spot kicks were being called cursed, and Bonmati was shocked after missing hers.
''Well, honestly, I was really confident, I wasn't afraid of anything. But as I said, it's a matter of seconds, it's decisions, it's the strike. I can't explain it, I was talking to some of my teammates, I was so confident. But it didn't work out for me."
ENGLAND 'COMFORTABLE WASTING TIME'
The judgement that Spain were the better side on the pitch is not one that only Bonmati harbours, with defender and captain Irene Paredes accusing England of time-wasting in order to see out the game.
"Yes, I get the feeling that they were comfortable wasting time," stated the Spanish skipper.
"There was time-wasting, the goalkeeper on the ground, players on the ground. Well, as long as they let them do that, it's part of the game.
"They knew what they wanted to play, I think it's the third game they've won like that. Second, third? Well, I don't know. We thought we were going to have chances, I think we had them, they just didn't go in."
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Video credit: SNTV
Paredes was one of eight players involved in both the Euros final and the World Cup final in 2023, where Spain triumphed over England.
With a unique insight into finals, Paredes knows how important the element of luck is in winning and believes that The Lionesses were the luckier, not the better, of the two sides when it came down to it.
"It's a shame, a real shame, and then in the penalties, I think that to be a winning team in a tournament like this, you need a bit of luck.
"I think they had quite a few lucky breaks and we, when it came to the penalties, of course we know we have to do better and it cost us and we were penalised.
"Well, right now it hurts, right now it hurts to see beyond what it is. We lost a final on penalties in a somewhat cruel way.
"But anyway, I do think we're a team that has given a good image, that we deserved more, but it's not about deserving, it's about scoring. Today, no matter how hard we tried, it didn't work out. It's a tough moment, we have to get through it, but we're very proud."
Patri Guijarro echoed Paredes' thoughts on England's strategy of time-wasting and seeing the game out.
"Well, it's difficult, difficult. We're very hurt. Obviously, it's a final, it's a European Championship. I think we've had a good tournament overall," she said.
"It's true that today we would have loved to have done better. Even so, we know it's a final, that they're a good team. We had a lot of chances. I think our mistake was not scoring another goal earlier.
"We knew they were doing what they've been doing, that they seemed to be out, but they weren't. They kept believing and that's how it turned out again.
"We're very hurt. Very hurt, to be honest. We're hurt today, we'll be hurt tomorrow, but you know we'll try to come back."
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