The 2023 World Cup winner takes on the Women’s European Championship defending champion in a matchup of contrasting styles Sunday in Basel, Switzerland.
A title game between defending champion England and World Cup winner Spain is the Women’s European Championship final that many wanted.
How they got to Basel on Sunday is a whole other story.
Spain has mostly cruised through its five games except for a late scare in a tense semifinal against Germany.
England has trailed for long periods of three games and survived being on the brink of elimination in both knockout games.
Spain is a supremely technical team with a dream midfield pairing two-time Ballon d’Or winners Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí. England has incredible will to win and has called a pair of dramatic game-changers off the bench, Michelle Agyemang and Chloe Kelly.
“We always have the confidence that in terms of positioning and having possession, we tend to be very precise and it’s difficult to take the ball off us,” Putellas said. “So we’re ready for anything.”
England captain Leah Williamson praised Spain on Saturday as “the best at what they do, we are well aware of that. We think we are pretty good in some areas.”
It looks like an ideal final of contrasting styles. One made possible only because England’s humbling opening 2-1 loss to France ultimately kept the title holder out of Spain’s side of the knockout bracket.
