Spain midfielder Mario Caldentey has expressed optimism about her team’s chances of winning a first-ever European championship title, when they face England in the final on Sunday.
The Spanish women advanced into the final of the competition for the first time in their history, after securing a hard-fought 1-0 win over Germany on Wednesday.
After a goalless score in regular time, the match headed to extra-time and was almost set to be decided by penalty shootout before history was written.
Two-time Ballon d’Or winner, Aitana Bonmati, struck in the 113th minute, beating Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger at her near post to secure the memorable win.
Defending champions England, who face Spain in the final on Sunday, had defeated Italy 2-1 in the other semifinal encounter.
Michelle Agyemang equalized for the Three Lionesses in the final minute of regulation time to break Italy’s hearts, before Chloe Kelly struck a dramatic winner late in extra-time to secure England spot in consecutive European Championships finals.
“We knew it would be a really tight game. We have never beaten Germany before, and we have never been in a Euros final.
It was against history, and we made it with a lot of effort. We go into the next one and we are so excited to play that final”, Caldentey stated.
“I know a lot of them. I know the footballers they are, and I know what they can do. It will be a hard game. It’s a final, so they are dangerous even though they can’t maybe play the greatest football yet, but they have it inside them. It will be a hard but good game”, she continued.
“It’s something we have never won. It’s something we are missing, and we really want it as a team. That was our focus from the first day. We are really close, it’s just one step more, one game more, and we are ready for that. With this team, you feel everything is possible.
We have a really strong team, we are just ready, and we have the ambition to win. I think this is the year. Why not? We respect England, but we will go for it”, the Arsenal midfielder concluded.
Spain will be gunning for a historic first title win on Sunday against England, who will be looking to defend their crown.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
