Spain manager Luis de la Fuente (Picture: Getty)

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente hailed Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino as a ‘genius’ and ‘one of the best in the world’ after his brilliant hat-trick against Turkey.
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Manchester City midfielder Rodri (Picture: Getty)

Rodri has revealed what he has told Arsenal midfielder Martin Zubimendi about his role in the Spain team.

Ballon d’Or winner Rodri and Gunners summer signing Zubimendi are competing …

Hannah Hampton starred in England’s Euro 2025 final win (Picture: Getty)

Lionesses hero Hannah Hampton has been accused of lying about her penalty shootout antics during England’s Euro 2025 final win over Spain.

England defend…

England hero Chloe Kelly has been accused of making a ‘cocky gesture’ at the end of the dramatic Euro 2025 final penalty shootout against Spain.

Arsenal forward Kelly struck England’s winning penalty in Basel after the final finished 1-1 after extra-time.

Pre-tournament favourites Spain took the lead midway through the first half through Mariona Caldentey but Alessia Russo equalised for the Lionesses just before the hour mark.

England withstood plenty of Spain pressure in extra-time before winning the shootout 3-1, goalkeeper Hannah Hampton making two superb saves.

Kelly scored the winner in the Euro 2022 final win and was England’s hero again as she blasted her spot-kick past the helpless Cata Coll, who had saved two previous penalties.

It was at that moment that Kelly made a ‘cocky gesture’, according to sections of the Spanish press, as she wheeled away in celebration in front of Coll.

Kelly initially went to sprint to her right – in the opposite direction of the diving Coll – before quickly changing direction and running in front of the Spain goalkeeper.

Coll gestured angrily at Kelly as she ran past but the England star paid little notice and was soon celebrating back-to-back European titles with her teammates.

Kelly appeared to be focused on the celebrating England fans inside St Jakob-Park rather than her opponent but Spanish outlet AS nonetheless said it was a ‘cocky’ and ‘unnecessary gesture’.

‘This is unnecessary, my friend,’ they wrote. ‘Chloe Kelly’s cocky gesture to Cata Coll after scoring the decisive penalty.

‘The England specialist changed her run during her penalty celebration to get past the goalkeeper she had just beaten.’

In a separate article, AS claimed Spain had been ‘robbed’ after losing a final they if not dominated at least were in control of for large periods.

‘The dream ends in a nightmare,’ one piece said. ‘Spain lost the European Championship on penalties. England tied a match that Spain largely dominated.

‘History is made by victories, and also by defeats. Spain fell in the Euro Cup final but left its name sealed in gold. England robbed them of their dream; the world champions couldn’t close the circle they began to write two years ago in Sydney.

‘They couldn’t have been crueller in the penalty shootout, tossing a few dice in the air.’

A separate piece from the Spanish outlet, which accused England of playing for penalties, added: ‘England had been eliminated three times.

‘But they must have been using Houdini’s secret manual of tricks to take home the trophy. Congratulations.

‘The English embraced penalties like happy castaways, and it showed.’

Spain manager Montse Tome was fairly magnanimous following her side’s heartbreaking defeat and insisted she was ‘proud’ of the World Cup holders.

Spain disappointed but ‘proud’

‘It’s a final and we are sad because we weren’t able to win,’ he said. ‘I think the effort from all of the players was very good.

‘They tried until the very end to try to win but then we arrived at a penalty shootout and we weren’t able to do it. I thought overall we were very good on the ball.

‘They are a team that play a lot on the second balls and they managed to hurt us a bit in these situations.

‘I think in extra time we got the momentum back, got on the ball and were able to attack, but we were not able to avoid a penalty shootout and in the end we were not able to do that better.

‘Now we have a strange feeling because we wanted to win so much. You have it so close and you are not able to do it.

‘But I am always proud of the effort of the team and the staff that has been really positive. Now we have to stop and relax, and that is what I’m going to do.’

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Two Lionesses are in the frame to be named the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year after England won Euro 2025.

Sarina Wiegman’s side beat Spain in a dramatic penalty shootout to retain their European title.

Pre-tournament favourites Spain led through Mariona Caldentey’s first-half header but Alessia Russo’s second-half equaliser took the final to extra-time and then penalties.

England missed their first spot-kick – Beth Mead’s effort saved after her first had to be retaken due to a double kick – but Spain then missed three in a row, with Hannah Hampton saving two.

Chloe Kelly, who scored the winner in the Euro 2022 final win at Wembley, struck home the decisive penalty to spark bedlam among England fans in the stadium and watching on from back home.

Moments after England lifted the trophy, Kelly was installed as the second-favourite to win the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award.

Betfair spokesperson Sam Rosbottom said: ‘Chloe Kelly is the new second-favourite to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award after scoring the winning penalty for England in the Euro 2025 final.

‘Hannan Hampton is also in the mix after saving two penalties to help England win the tournament. Kelly and Hampton are joined by fellow Lionesses Lucy Bronze and Leah Williamson who are among the outsiders to win the award.’

Despite the Lionesses’ historic success, Rory McIloy remains the favourite to win Sports Personality of the Year after he completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters earlier this year.

By winning at Augusta, McIlroy became just the sixth man – and first European – in history to win all four majors.

World darts champion Luke Littler and Formula One driver Lando Norris are also contenders for SPOTY following impressive rises in their respective sport.

Littler etched his name into darting history by becoming the youngest ever PDC World Championship winner at the start of the year.

The 18-year-old won the World Matchplay on the same day England retained their Euros title to complete darts’ triple crown.

‘Football is chaos’ – but England come through yet again

England’s path to Euro 2025 glory was far from straightforward but the Lionesses delivered when it mattered most to retain the trophy they first lifted in 2022.

Penalties were also required in the quarter-finals and Wiegman’s side recovered from missing four spot-kicks to beat Sweden.

The Lionesses were minutes from exiting in the semi-finals against Italy before Michelle Agyemang scored a dramatic 96th-minute equaliser and Kelly scored late in extra time.

After coming from behind yet again to beat favourites Spain in the Euro 2025 final, Wiegman said: ‘I can’t believe it!

‘We said we can win by any means and that’s what we have shown again today. I am so proud of the team and the staff. It is incredible.

‘I just can’t believe it. I have a medal around my neck and we have a trophy. It has been the most chaotic tournament on the pitch – all the challenges we had on the pitch against our opponent.

‘From the first game it was chaos. Losing your first game and becoming European Champions is incredible. Football is chaos.’

England star Ella Toone added: ‘Amazing feeling. I felt all the same emotions as I did back then [at Euro 2022].

‘We worked so hard, winning a tournament for your country – there’s no better feeling. We deserved that and we should be so proud of ourselves.

‘There were times when people thought we were down and out but we never did. We had that belief in the squad that we were going to come out and win.

‘That’s the quiet confidence we have in ourselves. Amazing feeling. We’re going to enjoy the night. I love a party, I’m a Tyldesley girl of course I love a party!’

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Spain captain Irene Paredes claims her team ‘deserved’ to win the Euro 2025 final more than ‘lucky’ England.

The Lionesses cemented their place in history by retaining their European title with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over Spain.

Sarina Wiegman’s side were second best for much of the final and were forced to come from behind yet again after Mariona Caldentey’s first-half header broke the deadlock.

But England have made a habit of comebacks during a turbulent Euros campaign and equalised on the hour mark through Alessia Russo.

Pre-tournament favourites Spain pressed for a winner late on and in extra-time but England resolutely took them to penalties before winning the shootout 3-1.

Chloe Kelly, who scored the winner in the Euro 2022 final at Wembley, converted the decisive spot-kick after England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton saved two Spain penalties.

Victory represented the first time an England team has won a major trophy on foreign soil and gave Wiegman her third successive European title.

Spain captain Paredes felt her team ‘deserved it more’ after the heartbreaking defeat and accused England of being ‘lucky throughout the whole tournament’.

England also won via penalties in their quarter-final against Sweden before scoring two late goals to come from behind in the semi against Italy.

‘I don’t really know what to say,’ Paredes told Spanish TV station RTVE. ‘It’s a very hard moment.

‘We tried everything, all the different ways, and then the penalties didn’t go our way. I thought we deserved it more but in the end it is not about who deserves it.

‘It is about having that bit of luck and England had that throughout the whole tournament. We thought we could overcome that but we weren’t able to.

‘I think we had more control of the game than they did, we created more clear chances, we had more possession… But yeah, nothing else.’

Spain manager Montse Tome, meanwhile, expressed ‘pride’ in her team while bemoaning the fact they were unable to ‘close out’ the win.

Spain are the World Cup holders following their triumph in Australia in 2023 and will be one of the favourites for the 2027 tournament in Brazil.

‘It’s a final and we are sad because we weren’t able to win,’ Tome said. ‘I think the effort from all of the players was very good, they tried until the very end to try to win but then we arrived at a penalty shootout and we weren’t able to do it.

‘I thought overall we were very good on the ball. They are a team that play a lot on the second balls and they managed to hurt us a bit in these situations.

‘I think in extra time we got the momentum back, got on the ball and were able to attack, but we were not able to avoid a penalty shootout and in the end we were not able to do that better.

‘Now we have a strange feeling because we wanted to win so much. You have it so close and you are not able to do it. But I am always proud of the effort of the team and the staff that has been really positive.’

England heroes react to Euro 2025 win

While Spain felt a little aggrieved by their defeat in Basel, there were joyous scenes in the stadium and around the country as England celebrated back-to-back Euros wins.

‘The first time was so nice, we had to do it twice,’ England hero Kelly said as she strolled around the pitch with another winner’s medal around her neck.

England captain Leah Williamson added: ‘The girls put in a defensive performance for the ages. I don’t have the words.

‘This was hard fought, three years ago was a fairytale, everything went our way but this year it didn’t.’

On three-time winning Euros coach Wiegman, Williamson added: ‘I thought two [Euros titles] was good but she’s doing well with three. She’s just an amazing woman.

‘She stands by us on and off the pitch. But when she makes a decision, and it’s a sign of a good coach, I never question it.

‘If she tells me to jump, I say how high? I think that’s a sign of somebody well-respected.’

An elated Wiegman, meanwhile, said: ‘I can’t believe it! We said we can win by any means and that’s what we have shown again today.

‘I am so proud of the team and the staff. It is incredible. I just can’t believe it. I have a medal around my neck and we have a trophy.

‘It has been the most chaotic tournament on the pitch – all the challenges we had on the pitch against our opponent.

‘From the first game it was chaos. Losing your first game and becoming European Champions is incredible. Football is chaos.’

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The Lionesses are one more win away from history. Join us for all the action.

The Lionesses and Spain collide in the final of Euro 2025 this evening.

Sarina Wiegman can draw inspiration from Arsenal ahead of the Euro 2025 final (Photo: Getty)

The Lionesses can further cement their place in history when they take on Spain in the Euro 2025 final this evening.

After triumphing at Wembley …

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Portugal face Spain in the Nations League final tonight (Photo: Getty)

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Lamine Yamal scored twice as Spain beat France (Picture: Getty)

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Lamine Yamal will help guide Spain to a Nations League final (Picture: Getty)

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Martin Zubimendi was reportedly due to undergo a medical with Arsenal last week (Getty)

Martin Zubimendi has raised doubt over his transfer to Arsenal this summer and has refused to rule out the possibility of staying at Real Sociedad.

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Martin Zubimendi was reportedly due to undergo a medical with Arsenal last week (Getty)

Martin Zubimendi has raised doubt over his transfer to Arsenal this summer and has refused to rule out the possibility of staying at Real Sociedad.

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The Blues are leading the race for the sought-after defender.