The Spanish women’s under-19 soccer team has revalidated this Sunday in Louvain (Belgium) the European title of the category won in 2021 after beating Germany in an even final that was decided, after 0-0 in regulation time and extra time, on penalties (3-2). Spain has thus closed its path to lift what is its fifth European trophy in the category in a journey in which it beat Iceland (0-3), the Czech Republic (7-0), fell against France (2-0 ) and came out on top in the qualifying rounds to beat the Netherlands (1-0) and ultimately Germany.
Of course, it had to be on penalties in a game in which Spain entered better, more connected and with up to four shots in the first half hour, while the Germans did not do so until after the first 30 minutes of play. None of the shots, six from Spain and four from Germany in the first 45 minutes, put the goalkeepers of two teams who know each other perfectly in trouble, since last summer it was Germany who won the U-17 European Championship. In the second half the Germans came out more plugged in and an occasion by Alara Sehitle, who at only 16 years old already has a leading role in a great youth academy like Bayern Munich’s, and two shots by Franziska Kett put the Spanish goalkeeper Meritxell Font in trouble .
Spain’s best chance in the game had to wait until the 88th minute, when Lucía Corrales hit the post with a one-on-one. Bad news for the team led by former soccer player Sonia Bermúdez three minutes after seeing how Lucía Moral ‘Wifi’ had to leave the pitch on a stretcher due to an injury to her right knee.
Already in extra time, the fear of losing marked the clash and no team had clear opportunities to score, so the title was decided in a penalty shootout, where Meritxell Font appeared to guide Spain to its fifth title in the sub-category. 19 and the second in a row. His two saves in shots from eleven meters were key for Spain to prevail after taking five penalties for each team in a shootout in which the last four were missed. The decisive one was missed by the German Pauline Deutsch, who shot wide.
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