Euro 2025: Our Writers Hand Out Their Awards From The Tournament

Match of nan tournament

England seemed to person mislaid it once, twice, 3 times against Sweden connected a night of nail-shredding play that sharpened nan consciousness that destiny had rich | bounty successful shop for Sarina Wiegman’s side. It was besides nan first match, nary uncertainty of galore complete nan coming years, that made a leader of Michelle Agyemang. Nick Ames

The last betwixt England and Spain was precisely what I expected from 2 heavyweights of nan game. It was a gladiatorial tactical conflict betwixt Spain’s possession-loving shot and England’s protect diligence. A fitting ending to a superb tournament. Sophie Downey

France and Germany’s quarter-final successful Basel, which nan Germans won 6-5 successful a high-quality punishment shootout, provided compelling play from commencement to decorativeness and it was a crippled that had it all; a mindless reddish card, disallowed goals, VAR play and nan champion prevention I tin ever callback seeing unrecorded arsenic Ann-Katrin Berger seemed to defy physics to claw nan shot disconnected nan line. Ultimately it was a lucifer that saw Germany doggedly advancement contempt playing 107 minutes of nan crippled pinch 10 players. It was a singular knockout tie. Tom Garry

Sweden 2-2 England. That crippled had conscionable astir everything. The imaginable of an England comeback felt almost intolerable approaching nan 80th minute, but wrong a matter of seconds you conscionable knew that they were going to do it. The drama! Emillia Hawkins

Sweden 2-2 England. Everyone will retrieve nan stirring England comeback and nan melodramatic punishment shootout but this is simply a crippled that besides deserves to beryllium remembered for Sweden’s devastating opening burst, a modular of pulsating attacking shot that stands pinch immoderate produced astatine this tournament. Jonathan Liew

France v Germany. This crippled had everything. A reddish card, a penalty, resolute German defending, THAT Ann-Katrin Berger prevention and a punishment shootout. The truth Germany were nan first squad astatine a women’s Euros to advancement aft going down to 10 players showed conscionable really difficult they worked. Berger besides put successful immoderate awesome saves during nan shootout – goalkeeper of nan tourney for me. Sarah Rendell

It has to beryllium nan last doesn’t it? England’s rollercoaster thrust of a tourney concluded successful a thrilling showpiece betwixt magical world champions Spain and nan Euro holders. It was nan last everyone wanted and it delivered. England were battlers, tactically astute and disciplined, Spain were Spain, maestro technicians connected nan ball. Suzanne Wrack

Player of nan tournament

Hannah Hampton was small known to nan wider nationalist a period agone and had replaced a nationalist wealth successful Mary Earps betwixt nan posts. She near Switzerland having earned nan aforesaid position by producing exceptional performances of which aggregate punishment saves were only part. Calm, composed connected nan shot and pinch cat-like reflexes, Hampton deserves each credit. NA

Michelle Agyemang. What a player. The 19-year-old was fixed an opportunity and seized it pinch some hands. The measurement she impacted games caught nan oculus but arsenic nan measurement she came connected successful precocious unit situations and handled them without panic. Will surely beryllium a prima for England for years to come. SD

Chloe Kelly made a gamechanging effect successful each 3 of England’s knockout ties and truthful has to triumph this, successful my eyes, though nan champion method footballer was Aitana Bonmatí. Kelly came up clutch successful nan large moments, whether it was pinch her 2 lethal crosses to create England’s 2 quickfire goals successful their comeback against Sweden, aliases her lively capacity and precocious victor against Italy, aliases her assistance for England’s equaliser successful nan last followed by her nerveless, title-clinching penalty. TG

Aitana Bonmatí. It’s crazy to deliberation that she was hospitalised pinch viral meningitis conscionable days earlier Euro 2025 started. Another awesome tourney for nan midfielder contempt nan punishment miss astatine nan end. EH

Patri Guijarro has been nan standout subordinate for Spain astatine this tournament, nan 1 who makes everything work: absorbing pressure, providing an outlet successful buildup, creating space, creating angles and snuffing retired counterattacks. JL

Honourable mentions must spell to Klara Bühl and Iman Beney who were unthinkable but for maine it has to beryllium Lucy Bronze. The defender started each crippled and played 598 minutes for England successful full and nan performances, peculiarly her activity and accomplishment against Sweden, were important to nan Lionesses retaining nan trophy. The truth she did each that pinch a fractured tibia is unbelievable and she erstwhile again lived up to 1 of her mediate names: “Tough”. SR

Lucy Bronze was important to nan Lionesses’ title defence and she played nan full tourney pinch a fractured tibia. Photograph: Richard Sellers/Getty Images/Allstar

Aitana Bonmatí whitethorn person scooped subordinate of nan tourney but, for me, it was her midfield companion Patri Guijarro that deserves each nan plaudits. She became nan 2nd subordinate connected record, since nan 2011 World Cup, to person completed 100-plus passes and won possession much than 10 times successful a knockout shape crippled astatine a awesome tourney – aft nan Denmark awesome Katrine Pedersen. SW

Goal of nan tournament

We tin quibble complete Ann-Katrin Berger’s positioning each we like, but for sheer did-she-really-try-that astatine specified a knife-edge constituent successful Spain’s semi-final against Germany, nan victor from Aitana Bonmatí stands supra them all. NA

Cristiana Girelli’s wonderment onslaught against Portugal. The 35-year-old ever delivers for Italy and did truthful successful spectacular manner connected this occasion. SD

Clàudia Pina’s curler into nan apical area against Belgium takes this for me, though her near-identical decorativeness against Switzerland successful nan quarter-final was almost arsenic worthy. We should besides propulsion much praise astatine Vivianne Miedema’s onslaught against Wales and Lauren James’ superb first-half extremity against nan Netherlands. TG

Lauren James v Netherlands. Not needfully conscionable because of nan onslaught – which was awesome successful itself – but besides because of nan buildup. That agelong walk from Hannah Hampton done to Alessia Russo successful onslaught was perfectly exquisite. EH

Vivianne Miedema v Wales. Not conscionable nan screaming decorativeness into nan apical area from distance, but nan speedy feet and clever assemblage feints to create nan abstraction for herself. JL

Clàudia Pina had a good tourney and her extremity against Belgium was an absolute stunner. It was akin to nan rocket she scored against Chelsea successful nan Champions League semi-final. A sensational onslaught from extracurricular nan box. SR

There whitethorn person been prettier goals this tourney but nan discourse of Michelle Agyemang’s equaliser against Italy made it each nan much remarkable. At conscionable 19 years old, pinch little than a infinitesimal near of added clip and pinch England 1-0 down and facing an exit from nan tournament, nan coolness pinch which nan Arsenal guardant scored done nan legs of some a defender and nan keeper was stunning. The celebrations besides birthed 1 of nan photos of nan tournament, Girls connected nan Ball’s Rachel O’Sullivan’s renaissance-painting-esque changeable capturing nan celebrations of nan chair and players’ families. SW

Michelle Agyemang’s extremity against Italy kept nan Lionesses successful nan tournament. Photograph: Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock

Personal highlight

I loved being coming successful Geneva, wherever nan champion and loudest atmospheres materialised, for Switzerland’s melodramatic tie pinch Finland. The tile blew disconnected erstwhile Riola Xhemaili equalised, sending nan hosts done to nan past eight, and it felt for illustration a genuinely transformational infinitesimal successful nan country’s narration pinch women’s football. NA

Obviously, England lifting nan trophy but I consciousness incredibly fortunate to get to activity awesome tournaments pinch immoderate of nan champion successful nan business. The measurement we each pulled together to thief each different this past period is what it is each about. SD

When Riola Xhemaili scored a 92nd-minute extremity to nonstop Switzerland into nan knockout stages, I was watching nan action connected a surface that evidently had astir a 10-second hold compared to different televisions, and truthful proceeding nan roar – earlier really seeing nan extremity myself – of sound and cheers echoing each astir nan streets of Zurich, arsenic an full metropolis was glued to nan crippled and celebrating joyously, was a sound I’ll ne'er forget. That was nan infinitesimal I afloat appreciated really emotionally-invested nan big federation had go into their women’s shot team, which was really heartening. TG

Michelle Agyemang’s extremity v Italy. From nan verge of heartbreak to absolute ecstasy. The truth a 19-year-old kept England’s hopes live connected conscionable her 4th quality for nan elder team, 4 years aft she was a shot girl, is incredible. EH

Getting recognised by Ellen White’s hubby astatine half-time during nan final. Happy to study Ellen and Callum are some avid Guardian readers. JL

Michelle Agyemang became a prima overnight pinch her equaliser against Sweden but nan truth she did it again against Italy was rather something. The roar erstwhile she was shown connected nan large surface getting fresh to travel connected successful nan last shows what she already intends to England fans. A typical summertime for a typical player. SR

Riola Xhemaili’s extremity for Switzerland against Finland was a immense infinitesimal for nan big nation. Photograph: Martial Trezzini/AP

The relationship pinch nan players. Many of them cognize that immoderate of america person been connected this travel pinch them for a very agelong time. It’s been an unthinkable privilege to show their stories and this tourney had stories successful abundance. The jokes, nan looks, nan interviews. They are a very likeable group. SW

Resource and attraction request to beryllium concentrated connected countries that consequence being near behind. England, Germany, France and Spain – for each their circumstantial section issues – are going to beryllium conscionable fine. It is clip to make judge clubs and nationalist teams extracurricular nan starring battalion are equipped to create successful some sporting and economical terms: “The caput must not time off nan body”, arsenic a number of apical Uefa executives are fond of saying. NA

Just much of everything. More investment, much coverage, much fans, much viewership. The entity is nan limit astatine nan moment. SD

The adjacent Euros successful 2029 needs to characteristic larger stadiums to effort to surpass a cardinal spectators, and location are immoderate beardown contenders pinch Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal and a associated Denmark-Sweden bid each successful nan running. In England, nan situation now has to beryllium to amended nan grassroots accommodation for girls and women crossed nan state and make judge nan immense influx of young girls who person taken up nan athletics successful nan past fewer years tin beryllium retained wrong nan athletics into their teenage years and big lives, for a long-lasting legacy. Lastly, nan Women’s Super League needs to capitalise connected nan nationalist team’s occurrence by reversing past season’s diminution successful mean attendances. TG

It’s been awesome to spot really Switzerland arsenic a federation has embraced women’s shot this summer. Hopefully we spot nan aforesaid pinch different nations. Given nan occurrence of nan Lionesses erstwhile again this twelvemonth it would besides beryllium awesome to spot a dependable summation successful TV viewing figures and attendances crossed England. EH

This is simply a thornier mobility than it appears. Huge levels of liking astatine large events do not needfully construe to wide entreaty astatine home aliases grassroots level. But arsenic agelong arsenic nan backing is location (and reasonably distributed), and arsenic agelong arsenic nan organization will to turn nan crippled remains (looking astatine you, Jim Ratcliffe and Daniel Levy), we tin expect different fewer years of cautious, optimistic growth. JL

Hopefully this Euros triumph will spot attendances successful nan WSL emergence again and for different leagues crossed Europe to reap nan aforesaid reward pinch astir teams impressing 1 measurement aliases different astatine nan tournament. But nan adjacent measurement now is to attraction connected and observe nan shot and nan players. This Euros triumph for nan Lionesses felt for illustration it was each astir nan shot alternatively than having to beryllium thing to others. SR

The sky’s nan limit. The effect of nan triumph successful 2022 was evident successful nan support for England this clip round. That will beryllium elevated again. This squad has changed nan look of women’s shot and nine for nan better. Their level is bigger than ever and location tin beryllium small uncertainty that they will return afloat advantage of that accrued authority to situation things and conflict for much for women and girls. SW