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Claudia Pina scored two superb second-half goals as Spain made do without the injured Aitana Bonmati to retain the Women’s Nations League title with a 3-0 second-leg win over Germany in the final.
The Germans dominated the goalless first leg in Kaiserslautern, missing a slew of chances that they came to regret as the roles were reversed in Madrid, with the Spaniards flying out of the blocks but failing to get the ball past Ann-Katrin Berger in the German goal.
Pina finally broke a deadlock that had lasted more than 150 minutes over the two legs with a moment of inspiration in the 61st minute as the German defence suffered a lapse in concentration that was to prove costly.
Shadowed by Giulia Gwinn, Pina cut in from the left before passing to the feet of Esther Gonzalez. The German defender switched off momentarily. That was enough to allow Pina to create the space she needed for her shot, and though Berger got a touch on the ball, she couldn’t keep it out.
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Claudia Pina’s goals inspired Spain to retain the Nations League (REUTERS)
Vicky Lopez added a second from a similar position seven minutes later, but she needed no help as she cut in from the right before curling home past Berger.
Pina saved the best for last, picking up the ball in the middle of the field and surging forward before pinging an unstoppable shot past Berger in the 74th minute as Spain retained the title they won against France in the first edition of the tournament in 2024.
“It’s a very beautiful day to enjoy. There (in Germany), we were not the Spain we want to be. We knew we would have the support of the people here and they have been very important,” Spain coach Sonia Bermudez told RTVE.
“They have achieved it. They have mobilised 70,000 people to watch them play. It is a very ambitious group and today we had a difficult opponent, so it is a day to enjoy,” she added.
Reuters