July 21, (THEWILL) – Georgia Stanway’s incredible goal helped hosts, England, defeat Spain 2-1 in overtime to advance to the Euro 2022 semi-finals in front of excited and cheering home fans.
Yet, it was a tough encounter and completely different from England’s previous game against Norway at the Brighton and Hove Community Stadium, which they won 8-0. Indeed, in the first five minutes of the game, England looked vulnerable as Spain came out fighting and used Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati to control the play.
Mary Earps was quickly called into action as she was required to make her first save against the Spanish ladies. Despite some fantastic play, England struggled to maintain possession of the ball when they did get it in the first half, which ended in a score of 0-0. When Spain took the lead through Esther Gonzalez early in the second half, it appeared as though the Lionesses’ exit was inevitable.
However, two of the younger members of the pride—Manchester United teammates Alessia Russo and Ella Toone combined to give Toone the equaliser. With their energy restored by their goal and the additional fresh bodies added during the second half, England appeared to be an entirely different team as the game entered extra time.
The new breed of Lionesses, who have genuinely earned their stripes during this tournament, played with the freedom and fervour that thrilled the fans. And, it was only a matter of time before England scored once more, a 96th minute screamer from Georgia Stanway that was enough to take them to the semi-finals.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
