Too slick, too quick and, ultimately, just too good at football; Spain reaffirmed their standing as the best team in the world as they outclassed Germany and retained the Women’s Nations League title in spite of the absence of their injured superstar Aitana Bonmatí.
The world champions were playing their first game since their Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder was ruled out for five months after undergoing surgery on a broken leg, but anybody who worried that her absence may disrupt Spain’s stylish football was immediately proved wrong, as they demonstrated the extensive depth of talent across their classy team and eventually played some ruthless football to dispatch their rivals at the Estadio Metropolitano.
All of the goals came in a 13-minute second-half burst of the second leg, but Spain could have been comfortably in control before half-time on home soil, in what was a fearless attacking performance that thrilled the Madrid crowd of 55,843 – a record for a Spanish women’s national team home fixture – with well-taken goals once Germany’s resistance was finally broken.
Alexia Putellas was evidently touched by the size of that crowd and their passionate support for the Spanish side. “It’s one of the most magical nights we’ve lived, one of the best nights of my career,” she said after the match. “Thank you very much to these people who have come to support us.
“At this point, some of us have been playing for the national team for 13 years and never imagined this. It says a lot about what we’ve done for women’s football in Spain.
“We’ll continue to inspire girls and boys to fight for their dreams, which sometimes come true.” The comprehensive victory on Tuesday delivered a trophy for the Spain head coach, Sonia Bermúdez, inside her first four months in charge, as Spain claimed a third major piece of silverware in two and a half years.
With the victory Spain also returned to the winners’ podium at the first opportunity after the heartbreak of their defeat against England on penalties in the final of Euro 2025.
This game was won when Clàudia Pina scored twice, either side of Vicky López’s delightful finish, to deliver a 3-0 second-leg victory, after Germany had created – but failed to convert – several good chances in the goalless first leg in Kaiserslautern last Friday.
Spain went close in the first half through a Putellas header, which looked bound for the bottom corner before a fine Ann‑Katrin Berger save, and Spain should have gone in front when Mariona Caldentey scuffed a volley wide when she was found in ample space in the box.
Eventually the pressure told when Pina cut inside on to her right foot, after a lay-off from Caldentey, and Berger could not keep out the forward’s low strike.
It was a rare error from the shot-stopper who impressed throughout the European Championship in the summer. López was then afforded space to roam into the Germany penalty area and arch in an eye-catching second, before Pina capitalised on some loose passing to make it 3-0 by firing into the top corner.
With Spain coasting, there was a rapturous welcome for the substitute Jenni Hermoso, recalled to the squad by Bermúdez this autumn, and Hermoso later said: “It has been many months of work, of thinking about putting [a Spain shirt] on again and, in the end, everything has its reward. We continue to show we are the best team in the world.”
Germany provided some moments of quality on the counterattack but were sloppy in their passing at times and lacked a lethal finisher of the calibre of Pina.
Their head coach, Christian Wück, felt the game had been “very evenly matched” while their captain, Giulia Gwinn, said: “It’s frustrating when you put so much effort into the game and don’t get the reward. In the end, losing 3-0 is hard, but I think we put up a very good fight. It’s a bit too harsh, but we could have scored goals, especially in the first game and again today.”
Spain, who were 2-0 winners against France in the final when they lifted the first Women’s Nations League title in February 2024, are the world’s No 1-ranked side ahead of USA in second, Sweden in third and the back-to-back European Championship winners England in fourth. This win signals Spain’s intent as they now cast their eye on the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
