England's women maintained belief through bumpy run to Euro glory

BASEL, Switzerland :England fans marched to St Jakob-Park for Sunday's women's Euro 2025 final behind a banner that read "Proper England," the team's new motto that had developed over a roller-coaster tournament of wild comebacks.

England delivered one more heart-stopping come-from-behind win on Sunday to capture their second consecutive European title, in their third straight major tournament final, with Chloe Kelly firing in the decisive spot-kick to beat world champions Spain 3-1 in a shootout after a 1-1 draw.

If it was the unlikeliest of results - England had only led for four minutes over their three knockout games - it also felt almost inevitable after their battling, never-say-die approach during the finals since losing their opening game to France.

"We have players that have talent, and the togetherness of this team is really incredible, but also the belief that we can come back," said coach Sarina Wiegman.

Asked if they ever doubted victory, defender Niamh Charles said: "No. We had that complete belief that however late it went ... That's something we've referenced so much, that 'Proper English,'" she said.

It was the third consecutive Euro trophy for 55-year-old Wiegman, who led her native Netherlands to the 2017 title, and her fifth major tournament final. 

"She's bloody amazing," Kelly said of the Dutch coach, who is under contract with England through the 2027 World Cup. "She's an incredible woman, what she's done for this country, we should all be so grateful for. 

"What she's done for me individually, she gave me hope when I probably didn't have any."

Kelly's heroics included smashing home her penalty in their shootout win over Sweden in the quarter-finals, and scoring the winner against Italy in the semis.

But