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Spain are aiming to overcome their long-standing struggles against Germany when the two teams face off in the semi-finals of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 on Wednesday.
With star midfielder Alexia Putellas leading the charge, La Roja are eager to continue making history after their World Cup triumph in 2023.
Speaking to reporters in Zurich ahead of the highly anticipated clash, Putellas expressed optimism and belief in the squad. “We’re delighted to be in this position. We go into the game with hope and confidence in ourselves,” said the two-time Ballon d’Or winner.
Despite their growing dominance on the global stage, Spain have yet to claim a European Championship title. Their opponents, Germany, have lifted the trophy a record eight times and were the benchmark in women’s football for much of the early 21st century.
Acknowledging the scale of the task, Putellas noted, “Germany are one of the strongest teams in the world, and we know it won’t be easy. But our goal is to reach our first Euro final—that alone would be a huge achievement.”
Spain’s record against Germany is bleak, with no wins in previous encounters. They were beaten by the Germans in the group stage of the 2019 World Cup and again at Euro 2022.
Most recently, Germany defeated them in the bronze medal match at the Tokyo Olympics. However, Putellas dismissed any narrative of revenge, framing the semi-final as a fresh opportunity.
“I don’t view it as revenge for the Olympics,” she said. “That was a different competition altogether. Euros and World Cups carry a different weight, so they’re not comparable. What matters is that we now have a chance to beat them for the first time.”
She emphasised that the team is fully focused on the task at hand. “We know a semi-final at a major tournament is always tough, but we’re motivated to keep making history.”
Spain will be without suspended defender Laia Aleixandri, while Germany are missing Sjoeke Nuesken and Kathrin Hendrich, the latter banned after receiving a red card in their penalty shootout win over France. Sarai Linder also remains sidelined through injury.
Germany coach Christian Wueck admitted that his side expect a demanding match. “Everyone knows what Spain are like. We’ll have to do a lot of running and suffer without the ball because they’ll dominate possession,” he said.
