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England retained the women's European Championship trophy after beating Spain on penalties. The two countries have contested the last three major finals and seem to be moving clear of the rest of Europe.Somehow it all felt familiar. Spain were in control, England chasing shadows. Just as it had been for the country’s men at Euro 2024 and women in the World Cup the year before that. But it turned out it was another old tale that was to be repeated, Chloe Kelly coming off the bench to win the Euros for England. Just as she had in Euro 2022, when she broke German hearts by scoring in extra time at Wembley, so it was in Switzerland, as Kelly hammered home the penalty that retained the trophy for her country. Earlier the two sides had traded headed goals either side of halftime, Mariona Caldentey for Spain, Alessia Russo for England. Even before her penalty, Kelly had changed the game, providing the cross from Russo and once again England’s strength in depth was decisive. It is the first time England has won a major tournament outside of their own country. It has been far from smooth sailing though, as coach Sarina Wiegman alluded to post-match. "I cannot believe it. The word team describes who we are. I am so proud of them and the staff," the coach, who also won the 2017 tournament with her native Netherlands told the BBC. "I have a medal around my neck and we have the trophy. It has been the most chaotic tournament, from the first day it’s been chaos. From losing your opening game and winning the trophy, incredible." Never beaten As well as that opening loss to France, England had to muster late comebacks against Sweden and Italy in the quarter and semifinals. In fact, they were only ahead for four minutes and 52 seconds in their three knockout matches. "Playing for this England team is unbelievable. You cannot put us down," concluded captain Leah Williamson. "To do this again, this is the toughest. How women’s football has changed and for us to do it again. The stakes, everything was high. We have ridden our luck [but] we aren’t lucky." England has also had to deal with the racist abuse of defender Jess Carter on social media after the Sweden game. The squad responded by stopping taking the knee, an anti-racism gesture first used by American Football quarterback Colin Kapernick that spread across the globe. "Taking the knee, that's not enough. We have done that for a while. The impact is not good enough, it's not as big as we think," Wiegman said. Carter's comeback After being dropped for the dramatic semifinal win over Italy, sealed by a 119th minute Kelly goal, Carter returned for the final and excelled as England dealt with waves of Spanish attacks. "I just couldn’t be prouder. I feel speechless," said the Chelsea player post-match. "I feel relief, excitement. I want to say a massive thank you to our fans, my friends and family. For anyone who doubted us, doubted me, this [is what we do]." The Lionesses, as England’s women’s team is known, have been consistent advocates for equality and have enjoyed a high profile since the home tournament three years ago. That win spurred massive increases in attendances in the domestic league (WSL) and in participation among women and girls in the sport. That, and investment by the English Football Association over the last decade or so, has taken England from the middle of the pack to the only team that can compete with Spain. World Cup win marred by Rubiales' kiss The two countries have now won the last three major international trophies and the last three Champions League titles (the highest honor at club level in Europe), after Arsenal beat Barcelona in this year’s final. But for Spain, it has been the technical brilliance of a generation of mostly Barcelona players, led by Aitana Bonmati, who missed a penalty in the shootout but won player of the tournament, and Alexia Putellas, that has achieved so much. That's despite a federation led until recently by Luis Rubiales, whose unwanted kiss on player Jenni Hermoso became a global lightning rod for issues of sexual consent and ended with him beingfound guilty of sexual assault earlier this year. The behavior of Rubiales and former coach Jorge Vilda had already led several Spanish players to boycott the World Cup. Though they got there by different methods, the new era of dominance for England and Spain may prove problematic for the rest of women’s football, with more traditional European powerhouses like Germany and Norway not commercializing their domestic and international teams as rapidly. But few in England will care about that when the trophy is paraded in front of Buckingham Palace on Tuesday. Edited by: Roshni Majumdar