ZURICH :It took Aitana Bonmati 113 minutes to solve Germany’s defensive riddle, but she finally found the answer in extra time, netting a brilliant winner that sent Spain through to Sunday’s Women’s European Championship final against England.
For nearly two hours, the Spanish midfielder had been pressing, probing and passing as she tried to find a way through a rock-solid German defence intent on frustrating the reigning world and Nations League champions.
The Germans defended superbly, staggering their defensive lines to prevent Spain from playing angled balls into space and forcing their opponents to shift the point of attack relentlessly.
Spain began by attacking down the left with Claudia Pina and Olga Carmona before switching to the right side, where Mariona Caldentey was given free rein to attack.
In the middle, Patri Guijarro and Alexia Putellas circulated the ball, keeping it moving from side to side, but it was Bonmati that the Spaniards turned to for inspiration.
Despite the best efforts of the Germans to shut her down, the fleet-footed midfielder was the spider in the Spanish web, dropping deep at times to collect the ball, passing and moving quickly to try to pull the Germans out of shape.
For the most part, Germany’s defenders didn’t take the bait and did their best to keep her out of her favourite pocket of space to the right of their penalty area.
Yet inevitably she managed to find a sliver of daylight there on occasion as she tried to tee up her strikers.
The 27-year-old didn’t have it all her own way, expressing frustration when she fired a second-half shot well wide of the target from a good position and scolding herself when her passes didn’t come off.
However, she never let her failures get her down, and when her chance came in the second period of extra time, she grabbed it with both hands.
Athenea del Castillo began the decisive move by cutting out a clearance and sliding the ball into the box for Bonmati to chase.
With trademark calculation, she quickly sized up the situation and spotted Germany keeper Ann-Katrin Berger had left a gap at her near post, firing the ball into the net from a tight angle.
“The truth is that we had studied it – well, Marisa, the goalkeeper coach, had told me that she (Berger) made certain movements, and that sometimes she left the near post clear and that’s how it was,” Bonmati said.
It was a goal rooted in practice and preparation, and delivered with her characteristic skill and humility.
“I don’t believe in fate – I believe in work and in my mindset,” she said. “Thanks to all the people who have supported me, because it hasn’t been easy, and here I’ve had very good support, and at home too, so thanks always.”
