Spain reached the semi-finals of Women’s Euro 2025 after overcoming a determined Switzerland side 2-0 in front of a passionate home crowd at the Wankdorf Stadium. The world champions continued their pursuit of a first-ever European title with goals from Athenea del Castillo and Claudia Pina in the second half.
Spain will now face either France or Germany in the last four on Wednesday, but their path was far from straightforward as hosts Switzerland fought hard throughout the match.
The Swiss posed a tough challenge, frustrating Spain’s usually fluent style of play. They survived an early scare when Mariona Caldentey missed a ninth-minute penalty, firing wide, and then defended deep, disrupting Spain’s rhythm.
“We expected a tough game, especially against the hosts with their fans behind them,” said Spain midfielder Aitana Bonmati. “They were competitive and intense. They defended deeply and made it hard for us to play our game, but in the end, it turned out okay. We have difficult games ahead. Football is about competing for 90 minutes, and we stayed calm and confident.”
Despite their loss, Switzerland received a warm ovation from the majority of the near 30,000 spectators who stayed after the final whistle to applaud the team’s effort. This was Switzerland’s best-ever showing at the Euros, having never advanced past the group stage before.
Coach Pia Sundhage praised her team’s resilience and the tournament atmosphere in Switzerland. “At least we tried, and I am very proud of what we have achieved,” she said. “The fans’ presence and support have been phenomenal. It’s been a once-in-a-lifetime feeling, very emotional. It shows that women’s football matters here, and I am grateful for that.”
Spain’s persistence paid off after a tough match. Despite another penalty miss late on by captain Alexia Putellas, the quality of their play eventually broke through.
The early penalty miss by Caldentey was a missed opportunity, but Spain continued to probe the Swiss defence, creating chances though often finding their shots blocked or hitting the woodwork. Irene Paredes headed a corner onto the post just before half-time, and shortly after the break, Patri Guijarro also struck the post from a set-piece. In a scramble, Esther Gonzalez was unlucky to hit the other post from close range.
The breakthrough came in the 66th minute when Del Castillo, who had just come on as a substitute, calmly finished a through ball from Bonmati to end Switzerland’s resistance.
Five minutes later, Claudia Pina added a superb second goal, securing Spain’s place in the semi-finals.
Switzerland finished the match with 10 players after Noelle Maritz was sent off in the final moments, and goalkeeper Livia Peng also made a crucial save to deny Putellas’ weak penalty in the dying minutes.