Sovereign in the first round with three victories and 14 goals scored, without conceding a single one, the "Lionesses" had to whip this time and will have to recover before facing next Tuesday Sweden or Belgium, who meet on Friday.

England had everything to fear from this Roja who were the last team not to have lost against them (0-0 in February) and also the only opponent not to have conceded a goal since Sarina Wiegman was on the bench.

Faced with a team that likes to deprive its opponent of the ball, the English tried to respond with a kind of "neither-nor": neither stifling pressure as Germany had done in the first period against the same opponents, during of their 2-0 victory, nor a low position to play against, as the same Germans had done for the rest of the match.

Unrecognizable Beth Mead

The Spaniards, they put a lot of pressure on Georgia Stanway and Kiera Walsh, the English double pivot, slowing down the ball's comebacks.

The English Lucy Bronze (g) in the fight with the Spaniard Esther Gonzalez, in the quarter-finals of the Euro, on July 20, 2022 in Brighton Glyn KIRK AFP

They also controlled the wing blasters, Lauren Hemp and Beth Mead, unrecognizable after their group stage punctuated by 5 goals and 3 assists, and left before the hour mark.

Offensively, they had clearly targeted the laterals as a weak point in the English rearguard.

Tirelessly, they came to test Lucy Bronze on the right and Rachel Daly on the left, causing overcrowding or provoking them in one against one.

Returning to the locker room, Wiegman, just out of solitary confinement after testing positive for Covid five days ago, looked gray.

England's Georgia Stanway (g) has just scored the qualifying goal against Spain for the Euro, July 20, 2022 in Brighton Glyn KIRK AFP

But it was his Spanish counterpart Jorge Vilda who pulled off the intermission masterstroke by launching Athenea Del Castillo in place of Marta Cardona.

Del Castillo put Daly through hell, the goal incidentally coming from an error from the left-back who threw herself in front of her opponent, who easily eliminated her with an inside hook.

Stanway's Missile

Very lucidly, while the path to the goal was open to him, Del Castillo served Esther Gonzalez whose pivot shot deceived Mary Earps (1-0, 54th).

Spanish goalkeeper Sandra Panos beaten on Georgia Stanway's strike in extra time, July 20, 2022 in Brighton Glyn KIRK AFP

Del Castillo even almost doubled the bet with a long cross-shot that Earps barely managed, and stepping back, to prevent from entering his opposite side netting (65th).

But England have a bench which allows them to restore intensity at the end of the match and Wiegman launched Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo (54th), then Ella Toone (64th).

A hot situation in front of the Spanish goal in the 76th, concluded by a shot too high from Hemp, was the first indication that the tide was turning.

The Spaniards started to get rid of the ball too quickly, quickly cowering over their final 25 yards when the ball was lost.

The joy of the English Ellen White after qualifying for the semi-finals of the Euro at the expense of Spain, July 20, 2022 in Brighton Glyn KIRK AFP

And on yet another attack, a center from Hemp found a deflection of Russo's head, volleyed by Toone 5 meters from goal to make AmEx Stadium in Brighton roar (1-1, 84th).

On their stride, the English took the advantage, Georgia Stanway finally finding space to launch towards the opposing area and unleash a superb shot from the right in the top corner (2-1, 96th).

Just enough for a snatch victory, of those which create a destiny for you.

© 2022 AFP