Euro 2025: England goalie Hampton's fairy-tale journey from eye surgeries to penalty shootout star
Player of the match Hampton saved a penalty shootout spot kick by Spain's two-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmatí in a dramatic final.
Before that, she saved the penalty by Mariona Caldentey, whose 25th-minute header did beat Hampton and had left defending champion England playing catchup yet again at Euro 2025.
But this England, like its 24-year-old goalkeeper with the sub-optimal eyesight, thrives on adversity — especially on a thrilling ride through three knockout rounds where the team led for just five minutes in total.
England retained its Women's European Championship title by beating world champion Spain 3-1 in the shootout needed when the teams were tied 1-1 after extra time.
'In 120 minutes, the team ran around and worked so hard for us all, so the penalty shootout was my moment to say thank you for putting in all the hard work and effort they did throughout,' Hampton said in a post-game interview with UEFA.
When Chloe Kelly scored the decisive spot kick, her teammate who had let just one of four Spain penalties beat her actually did not know what was happening.
'I'd completely lost track of what was going on by the time Chloe stepped up,' Hampton revealed later. 'As soon as I saw her run off (celebrating), I thought: 'That's it, we've won'. I can't believe it.'
No limits
It was the latest inspiring win in Hampton's fast-rising career that never seemed possible when she was younger and diagnosed with an eye condition that affects depth perception. She has had multiple surgeries and her vision is still not ideal.
'It just highlights you can never let people tell you what you can and can't do,' the England goalkeeper said.
Hampton's month in Switzerland has earned her place in England's soccer lore.
In a stunning win over Sweden in the quarterfinals – after another shootout earned by a late rally to draw 2-2 – Hampton had two more spot-kick saves and let only two of the seven beat her.
'Her journey has been incredible,' England coach Sarina Wiegman said. 'It's a little bit like a fairy tale to stop those penalties in a Euros final.'
England has another stellar goalkeeper to follow Mary Earps, the star of the Euro 2022 title team and the run to the final of the 2023 World Cup final — won by Spain.
'Special moment'
Earps choosing to retire from the England scene five weeks before this tournament was a surprise — and was criticized by some observers — and put more pressure on the goalkeepers replacing her.
'If you have a dream and you really believe in that dream, then go and do it,' she said. 'I've done that and, right now, being sat with the trophy and the medal, it's a special moment.'
___
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
31 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Troy Melton throws 7 scoreless innings in 2nd career start as Tigers beat Diamondbacks
DETROIT (AP) — Rookie Troy Melton pitched seven scoreless innings in his second career start, and the Detroit Tigers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-1 on Monday night. Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez, who has 36 homers this season and is a candidate to be traded to a contender, left the game in the ninth inning after being hit on the right hand by a pitch. Melton, who made his major league debut in a loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, gave up five singles and didn't allow a runner to reach scoring position. He struck out five and walked none. Andy Ibáñez, recalled from Triple-A Toledo before the game, doubled and scored twice. The Tigers have won two straight since losing 12 of 13. Former Tiger Eduardo Rodriguez (3-7) gave up five runs on eight hits in six innings. ORIOLES 11, BLUE JAYS 4 BALTIMORE (AP) — Ramón Laureano homered and drove in three runs, Adley Rutschman marked his return from the injured list with three hits and two RBIs, and Baltimore beat Toronto. Cedric Mullins, Coby Mayo and Colton Cowser also homered for the last-place Orioles, who amassed 16 hits against the AL East leaders. The game took a scary turn in the ninth inning, when Toronto's George Springer was hit in the back of the helmet by a fastball thrown by Kade Strowd. After laying prone from several minutes, Springer got up very slowly and left the field. Bo Bichette had four straight hits for Toronto before grounding into a game-ending double play. He went 5 for 5 Sunday in Detroit, and the nine straight hits are a franchise record. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Nathan Lukes homered for the Blue Jays, who have yielded 21 runs in their last two games after winning eight of nine following the All-Star break. Chris Bassitt (11-5) gave up six runs and seven hits in 2 1/3 innings. DODGERS 5, REDS 2 CINCINNATI (AP) — Shohei Ohtani extended his hitting streak to nine games with a two-run double in the fifth inning and Los Angeles defeated Cincinnati. Dodgers' right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto (9-7) went seven innings for the fifth time this season and struck out nine while Teoscar Hernández had two hits and drove in a pair of runs. Reds rookie Chase Burns (0-3) had his third straight game with 10 strikeouts, but is still seeking his first win in the majors. The right-hander gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings. BREWERS 8, CUBS 4 MILWAUKEE (AP) — Andrew Vaughn, Sal Frelick and Christian Yelich homered and Milwaukee overcame a shaky start from All-Star Jacob Misiorowski to beat Chicago and take sole possession of first place in the NL Central. After allowing a bloop single and walk to begin the game, Misiorowski took a line shot off the bat of Seiya Suzuki to his left knee. The 23-year-old rookie struck out Pete Crow-Armstrong but threw a wild pitch in the process, allowing a run to score. Then, after fielding a dribbler in front of the mound, Misiorowski threw wildly to first as two runners scored. The Brewers stormed back with four runs off Matthew Boyd (11-4) in the third to take a 4-3 lead. Christian Yelich had an RBI double, Isaac Collins a two-run single and Brice Turang a sacrifice fly. Vaughn hit a solo homer in the fifth and Frelick hit another in the sixth to give the Brewers a 6-3 lead. After Kyle Tucker's run-scoring single in the seventh cut the margin to 6-4, Yelich hit a two-run shot to give the Brewers a four-run cushion. Misiorowski gave up three hits and three runs in four innings. He walked two and struck out seven while throwing 11 pitches of 100 mph or more. WHITE SOX 6, PHILLIES 2 CHICAGO (AP) — Luis Robert Jr. and Colson Montgomery homered to help Chicago beat Cristopher Sánchez and Philadelphia. Davis Martin pitched six-hit ball into the sixth inning as Chicago improved to 7-3 since the All-Star break. Lenyn Sosa had three hits, including a run-scoring single. The last-place White Sox need two more wins to match their total from all of last year, when they went 41-121 to break the modern major league record for most losses in a season. Bryce Harper had two hits and two RBIs for Philadelphia, which dropped to 2-2 on a six-game trip. Kyle Schwarber walked three times, and Brandon Marsh finished with two hits. Sánchez (9-3) allowed four runs and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings in his first loss since June 8. The wiry left-hander went 4-0 with a 1.40 ERA in his previous seven starts. CARDINALS 7, MARLINS 1 ST. LOUIS (AP) — Andre Pallante allowed one hit in seven scoreless innings and St. Louis beat Miami. Pallante (6-7) retired the first 10 batters before walking Jesús Sánchez in the fourth. Graham Pauley singled in the sixth for the Marlins' lone hit against the St. Louis right-hander. Pallante struck out four, walked one and threw 49 of his 81 pitches for strikes. Alec Burleson hit his 14th homer this season and second in as many games for the Cardinals, a 411-foot drive to center in the third inning off a 97 mph fastball from Edward Cabrera (4-5) Cabrera allowed a pair of runs (one earned) on three hits in six innings. He struck out four and walked three. Steven Matz allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth and Matt Svanson allowed a walk and a pair of hits, including an RBI single by Agustín Ramírez, in the ninth. Miami dropped its second straight game after having a four-game winning streak end on Sunday. RAYS 4, YANKEES 2 NEW YORK (AP) — Junior Caminero hit a two-run homer, Drew Rasmussen recovered from a rocky start on the mound and Tampa Bay beat New York in the opener of a four-game series. Caminero connected against Cam Schlittler (1-1) in the first inning for his 27th home run. Josh Lowe hit a go-ahead single in the fifth to chase the rookie starter. Tampa Bay won for only the eighth time in 26 games to avoid falling under .500 for the first time since May 24. In the bottom of the first, the Yankees loaded the bases when Rasmussen (8-5) allowed consecutive one-out singles to Jasson Domínguez, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton. The right-hander then walked Jazz Chisholm Jr. and issued a free pass to Ryan McMahon two batters later, forcing in another run. But after the Yankees tied it, Rasmussen retired 12 straight and 13 of his final 14 batters. He permitted four hits and struck out five in five innings. Edwin Uceta fanned four in two perfect innings, and Pete Fairbanks got four outs for his 18th save.
Hamilton Spectator
31 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Ogunbowale, Bueckers score 20 apiece and Wings hang on to defeat Liberty 92-82
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Arike Ogunbowale had 20 points and 14 assists, Paige Bueckers scored 20 points and the Dallas Wings hung on to beat the New York Liberty 92-82 on Monday night despite making only one field goal in the fourth quarter. Dallas led 85-62 through three quarters but a 3-pointer from Aziaha James with about 7 minutes remaining was the Wings' only basket of the final period. New York outscored Dallas 20-3 over the first 8 1/2 minutes, capped by Jonquel Jones' 3-pointer that made it 88-82. Bueckers — with former UConn teammate Azzi Fudd in attendance wearing an 'I Heart PB' T-shirt — finally scored for Dallas, making two free throws with 1:06 remaining. After Jones missed a jumper, DiJonai Carrington made two free throws for a 92-82 lead with 54 seconds left. The Wings led 31-19 after the first quarter and extended their lead to 63-36 at halftime, when Ogunbowale became the first player in WNBA history to have at least 15 points and 10 assists in one half. Jones had 18 points for New York (17-8), which was playing without Breanna Stewart because of a right leg injury and lost its second straight. Sabrina Ionescu scored 17. Luisa Geiselsoder had 14 points for Dallas (8-19). Up next New York: Visits Minnesota on Wednesday in a matchup of the two conference leaders. Dallas: Hosts Atlanta on Wednesday. ___ AP WNBA:
New York Times
31 minutes ago
- New York Times
Summer of women's soccer goes and returns. Plus: USWNT announces fall friendlies
Full Time Newsletter ⚽| This is The Athletic's weekly women's soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox. The best remedy for soccer is more soccer One day, we will have public health studies about the long-term effects of this Summer of Soccer. If you experienced any of the following, you may be entitled to an extra week off work/school (however, the antidote is just more soccer): The two continental finals last weekend — Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco on Saturday and the Euros in Switzerland on Sunday — were so comprehensively high-octane that I am considering taking PTO just to mend my edges, settle my nervous system and bask in the glory of this game. In Rabat, Nigeria — which had nine titles to its name before Saturday — was very much the away team. They were down two goals at halftime of the WAFCON final, yet found a way to hand the Moroccan hosts their second straight championship loss. Morocco are hosting a third consecutive WAFCON next year, raising questions about what it means to host even when you lose big games. Advertisement England also entered the half losing the game thanks to that well-worked Caldentey goal, but as the now-two-time European champions have shown throughout their Euros campaign, they don't need to hold a lead to win a game. They only led for four minutes and 52 seconds across all three knockout round matches, including two that came down to penalty kicks. Spain deserve credit for their dominant performance, only losing in the final. A lot of that comes down to the investment. As Laia Cervello Herrero writes, the Spanish federation is finally putting more backing behind the team after the fallout from its previous errors. Unlike Spain, England were unconcerned by on-the-ball aesthetics nor healthy bones, as Lucy Bronze revealed that she'd been playing on a fractured tibia the whole tournament. (She told BBC after the match: 'It's very painful, but I'm going to party.') That's mad even by Bronze's extreme standards. But then again, hasn't the madness of the best kind been the case all summer? Want to re-live the tournament? You can read about England's penalty kick specialist Chloe Kelly, who is cool as ice, and the European champion goalkeeper that you'd never know has a problem with depth perception. — Tamerra Griffin 🎧 On the 'Full Time' podcast: The Euros crew in Switzerland joins Jillian Sakovits from the final to assess a truly mad finale. They're coming home The European trophy might be heading home with England, but many of the stars from the tournament are returning home to NWSL. Here are a few to keep an eye on when league play returns Friday. If, like me, you couldn't get enough of Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger at the Euros, she'll rejoin her club teammates and Euros finalists Esther Gonzalez and Jess Carter at Gotham this week. And the second half of the NWSL season will see AKB go head-to-head with some of the league's most dangerous attackers: Italy's run to the Euro semifinals sparked a new light in the country. Part of their attack, forward Sofia Cantore, is headed to NWSL, after signing a three-year deal with the Spirit, becoming the first Italian player in NWSL history. While she didn't score for the Azzurre during the tournament, she has notched more than 40 goals and 20 assists in 120 appearances across multiple Serie A teams. France shook up its squad, opting for younger players and leaving out veterans like Wendie Renard, the country's top goal scorer Eugenie Le Sommer and San Diego Wave's Kenza Dali. But the changes proved too much as they fell to Germany in the semifinals. Delphine Cascarino was part of getting Les Bleus to that stage, and she could be back as soon as this weekend for the Wave's match against the North Carolina Courage. —Asli Pelit A month ago, I wrote that the Euros, WAFCON and Copa América Feminina would be a far more revealing look at the state of the game in the U.S. than a World Cup — and with the main international break now at a close and the NWSL returning this weekend, there's so much to be encouraged by. As much as the Euros had grown in accessibility and importance here since the 2017 edition, this summer was truly the moment the tournament broke through. The vibes were immaculate in Switzerland, but so were the increases in TV numbers for Fox Sports. I might have had issues with Fox's usual approach to broadcasting a tournament, but watching this major tournament felt like a premium product akin to the World Cup or the Olympics. Advertisement The same can't really be said for WAFCON and especially Copa América — also on Fox, yet a shadow of the Euros production and schedule. Tamerra and I have been discussing how these two tournaments have lagged behind the shine of the Euros over the past two weeks, but the soccer itself has provided plenty of reasons for increased investment. The NWSL couldn't have asked for better results or better performances from its players this summer. The social feeds have been popping, and teams have already reactivated the marketing email machines. At least a couple of teams are offering free tickets to first-time fans to get them through the doors. Re-examine the standings during these final moments of calm before the storm, and there's so much to study in the season's back half. As a reminder, we left off with all 14 teams facing each other exactly once, bringing us to the midpoint of the 2025 season. Last year was a true four-team race, with a clear quartet vying for the title. This year, nobody can keep pace with the Kansas City Current, who have an eight-point cushion over Orlando. The Pride and Spirit set a new single-season wins record with 18 last year; KC already has 11. Will anybody complicate their Shield quest? Esther is the golden boot front-runner, after capturing the same award at Euro 2025, but Gotham is narrowly clinging to the final playoff place. With 2024 qualifiers North Carolina and Bay FC on their heels, the 2023 champs will need to find a rhythm quickly. Seattle Reign has bounced back from a disappointing 2024 and is sixth in the table. That second tier is awfully compact, with just four points separating the Reign and second-place Orlando. Will Mia Fishel's arrival vault Seattle into contention to win the title? Trinity Rodman is back in training, ending a lengthy absence as she received back and spine treatment. Her return will be quite welcome, but with the USWNT star's contract expiring after the year, it won't just be her performances that Spirit fans will study closely. — Jeff Rueter Seattle Reign vs. Angel City FC Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET, NWSL+ The Reign are riding high after edging out the Portland Thorns in a 5-4 penalty shootout win during a fiery midseason friendly at Providence Park last weekend. While it will be nice to see Lynn Biyendolo, Sofia Huerta, Jordyn Bugg, Jordyn Huitema and Claudia Dickey back, Angel City's latest additions, Icelandic forward Sveindís Jónsdóttir and Evelyn Shores, could debut under Alexander Straus in this one. Advertisement Copa América semifinals Argentina vs. Colombia today at 8 p.m. ET, FS1 Brazil vs. Uruguay tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET, FS1 The winners of these matches will meet in the final Saturday (5 p.m. ET). Brazil remains the favorite to win it all, especially after Colombia's underwhelming showing against the defending champions last week. Will Argentina continue its unbeaten streak to top Colombia? Will Uruguay upset Brazil, which has featured in every single Copa America final? We can't wait to find out. It's party time: The USWNT will return to action in October for a round of games and celebrations for recently retired players. First, the U.S. will honor Alex Morgan at Subaru Park outside Philadelphia (the site of her first goal) on Oct. 23 and then Connecticut native Alyssa Naeher in Hartford on Oct. 26. Both games will be against Portugal. The final game of the window will be in Kansas City, Mo., against an opponent yet to be determined. Lasso's return: Speaking of Kansas City, 'Ted Lasso' has officially begun production on season four of the Apple TV series, which is expected to follow AFC Richmond's endeavors into women's soccer. While the Current declined to confirm whether they are involved in the filming, lead actor Jason Sudeikis, a KC native, joined co-stars Juno Temple and Hannah Waddingham around multiple Kansas City landmarks recently and popped up for a surprise appearance at a Mumford & Sons concert on July 24. 📫 Love Full Time? These stories can also be found on Yahoo's women's sports hub, in partnership with The Athletic. Also, check out our other newsletters.
