Bonmatí leads Spain past Germany 1-0, sets up Euro 2025 final against England

ZURICH (AP) — Aitana Bonmatí scored in extra time to send Spain to its first Women’s European Championship final with a 1-0 win over Germany on Wednesday, setting up a repeat of the 2023 World Cup title match.

A stubborn Germany performance had seen it take the world champions to extra time and Spain needed a superb strike from the two-time Ballon d’Or winner to secure a first win in nine attempts against Germany.

“I feel so proud. We deserved this," Bonmatí said. "We have played a great tournament throughout. We had a hard fight tonight, of course, because we were playing Germany. First to beat Germany and then to advance to the final of the Euros, who could ask for more?”

In the 113th minute, Athenea del Castillo threaded the ball through to Bonmatí, who got past Rebecca Knaak with a clever dummy and turn before squeezing home an audacious attempt from the tightest of angles.

“We had analyzed her and knew that she would leave the near post unprotected, and that is what happened. I just slotted it home," Bonmatí said.

Spain moved within one victory of adding the European Championship trophy to its collection after winning the World Cup and Nations League in the past two years.

Montse Tomé’s team will face defending champion England on Sunday in a repeat of the World Cup final that Spain won 1-0 two years ago.

England also needed extra time for a 2-1 win over Italy on Tuesday.

It was a tough end to a stellar tournament for Berger, who had been the star of Germany’s dramatic quarterfinal against France.

“I take the blame for that. The near post must be shut, absolutely,” Berger said. "That’s why I’m even more disappointed in myself.

“I can make as many saves as I want, but that one should have been mine, and that’s why I’m incredibly sorry. For the team, not for me, but for those who gave their all.”

Germany coach Christian Wück absolved Berger of any blame, and instead acknowledged her “saves that got us to where we are."

“We imagined it differently and to concede just before the end because of such a stroke of genius, that makes it incredibly bitter,” he added.

Germany was bidding for a record-extending ninth European title but it was up against the world champion and pre-tournament favorite.

It almost surprised Spain early on when Klara Bühl ran onto a long ball from goalkeeper Berger, but her angled drive went narrowly past the right post.

Germany managed to stifle Spain’s attack, which didn’t have a real sight of goal until the 21st minute when Berger made a fantastic save to tip a shot over the bar from the tournament’s top goalscorer Esther González.

Giovanna Hoffmann should have given Germany the lead in the 29th but she missed the ball right in front of goal, with a fresh air shot, after excellent play by Jule Brand.

Spain ended the half strongly, however, and went closest to breaking the deadlock shortly before the interval when Irene Paredes headed a corner off the post and González’s overhead kick was blocked.

Berger also had to make two smart saves in stoppage time, to deny first Gotham FC teammate González and then Clàudia Pina.

Germany managed to keep Spain star Bonmatí relatively quiet for almost an hour until she carved out some space for herself and curled in a shot that Sophia Kleinherne slid to stop.

Cata Coll had had little to do all night but the Spain goalkeeper kept her team in the tournament with a superb double save right at the end of regulation time, first to parry from Bühl and then to deny Carlotta Wamser.

AP writers Joseph Wilson in Barcelona and Ciaran Fahey in Berlin contributed to this report.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Germany's Klara Buehl reacts after a free kick during the Women's Euro 2025 semifinal soccer match between Germany and Spain at the Letzigrund stadium in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (Til Buergy/Keystone via AP)

Germany players watch as Spain's Salma Paralluelo fails to connect with the ball in front of the goal during the Women's Euro 2025 semifinals soccer match between Germany and Spain at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Spain's Aitana Bonmati reacts after a missed chance to score during the Women's Euro 2025 semifinals soccer match between Germany and Spain at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Spain's Aitana Bonmati celebrates with teammates after scoring her sides first goal during the Women's Euro 2025 semifinals soccer match between Germany and Spain at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Spain's Aitana Bonmati celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Women's Euro 2025 semifinals soccer match between Germany and Spain at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, July 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

The White House and a bipartisan group of governors are pressuring the operator of the mid-Atlantic power grid to take urgent steps to boost energy supply and curb price hikes, holding a Friday event aimed at addressing a rising concern among voters about the enormous amount of power used for artificial intelligence ahead of elections later this year.

The White House said its National Energy Dominance Council and the governors of several states, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Virginia, want to try to compel PJM Interconnection to hold a power auction for tech companies to bid on contracts to build new power plants,

The Trump administration and governors will sign a statement of principles toward that end Friday. The plan was first reported by Bloomberg.

“Ensuring the American people have reliable and affordable electricity is one of President Trump’s top priorities, and this would deliver much-needed, long-term relief to the mid-Atlantic region," said Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to be at the White House, a person familiar with Shapiro’s plans said, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the announcement. Shapiro, a Democrat, made his participation in Friday’s event contingent on including a provision to extend a limit on wholesale electricity price increases for the region’s consumers, the person said.

But the operator of the grid won't be there. “PJM was not invited. Therefore we would not attend,” said spokesperson Jeff Shields.

It was not immediately clear whether President Donald Trump would attend the event, which was not listed on his public schedule.

Trump and the governors are under pressure to insulate consumers and businesses alike from the costs of feeding Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers. Meanwhile, more Americans are falling behind on their electricity bills.

Consumer advocates say ratepayers in the mid-Atlantic electricity grid — which encompasses all or parts of 13 states stretching from New Jersey to Illinois, as well as Washington, D.C. — are already paying billions of dollars in higher bills to underwrite the cost to supply power to data centers, some of them built, some not.

However, they also say that the billions of dollars that consumers are paying isn’t resulting in the construction of new power plants necessary to meet the rising demand.

Pivotal contests in November will be decided by communities that are home to fast-rising electric bills or fights over who’s footing the bill for the data centers that underpin the explosion in demand for artificial intelligence. In parts of the country, data centers are coming online faster than power plants can be built and connected to the grid.

Electricity costs were a key issue in last year's elections for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, a data center hotspot, and in Georgia, where Democrats ousted two Republican incumbents for seats on the state’s utility regulatory commission. Voters in New Jersey, Virginia, California and New York City all cited economic concerns as the top issue, as Democrats and Republicans gird for a debate over affordability in the intensifying midterm battle to control Congress.

Gas and electric utilities sought or won rate increases of more that $34 billion in the first three quarters of 2025, consumer advocacy organization PowerLines reported. That was more than double the same period a year earlier.

Meta's Stanton Springs Data Center is seen Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, in Newton County, East of Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)