Reece James Lauren James England

(Credit: Andrew Yates / SportImage/BBC iPlayer)

Jonathan Burnett

Mon 28 July 2025 8:22, UK

Lauren James celebrated with Chelsea captain and her brother Reece James after England Women beat Spain in the Euro 2025 Final.

Sarina Wiegman’s side made history by beating Spain on penalties to retain the European Championship title they won in 2022, with a 3-1 victory in the shoot-out after a 1-1 draw at St. Jakob–Park in Basel.

Alessio Russo‘s cushioned header early in the second half cancelled out Mariona Caldentey’s opener and took the match to extra time, as both Russo and goalkeeper Hannah Hampton shone for England.

Hampton saved two penalties in the shoot-out and set the stage for England to win it with the very last kick, and Chloe Kelly obliged with a well-taken clincher after he previous winning goal in the Euro 2022 fianl against Germany.

Sarina WiegmanWiegman has now won three European Championship finals in a row (Credit: Hayters TV on YouTube)James siblings celebrate despite early England injury

Kelly was one of Wiegman’s go-to substitutes throughout the tournament after the impact made by both her and Michelle Agyemang off the bench, but her introduction in the final came sooner than expected.

England’s winning goalscorer came on at half-time after Chelsea forward James was withdrawn with an injury, which she suffered just before the break and forced a stoppage in play from Aitana Bonmati.

MORE FOOTBALL INSIDER STORIES

Kelly replaced James to set up Russo’s headed equaliser before firing home the winning penalty, and after her early substitution, the Chelsea star celebrated in the stands with her family and friends.

Reece James was front and centre of the celebrations with his sister and posted a group photo on his Instagram account (27 July), sharing the post to his story with the caption of “congrats my g”.

Reece James Instagram(Credit: @reece on Instagram)James under pressure to emulate his sister’s England success

Football Insider Verdict

The summer of 2025 has been a successful one for England after the Under-21s also won their European Championships, and now Wiegman’s Lionesses have joined Lee Carsley’s side in going back-to-back.

England’s men have reached back-to-back Euros finals in 2021 and 2024, but lost both to Italy and Spain respectively under Gareth Southgate and the pressure is on the Three Lions to finally get over the line.

James has re-established himself in the England setup since his former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel took charge of the national team, and with the 2026 World Cup on the horizon, the stars could align for the men to win a first major trophy since 1966.

Related Posts