Despite the air-fryer temperature outside and the imminent, annual August exodus, the people of Madrid weren\u2019t going to miss out on another opportunity to watch their national football team prove its mettle against the country that had given the world the beautiful game.<\/p>\n
After all, recent international fixtures had not gone all that badly for them.<\/p>\n
By 5.45pm on Sunday, the Parque de Berl\u00edn, which lies 1 mile east of the Bernab\u00e9u stadium, was filling up with people who were braving the 35C (95F) heat to stand in front of a large and heavily sponsored screen. Some drank beer, others picnicked or fanned themselves, and some queued for free T-shirts.<\/p>\n
An admirably patriotic Spanish mastiff had also turned out, a rojigualda flag proudly knotted around its thick and magnificent neck. Close by stood municipal health workers and police officers who had probably endured more strenuous assignments.<\/p>\n
All, however, were inclined to agree with the excitable MC who bellowed that they were about to witness something very, very special as the countdown to the women\u2019s Euro final began.<\/p>\n
People in Madrid watching the final between England and Spain on a big screen in a park. Photograph: Paul White\/AP<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to look at this as something amazing,\u201d he hollered over the PA system, which was loud even by Spanish standards. \u201cThis is a triumph for the women\u2019s team. They\u2019re going to make history! They\u2019re going to do it again!\u201d<\/p>\n
The Spanish capital and its public spaces are not without practice when it comes to massive spectator events, especially when the sport in question is football and the opponents are England.<\/p>\n
A little over a year ago, thousands of spectators had packed the Plaza de Col\u00f3n in central Madrid to watch La Roja beat England 2-1<\/a> to clinch a fourth men\u2019s Euro title. And, almost a year before that, the red-and-yellow hordes had descended on the WiZink Center venue to experience the giddy high of Spain winning the Women\u2019s World Cup 1-0<\/a>. That day, once again, England were the runners-up.<\/p>\n Spain\u2019s fans were keen to see their team beat England \u2013 but it was not to be. Photograph: Paul White\/AP<\/p>\n As the match began, those who had come to the park to watch the final reflected on what the game meant \u2013 and offered final-score predictions.<\/p>\n Joaquina, a 60-year-old civil servant from Madrid, sat on a bench with her friend Mar\u00eda and shared her immoveable certainty. \u201cWe\u2019re going to win \u2013 there\u2019s no doubt about that,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re the best.\u201d<\/p>\n Her prediction was equally unwavering: \u201cWe\u2019re going to win it 2-0.\u201d<\/p>\n Mar\u00eda was just as convinced. \u201cToday is a very important day,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re going to win it.\u201d<\/p>\n Although the crowd was mixed-age \u2013 from babies and toddlers to grandparents \u2013 it was noticeably more female than usual.<\/p>\n It was an anxious time for some of Spain\u2019s fans but many were certain of victory. Photograph: Violeta Santos Moura\/Reuters<\/p>\n As far as Elena, a 49-year-old teacher, was concerned, that was hardly surprising.<\/p>\n \u201cToday is a really important day because they\u2019ve worked really hard to get here,\u201d she said, waiting alongside her daughters for the game to begin.<\/p>\n \u201cSpain always comes to a standstill when the men\u2019s team play and do well \u2013 which is great. But we need to see the same thing when the women play.\u201d<\/p>\n The team, she said, had overcome adversity on so many fronts \u2013 not just on the pitch but also against their own federation<\/a>. \u201cThey\u2019ve fought so much and they\u2019re role models for young Spanish women and girls.\u201d<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Moving the Goalposts<\/p>\n No topic is too small or too big for us to cover as we deliver a twice-weekly roundup of the wonderful world of women\u2019s football<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Her daughter In\u00e9s nodded her agreement: \u201cIt\u2019s really special and I\u2019m so happy for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Apart from being happy, how confident was she? \u201cOh, they\u2019ll win 3-0.\u201d<\/p>\n Proof of the growing appeal of the women\u2019s game was evident in the number of young men who had also decided to watch the match alfresco. The cheer that greeted Mariona Caldentey\u2019s goal in the 25th minute of the match was full-throated and equally male and female.<\/p>\n \u201cWomen\u2019s football is really growing here and it\u2019s great to see so many people here have brought their kids,\u201d said a Mexican man who is married to a Spaniard.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve just had a baby girl so it\u2019s important to be here and to know that she can have a future in football if she decides that\u2019s what she wants to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Leire, 5, and her mother, Aymara, 35, at Madrid\u2019s Parque de Berlin. Photograph: Sam Jones\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Also in the crowd was a five-year-old girl named Leire, who was sitting on the sand next to her mother, Aymara.<\/p>\n \u201cWe came down here because she\u2019s really excited by women\u2019s football,\u201d said Aymara. \u201cIn fact, she\u2019s so into the women\u2019s game that she complains if we watch the men\u2019s game at home.\u201d<\/p>\n Leire\u2019s generation, she added, had seen Spain\u2019s women win the World Cup and simply couldn\u2019t understand why their game wasn\u2019t as celebrated as the men\u2019s.<\/p>\n The young Barcelona supporter also felt confident of a Spanish triumph. \u201cWe\u2019re going to win 3,000-0,\u201d Leire predicted.<\/p>\n