England head coach Sarina Wiegman believes there are positives to take from her side’s narrow defeat to Spain in Barcelona, as preparations continue for UEFA Women’s EURO 2025.

The Lionesses took a first-half lead against the reigning World Cup champions, with Alessia Russo marking her 50th international appearance by finding the net.

However, Spain mounted a spirited second-half comeback, with substitute Claudia Pina scoring twice to secure victory for the hosts and book their place in the UEFA Women’s Nations League semi-finals.

“It was a very intense game,” said Wiegman. “Of course, we know Spain are very strong in possession, but I thought we coped well.”

Reflecting on the performance, she added: “In the first half, we had plenty of the ball ourselves. Perhaps we could’ve been a bit more patient and tighter in our play. But we saw opportunities where we could really hurt them — if we’d timed our runs better, avoided offsides, or switched play more quickly, we might’ve had even greater impact.”

Wiegman noted Spain’s tactical shift after the break: “They came out pressing much higher, and we had some difficulty playing out from the back and maintaining possession. Then they introduced Pina, who was clinical with her finishing.”

With the international window now closed, Wiegman returns to England facing the key task of finalising her 23-player squad for EURO 2025, which will take place this summer in Switzerland.

Following an emphatic 6–0 win over Portugal at Wembley last week and a valuable week-long training camp, the head coach feels more assured about her selection.

“We’ve had a very good week,” she said. “Players have returned from injury, others have been competing for places and minutes — that level of competition is very encouraging.”

“Now, some players will continue training because they need to, while others will have a few days off. Then we regroup, focus on our friendlies against Jamaica and France, and build towards the tournament.”