MADRID (AP) — Spain will defend its Women’s Nations League title amid the letdown of losing one of its best players just two days before the final.
Three-time Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmatí broke her leg in training on Sunday and will not play in Tuesday’s second leg against Germany in Madrid. The teams drew 0-0 in the first leg on Friday in Germany.
“It’s a huge loss,” Spain coach Sonia Bermúdez said Monday. “Yesterday the mood was a bit down because it’s hard when a teammate is injured. We hope she recovers as soon as possible. The team is fine and knows they’ll have all the support in the world. We want to dedicate the victory to those who are injured. Aitana wanted to be in the final with us, but we have to prioritize the players’ health.”
Bonmatí landed awkwardly in an accidental collision during training and tests diagnosed a fracture of the midfielder’s left fibula.
“Absences like Aitana’s throw you off because nobody likes to see a teammate getting injured and suffering,” Spain captain Irene Paredes said. “But we’re going to move forward, we have other players and everyone is capable of contributing.”
Bermúdez, a former Spain captain, said whoever she picks to replace Bonmatí will be able to keep the team playing at a high level.
“Any of the 24 players are more than ready,” she said. “The good thing is that the squad is very versatile, players interpret the game well in different positions, so we have multiple options.”
Bermúdez took over the squad in August to replace Montse Tomé, and is looking for her first title at the helm of the national team.
“Bonmatí is one of the best players in the world at the moment, and still, Spain is in a position to replace every player,” Germany coach Christian Wück said.
Spain has reached the finals of the last four major tournaments. It beat England in the 2023 Women’s World Cup and bettered France in the 2024 Women’s Nations League. It fell to England on penalties in the Euro 2025 final in July.
Germany will again be without the injured Giovanna Hoffmann and Lena Oberdorf, as well as Carlotta Wamser and Lea Schüller, who both impressed at Euro 2025.
The Germans are taking confidence from their performance in the first leg in Kaiserslautern, where Spanish goalkeeper Cata Coll was the busiest player.
“The second game will be extremely difficult again,” Germany’s Janina Minge said. “But I’m totally convinced we can do it.”
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
