Matt Maher: Luck? England's Euro success was more about mentality
England’s remarkable win at Euro 2025 was accompanied by lots of talk about luck.
In many respects, it’s hardly surprising. Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses led for less than five minutes during the knockout stages in Switzerland, needed penalties to win two of their ties including the final and were just moments from going out in the semis before being saved by a last-gasp equaliser.
Sweden, Italy and Spain can all lay a decent claim to have been the “better” team in those matches. All three will be wondering just how they allowed victory to slip away.
Yet there, in a nutshell, is the essence of top level sport, where the difference between winning and losing is so often defined by holding your nerve.
