Soccer-Bonmati says her brilliant winner went exactly as planned

ZURICH (Reuters) -Spain's Aitana Bonmati appeared to be lining up a cross when she unleashed a shot from a seemingly impossible angle that squeezed between the post and Germany keeper Ann-Katrin Berger -- it was exactly how the twice-reigning Ballon d'Or winner pictured it.

Bonmati showed her class with a brilliant strike in the 113th minute to earn a 1-0 extra-time semi-final win on Wednesday that sent Spain into their first European Championship final and ended their winless run against the Germans.

Asked if the goal was planned, Bonmati, who was in hospital with viral meningitis days before Euro 2025 kicked off, said: "Yes, the truth is that we had studied it.

"Well, Marisa, the goalkeeper coach, had told me that she (Berger) made certain movements and that sometimes she left the near post clear and that's how it was.

"I didn't think about (taking that shot) twice because I didn't want it to reach penalties."

Spain will meet holders England in Sunday's decider in a rematch of their 2023 World Cup final, won by the Spaniards.

Wednesday's victory was Spain's 10th in a row and 13th in 14 games, their only loss was a 1-0 defeat to England in the Nations League in February.

"Scoring in a game like this one is super special and if I can help the team writing history, it's very special," said Bonmati, who made a beeline for her bench to celebrate her goal.

"For the first time we have beaten Germany with the women's national team, and for the first time we are in the final of the Euros. We have written history."

Bonmati made a remarkable recovery from her illness to feature in all of La Roja's games in Switzerland.

"Now we're in the final," the 27-year-old said. "Sometimes things turn around and you get good news."

The Spaniards were the standout side in the group stage in Switzerland, winning their three games by a combined score of 14-3, and while they moved the ball with precision at Letzigrund Stadion and had the Germans pinned in their own end for much of the second half, they struggled to create any clear chances.

Bonmati, who was a constant threat, was inch-perfect to finally break the deadlock.

"We knew we needed a special mindset to resist Germany, we managed to win (against them) for the first time, we are super happy, also because you think about all the time you dedicated to the players, the staff, all the emotions," said Spain coach Montse Tome.

"I'm very happy. We've suffered a lot but when you're at the highest level you know that enjoying the game means enjoying the effort and the tension."

(Reporting by Lori EwingEditing by Toby Davis)