England Women defend title with another comeback, downing Spain in final after penalty shootout

Hello there! Between celebrations for the Lionesses’ win at the Women’s Euro and the busy transfer dealings, there is no shortage of storylines out of England this weekend. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest to start your week.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Monday, July 28
🌎 Copa America Femenina: Chile vs. Paraguay, 5 p.m. ➡️ FS2
🌎 Copa America Femenina: Argentina vs. Colombia, 8 p.m. ➡️ FS1

Tuesday, July 29
🌎 Copa America Femenina: Brazil vs. Uruguay, 8 p.m. ➡️ FS1
🇺🇸🇲🇽 Leagues Cup: Pachuca vs. San Diego, 11 p.m. ➡️ FS1

⚽ The Forward Line

🏆 England beat Spain to win Women’s Euro

England are once again the champions of Europe, beating Spain in Basel on Sunday to win the Women’s Euro and become only the second nation to win back-to-back titles.

True to form for an England team that spent just four minutes and 52 seconds in the lead during the knockout stage, the champions had to come from behind on Sunday. A dominant Spain took the lead thanks to Mariona Caldentey’s 25th minute goal, but the Lionesses equalized in the 57th minute courtesy of Alessia Russo. England found a way to disrupt Spain’s passing patterns and limited La Roja’s attacking capabilities, Spain posting just five shots on target from 22 attempts at the end of 120 minutes. The Lionesses then won 3-1 in the penalty shootout with goalkeeper Hannah Hampton making two saves – including one on Ballon d’Or winner Aitana Bonmati – and Chloe Kelly scoring the winner, three years after notching England’s winning goal in the Euro final at Wembley Stadium.

England head coach Sarina Wiegman has now won the last three European titles, including the 2017 edition when she was in charge of the Netherlands, building a reputation as a tournament specialist. That was especially true over the course of the Lionesses’ title-winning run in Switzerland this summer, Wiegman choosing grit over style to get them over the line time and time again. England relied heavily on their talented attack but imperfection was easy to spot, especially with a shaky defense that did manage to turn things around for a strong outing against Spain on Sunday. There is an argument to be made that the Lionesses were lucky en route to the podium, though the fact that they had the mental resolve to persevere in rocky circumstances is perhaps the most resounding legacy of their win, as captain Leah Williamson pointed out post-match.

• Williamson: “We have ridden our luck, but I don’t think we were lucky. Total disbelief, but at the same time I knew it was going to happen. There’s always a moment when I think ‘right girls, let’s turn it on’. The way we defended as a team, nothing came through us. It felt like it was going to be our day.”

Entertaining imperfection was a theme of the Women’s Euro, though, be it Spain’s inability to find answers for sturdy defenses like England’s and Germany’s or the inability for just about every team to convince in a penalty shootout. The power balances in the women’s game shifted a little along the way – not only did England get the better of a seemingly unstoppable Spain, up-and-comers Italy were the surprise of the competition by reaching the semifinals over historic powerhouse Norway. With two years to go until the World Cup, it sets up for a competitive and unpredictable race to the finish line as all eyes begin to pivot towards the Brazil-set tournament.

This weekend

🔗  Midfield Link Play

✈️ Comings and goings out of England

A handful of English clubs mixed in preseason games with some major transfer business over the weekend, striking deals to welcome – and say goodbye – to several notable players.\

Arsenal officially announced the signing of Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon on Saturday and presented him to fans at Singapore’s National Stadium during their win against Newcastle United, while Morgan Gibbs-White reached the end of his saga by signing a new deal with Nottingham Forest rather than pursuing a move to Tottenham Hotspur. The big news of the weekend, though, is Luis Diaz’s impending move to Bayern Munich after the German champions resumed talks with Liverpool. Bayern have increased their bid to $88.1 million from the initial $78.8 million offer and Diaz departed the Reds’ preseason tour in Hong Kong to undergo a medical and complete the move. The Colombia international had played a crucial role in Arne Slot’s first season at Liverpool but with new signings Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike in the mix, as well as the possibility that Alexander Isak joins them, it leaves limited room for the attackers that were on the club’s books last week.

Elsewhere in England, a familiar face is inching closer to a Premier League return. Former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka is set to complete a move to Sunderland, joining the newly promoted side in the midst of a fascinating summer for the Black Cats. Sunderland are clearly intent on staying up and are ready to pay up to $22.8 million for his services, a record fee from an English side for a player aged 32 or older, appropriate for someone who has a reliable track record, as James Benge writes.

• Benge: “For that price Sunderland are getting a player who offers plenty of qualities that Regis Le Bris’ side is missing. With over 200 Premier League games to his name over seven seasons at Arsenal, he knows the competition inside out. Indeed a quick glance would suggest he might have more games in England’s top flight than the rest of his soon to be team mates combined.It helps that Xhaka, who turned down a big money move to Saudi Arabia’s NEOM SC for a return to England, is also extremely available, playing 66 of a possible 68 Bundesliga games during his time at the Bay Arena, and has not suffered a major injury since 2021.”

🔗  Top Stories

🏆 Unpredictable Women’s Euro: England’s surprise win at the Women’s Euro ushers in a new era of hard-to-predict results at the top levels of the game and offers an exciting preview of what’s to come at the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

🔴 Liverpool’s new-look attack: As Liverpool line up new exciting attacking talent, their moves force the question: How exactly will Arne Slot find a way to fit Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike into the squad?

🆕 Gyokeres to Arsenal: Viktor Gyokeres fills a need in attack for an ambitious Arsenal, but how many goals will he actually contribute as he makes the big jump from Portugal to England?

❌ Messi, Alba suspended: MLS handed Lionel Messi and Jordi Alba a one game suspension for opting out of the All-Star Game, following a years-long rule that the league will now take a “hard look” at.

⭐ Evander’s MVP case: FC Cincinnati’s Evander is making his own case for MVP this season in MLS, charting an impressive rise from his native Brazil.

🔵🔴 Barcelona’s quiet window: Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford’s form will be the big stories of Barcelona’s season but La Liga’s champions have opted for a quiet transfer strategy, which may not be such a bad thing.

🇮🇹 Serie A managers, ranked: A glitzy batch of managers will stand on the touchlines this season in Serie A, with Napoli’s Antonio Conte leading the pack after winning the title and Gian Piero Gasperini up there as he takes charge of Roma.

💰  The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• Premier League: 2025-26 champions
  💰 THE PICK: Liverpool to win the Premier League title (+175) – Arsenal and Manchester City definitely improved their chances of winning next season’s Premier League title with big signings in recent months, but this trophy is still Liverpool’s to lose. Even as Luis Diaz makes his exit, the Reds now hoard some of the game’s most exciting young attacking players in Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike and will still benefit from Mohamed Salah’s skills. There is definitely a case to be made that Liverpool have focused on offense a little too much this summer, especially as they target Alexander Isak, but their ambitious rebuild makes them the natural favorites to finish top of England’s top flight for another year running.

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don’t miss out on CBSSports.com’s betting home page.

📺 What we’re watching

 What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Join Golazo Network as it helps fans get their day started on the right foot on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you’ll never have to miss an episode.

3️⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday): The leading women’s soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women’s game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. And don’t miss Sunday live streams on YouTube as soon as the last NWSL game of the weekend ends.

⚽  Call it What You Want: A twice-weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and Tony Meola cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can’t-miss goals from the day’s action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.