Germany dominated possession and chances but could not break down Spain in a 0-0 draw during the first leg of the 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League final in Kaiserslautern. Klara Bühl earned Player of the Match honors for her influential performance. The second leg is set for Tuesday in Madrid.
Germany hosted Spain at Fritz-Walter-Stadion in Kaiserslautern on 28 November 2025, drawing a record crowd of 40,159 for the Women's Nations League final first leg. The home side controlled the game from the start, with Nicole Anyomi's cross-shot nearly opening the scoring in the sixth minute. Klara Bühl, on her 75th cap, tested Spain goalkeeper Cata Coll early, while Coll made crucial saves, including a double stop from Anyomi and Rebecca Knaak in the 33rd minute.
Spain defended resiliently, with Irene Paredes blocking Jule Brand's effort on the line. In the second half, Esther González hit the post for the visitors, but Germany responded aggressively. Bühl struck the woodwork in the 70th minute, and Brand's looping cross later clipped the bar. No goals resulted despite Germany's 19-9 shot advantage and 6-5 edge in on-target efforts.
The UEFA Technical Observer panel named Bühl Player of the Match, praising her speed and 1v1 challenges: "A very convincing performance... A joy to watch."
Germany coach Christian Wück expressed frustration but optimism: "We're looking forward to the return leg because we've shown that we can't just keep up, but even dominate a team such as Spain." Spain's Sonia Bermúdez highlighted defensive solidity: "We know how to defend and how to suffer."
In the third-place play-off first leg, France edged Sweden 2-1 in Reims, with Sakina Karchaoui scoring a penalty and assisting the winner via Griedge Mbock Bathy's added-time header. Karchaoui was Player of the Match. Second legs occur on 2 December: Spain vs Germany at 18:30 CET and Sweden vs France at 19:00 CET.