.Spain dared to dream of a comeback in the individual events thanks to victories by Paula Martín and Andrea Revuelta, but the details on the final holes favored a very confident Germany.

The Spanish team's dream of retaining their title at the 2024 European Ladies' Team Championships, and doing so on home soil, vanished on Thursday. The culprit was the German team, dominant and precise at crucial moments at the Real Sociedad Hípica Española Club de Campo (Madrid).

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The quarterfinals took a turn for the worse early in the morning, when the German reds began to show more promise than the Spanish reds. Cayetana Fernández and Carla Bernat, the winning pair from the triumphant 2023 edition, were playing with confidence, but they ran into an insurmountable German wall: Helen Briem, world number 2, and Celine Sattlekau, who, on her birthday, played a fantastic role as her partner. The duel was always dominated by the Germans and was decided on a point on the 17th hole.

Julia López and Carla Tejedo had one last chance to tie the morning, but it didn't work out. Spain paid a heavy price for their lack of finesse on the early holes—they quickly fell behind—and although they rallied with some good putts (Julia finally found the nets she couldn't find yesterday), Paula Schultz-Hanssen and Charlotte Back put Spain up 2-0 on the first playoff hole. A critical situation.

Andrea and Paula made the Spanish team dream.

Captain Adriana Zwanck and coach Sergio de Céspedes selected Paula Martín, who had been outstanding in the qualifying rounds, for the first singles match. But that wasn't the first match to conclude; that honor went to Andrea Revuelta, who overwhelmed Chiara Horder with powerful shots and pinpoint putts.

The Madrid native won her match with a tremendous stride on the 14th and ran to deliver her bag to her friend Paula Martín, with whom she will share a classroom and training sessions at Stanford in a few weeks. Christin Eisenbeiss, a very skilled player, came back from a 3-up deficit against the Spaniard between the 13th and 15th holes and only succumbed on the 18th. The score was tied at two with three matches to play.

In these kinds of matches, where the actresses are golfers ranked around the world's Top 100 with many shots under their belts, the details often make all the difference. And so, the match between Carla Bernat and Charlotte Back was decided by a few details. The German took advantage of her opportunity on the 17th hole to snatch a point that had always seemed destined for the player from Castellón.

Julia López also enjoyed slight advantages throughout her round, but Paula Schulz-Hanssen played the 18th with exceptional skill, sinking a perfect birdie shot from the edge of the green. End of story. To add insult to injury, Helen Briem, when all seemed lost, denied Carla Tejedo the honor of beating one of the rising stars of world golf with a five-meter putt. It was clear that today was not her day.

Denmark, next opponent

Starting this Friday, Spain's best chance is to finish fifth. Their first opponent is Denmark, who lost 5-2 to Ireland in the quarterfinals.

AROUND THE GREEN

Germany takes its revenge

This is because Spain denied Germany victory in last year's semi-finals in Finland. The score was 5-2 for Spain, who then faced England in the final before winning the medal. Only one German player won both of her points: Helen Briem, who has demonstrated her exceptional talent in equestrian events.

IN FRONT OF THE MICROPHONE

Adriana Zwanck, captain of the Spanish team

“It wasn’t meant to be. It was a very tough day. We were behind in both foursomes; we came back from three down in one of them and lost it on the first playoff hole. That made the afternoon much more difficult, forcing us to win four matches. The Germans played at an incredible level, as you have to play in a tournament of this caliber. They attacked many pins and displayed a high level of play.”.

The main thing is to thank my team, who gave their all on the course. We were really excited about this tournament because it was at home. Carla Tejedo, for example, told me it would be her last European Championship before turning pro. I feel for them; they were so excited. In short, golf sometimes gives and sometimes takes away. Today it took from us.”

QUARTER FINALS

Germany beats Spain 4.5-2.5

Ireland beats Denmark 5-2

France beats Sweden 4.5-2.5

England beats Italy 6-1

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