Chloe Kelly was the unlikely heroine as hosts England won a UEFA Women’s EURO for the first time, defeating eight-time champions Germany 2-1 after extra time in front of a record 87,192 spectators at Wembley.
key moments
Before the game Popp injured during warm-up25′ Williamson denies Hegering39′ White hits outside the goal48′ Sub Wassmuth threatens quickly62′ Toone scores the first goal for England66′ Magull rattles the crossbar79′ Magul levels with clean finish108′ Toone tries Frohms from range110′ Kelly prods England winner
Match in brief: Kelly picks the moment perfectly
England stuck with the same XI as in every game in their run to the final, but there was a blow for Germany in the warm-up when captain Alex Popp, who had scored in the previous five games, was injured and forced Lea. Schüller to intervene.
The atmosphere was understandably frenetic in the packed Wembley stands early on, especially when Lauren Hemp’s cross was met by the head of Ellen White, even though Merle Frohms was in the way.
The hosts were having the better of the early exchanges, forcing a succession of corners, but in the 25th minute Germany looked set to take the lead with one of their own, only for Leah Williamson to tip home Marina Hegering’s effort from the distance . White then raced onto a cut from Beth Mead, but her attack sailed low.
Striker Tabea Wassmuth came on for Germany midway through the half and quickly had a chance, pouncing on a loose ball down the left and cutting in before being denied by Mary Earps. Lina Magull also went close and Sarina Wiegman responded by introducing Alessia Russo, who had already scored a record four goals as a substitute in the final, along with her Manchester United clubmate Ella Toone.
Ella Toone celebrates her inauguration for EnglandGetty Images
After seven minutes, Toone struck. Mead was injured off the pitch, leaving England temporarily with ten men, but Keira Walsh’s deep pass set Toone free and, one on one with Frohms, he held his nerve with a diving finish.
Germany responded and Magull crashed a shot onto the crossbar, Schüller hit the rebound straight to a relieved, and smiling, Earps. His relief was short-lived, however, as Magull beat Earps again with 11 minutes remaining, a smooth move that culminated in Wassmuth providing the assist with a low cross, and the key piece was now intended for extension.
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s side shouted the tune for the first 15 extra minutes without seriously testing Earps, but England surged again and Frohms had to be alert to keep out Toone’s long-range effort as the final was entering the second period of extra time. .
Then came the moment England fans had been dreaming of. Lucy Bronze assisted Lauren Hemp’s corner in the penalty area and Kelly headed in the second attempt for her first international goal. A flawless moment and a strike to which Germany had no answer as the hosts ran out the clock with ease to start the celebrations.
The party begins for the England teamAFP via Getty Images How it happened: England 2-1 Germany
Visa Player of the match: Keira Walsh (England)
Player of the match England-Germany: Keira Walsh
“Walsh balanced the team throughout the game. He was the continuous connection between the forwards and the defenders. He hardly loses the ball and after winning it he finds the space to decisively establish the forward possession play.”UEFA Technical Observers Panel
Lynsey Hooper, English journalist
There had to be a hero, and again, it was one of Wiegman’s replacements! Add Kelly, scoring his first international goal to win the final. It wasn’t pretty, but England don’t care – they manage to lift the trophy for the first time. Toone thought he was going to grab all the headlines when he scored a stunning opener, but Germany were just as impressive with their goal, Magull getting a thunderous finish at the near post. The Lionesses may have been forced to wait another 30 minutes, but when they’ve waited 38 years, what’s half an hour longer?
Full crowd enjoy the showUEFA via Getty Images
Anna-Sophia Vollmerhausen, German journalist
Coach Voss-Tecklenburg said before the game that the details would make the difference and it proved true tonight. Two moments of concentration allowed England to score: first Toone, then Kelly. It didn’t click for Germany tonight, but they fought bravely and can be proud of what they achieved in this tournament. Congratulations to England; the whole country has been behind this summer and I hope it is the continuation of a bright new future for women’s football.
reaction
Sarina Wiegman, England coach: “What we have done is incredible. I knew we had England behind us, we saw it coming to the stadium. But throughout the tournament we have had a lot of support from our fans. I am very proud of the team.”
Chloe Kelly: ‘What dreams are made of’
Chloe Kelly, English goalscorer: “It’s amazing. Thank you to all the people who have come to support us. This is what dreams are made of. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in my rehabilitation. I always thought I would be here, but to mark the winner – wow. These girls are special and what a special group of staff.”
Millie Bright, English defender: “A lot of emotions, but I’m very proud. What more can you ask for as a player? Playing a EURO at home in front of your nation, selling out Wembley, the heart of football in England. The fans have been so amazing.”
Leah Williamson, England captain: “We talked and talked and we finally got it done. It’s the proudest moment of my life, so I’m going to ride it out and make the most of every second. The legacy of this tournament and this team is a change in society ; we” have brought everyone together”.
Fran Kirby, England striker: “It’s unbelievable; something I’ve dreamed about for a long, long time. To win it now is unbelievable. It’s unbelievable. Getting to the finals and getting the win is what this team is all about.”
Voss-Tecklenburg in the final defeat
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, coach of Germany: “We were close but England withstood the pressure. Congratulations to them. We are very sad to lose. We are in a process – it is not enough so we have to do a bit more. We grow from Games like this . Alexandra Popp would have sparked something against our opponents with her presence, but it just didn’t work.”
Merle Frohms, German goalkeeper: “It was as tense and exciting as we expected. We knew England were tough opponents, but we also knew we’ve beaten tough teams before, which gave us confidence. We just couldn’t bring that on the pitch today – maybe it was a little bit of nerves but after six games at some point you start to run out a bit. We know a lot of people at home were watching TV and we hope we’ve made them want to. Come to the stadium and keep women’s football going, and let there be more fans in the stands at our league games.”
Becky Hill’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 Final Show presented by PepsiMAX
Key statistics
Lina Magull walks away after making it 1-1Getty Images
- England have won their first major title, having lost the previous two Women’s EURO finals, to Sweden in 1984 and Germany in 2009.
- England are the fifth different winners after Germany (eight titles), Norway (two), Sweden (one) and the Netherlands (one).
- England follow previous winners Norway (1987), West Germany (1989), Germany (1995, only final), Germany (2001) and Wiegman’s Netherlands (2017).
- Wiegman is the first coach to lead two different teams to the title and the first foreign coach to win a final.
- Germany have lost a final for the first time, having won the previous eight in 1989, 1991, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009 (against England) and 2013.
- England beat Germany’s (2009) record of 21 goals at the Women’s EURO; his eventual winner was his 22nd goal of the tournament.
- England have won 18 and drawn two of their last 20 internationals (F106 A5) since Wiegman took over.
- Toone’s goal was 500 in the final tournaments of the Women’s EURO.
- Mead finished as the top scorer with six goals and five assists, ahead of Popp (six goals, no assists) and Alessia Russo (four goals, one assist, all off the bench).
- England named the same starting eleven for all six matches, the first time this has happened at either a men’s or women’s EURO with a group stage.
- Germany have never failed to score in a match from the knockout stage to the final (25 matches).
- The crowd of 87,192 was the highest for a women’s national team match in Europe.
alignments
England: Ears; Bronze, Bright, Williamson, Daly (Greenwood 88); Stanway (Scott 89), Walsh; Mead (Kelly 64), Kirby (Toone 56), Hemp (Parris 119); White (Russian 56)
Germany: from Frohm; Gwinn, Hendrich, Hegering (Doorsoun 103), Rauch (Lattwein 113); Magull (Dallmann 90), Oberdorf, Daebritz (Lohmann 73); Huth, Schüller (Anyomi 67), Brand (Wassmuth 46)
What’s next?
The teams return to competitive action in September with the final matches of the European qualifiers for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, taking place from July 20 to August 20. next summer Four of the 11 European places in the final have already been taken, with Denmark, France, Spain and Sweden topping their groups.
However, to make it eight wins in Group D, England will book their place in the final with a draw in Austria (September 3) or a win against Luxembourg (September 6). Three points clear at the top of Group H, Germany will qualify by beating Turkey (September 3) or Bulgaria (September 6).
The Women’s EURO itself returns to its regular cycle for the 2023-25 edition, with the bidding process for the host of the final tournament underway.