A record crowd of 87,192 for a European Championship final, men’s or women’s, saw Chloe Kelly’s first international goal fire the Lionesses to victory over the eight-time winners.
After three defeats at the last hurdle, goals from Kelly and Ella Toone canceled out Lina Magull’s equalizer and sealed the end of the dream with an impressive tournament run.
And despite only beating Germany twice in their previous 27 meetings, Wiegman’s men battled to a hard-fought victory to extend the Dutch manager’s impressive run.
Injury agony for Popp
Germany were dealt a heartbreaking blow moments before kick-off when star striker Alexandra Popp, the tournament’s top scorer with six goals, suffered a muscle injury in the warm-up.
Replaced in the starting eleven by Lea Schüller, it marked a devastating end to what had been a heartwarming redemption story for the 31-year-old. After missing the previous two Euros through injury, Popp had made up for lost time in emphatic fashion, equaling the tournament’s top goal record, set by compatriot Inka Grings in 2009, with a game to spare.
Popp’s visible distress as he left the pitch served as a stark contrast to the euphoric atmosphere of a sold-out Wembley Stadium as the match drew to a close, with singers Becky Hill, Steflon Don and Ultra Naté taking the central circle to accommodate the pre. – Show of matches.
With the area surrounding the ground filled with fans and flags several hours before kick-off, it was a fine build-up to the close of a tournament that had broken records long before the trophy was lifted.
The total of 487,683 fans who had attended the pre-final matches was more than double the previous tournament attendance record set at Euro 2017 in the Netherlands.
And that was before the historic increase in numbers at Wembley, which broke the existing record for a men’s or women’s European Championship final which was played at Madrid’s Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in 1964.
Buoyed by the home support, England started on the front foot. Fran Kirby carved out an early chance with a teasing cross for Ellen White at the back post, but the Manchester City striker could only direct her header into the arms of Merle Frohms.
It would be the first of a number of chances for Whites in a first half with few golden chances, with both defenses continuing the iron-fisted form that had seen them arrive at Wembley having conceded just once the whole tournament.
Compounded by a quick succession of yellow cards for Georgia Stanway and White, frustration quickly turned to fear for England as a corner led to goal-line carnage. Pinballing inches from the line, the ball looked destined to settle into the net before being gratefully smothered by England goalkeeper Mary Earps.
Addressing the players’ grievances would set the tone for a busy day for referee Kateryna Monzul, who dished out six yellow cards and stopped play for 36 fouls over the course of a hard-fought, combative contest.
England’s best chance of the half came five minutes before the break when Beth Mead’s cut-back found White coming into the box but the 33-year-old couldn’t keep her shot out.
ecstasy
It was Germany’s turn to get out of the blocks after the restart, with Tabea Wassmuth almost punishing Millie Bright for a miscommunication two minutes into the second half. But after escaping down the left, Wassmuth could only fire his shot straight at Earps.
Wiegman marked the changes as Germany continued their fast start, Kirby and White making way for Toone and Alessia Russo. With four goals, all from the bench, Russo had been the tournament’s unofficial ‘golden’ substitute before the final, but it was Toone who would steal the crown at Wembley.
After a perfectly weighted long ball from Keira Walsh split the German defence, the Manchester United striker found himself in the clear, facing the fiery form of Frohms. His answer? The most exquisite of the chips he lifted over the goalkeeper and inside.
If the finish was skilful, the response was anything but, as Wembley erupted in ecstatic scenes not seen under the arch since Luke Shaw’s strike had fired the men’s side into an early lead at the opposite end of the pitch just over a year ago.
Like so many England tournaments before it, this story ended in tears, and another painful chapter looked set to be written when Magull fired home a deserved equalizer 10 minutes from time.
With Wiegman’s side going deeper to protect their lead, the pressure finally broke when a well-worked move saw Wassmuth slide a low cross to the Bayern Munich midfielder at the near post, who slotted home smartly into the roof of the net to equalize.
Magull came close again in a nail-biting finish to regular time, with the euphoric atmosphere of a few minutes ago replaced by one of nervous tension, momentarily broken by a rousing reception for the introduction of Jill Scott.
By replacing Georgia Stanway, the 35-year-old midfielder became the first English footballer to play in two international tournament finals.
back home
Tempers flared during a nervy extra-time of few chances and plenty of crunching tackles, with Scott involved in an angry exchange with Sydney Lohmann after the German was fouled.
With legs tiring and penalties looming, England forced a corner with 10 minutes to play. Lucy Bronze dropped the ball into the path of Kelly who, after a missed tackle, put the ball over the line for her first international goal at the most opportune time.
Cue pure blam, momentarily frozen by Kelly who stopped to check with referee Monzul that his goal had counted. Ripping off her shirt in celebration, the 24-year-old received what will surely be the most well-received yellow card of her career.
Persistent efforts to keep the ball in the corner ticked down the clock as the Wembley crowd willed their players over the line, Monzul’s final whistle prompting the biggest roar yet.
Right on time, “Three Lions” blared over the stadium speakers. After 56 years of suffering, football had finally returned home.