England made history by winning their first major Women’s European Championship in a spectacular Euro 2022 final against former rivals and eight-time German champions at Wembley Stadium.
Chloe Kelly, who came on as a substitute, pushed a stray ball from a corner and sent a record crowd of 87,192 into a frenzy with ten minutes remaining.
She waited for the goal to be confirmed before removing her shirt and waving it around her head as she was taken by her teammates in a moment of pure excitement.
On a monumental day in English football history, Sarina Wiegman’s side were bullied by a strong German side but showed they were up to the task.
Ella Toone had earlier come on as a substitute to score the opening goal in regulation time before Germany’s Lina Magull equalized in the 79th minute. There were scenes of cheering in the stands and an outburst of emotion from the players on the pitch full time as the scale of their performance began to wane.
The final was billed as a battle between the competition’s two most successful teams and was neutralized for long stretches – but the biggest crowd in the history of a men’s or women’s championship got their money’s worth.
Striker Ellen White missed a few chances in the first half, Lucy Bronze was blocked with a header, Germany’s Magull missed and England defender Leah Williamson had to take a corner from the line before Toone came out of the dead end.
She had given England fans a taste of victory before Magull surprised the home crowd, although that would only delay the celebrations offered to them by Kelly, who has only returned from an anterior cruciate ligament injury ( LCA) only in April.
England did what no other nation has done before – beat serial winners Germany in a European Women’s Championship final and the feeling was sweet. It comes 56 years after England men beat West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final, the only major title won by an England senior men’s or women’s team.
The players fell to the ground in tears of joy after full time, in scenes that will be remembered and repeated on one of the greatest nights in English sport for years to come.
Perfect ending for English hosts
It was a final like no other in every way – the build-up was on a scale beyond anything seen before in women’s football in Britain and it was the perfect ending.
Male fans wore England shirts with the names of their female icons on the back on the London Underground on their way to the game, while fan parks across the country were packed with fans watching the final on the big screen.
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Wembley Way was already packed on Sunday morning and there were boos when Germany were announced on the stadium transformers before kick-off. The stupidity off the pitch also translated into this: referee Kateryna Monzul awarded two yellow cards early for England’s relatively soft fouls, and the audience was frustrated for much of the first half when decisions weren’t. you go well.
The physical battle between the sides continued and the game went back and forth. Germany had the momentum to go into extra time after Magull hit the post before the equalizer.
But as this English team demonstrated during the tournament, they weren’t going to be defeated easily.
They continued to threaten and Kelly ran to the fans to cheer them on as they cornered just before delivering the winner England fans across the country have been dreaming of for 56 years. Kelly’s moment after the comeback story
The familiar sound of British fans singing “Sweet Caroline” as they serenaded the full-time musicians was even sweeter this time.
The Three Lions lyrics finally came out as football returned home to the national stadium for the largest audience in British women’s history.
Captain Williamson sobbed full time as Vice Captain Millie Bright wiped the tears from her face in a hug with her best friend Rachel Daly.
Wiegman, who is now the first coach in history to win two consecutive European championships with two different countries after also leading the Netherlands to victory in 2017, also dropped the mask of calm as he raised his arms on the pitch ran into the air and an incredulous look.
Midfielder Jill Scott, who lost to the Germans in the 2009 final, came into play in extra time to help England cross the finish line and was overcome with emotion. Young Manchester Uitted star Toone, who stepped off the bench to contribute three goals to this tournament, took center stage opening the scoring, but the highlight was Kelly’s.
After being forced to miss the Olympics and miss 11 months of football, she made her way into the Eurovision squad and scored a goal that will never be forgotten.
