“England’s Lionesses roar with pride as they celebrate historic Euro 2022 triumph”, boasts the Sun. The English women’s football team won its first major tournament on Sunday July 31 in a final full of suspense (2-1 after extra time), against their great German rivals, defending champions. “They showed the male stars“how we did for”bring home a cup”, rejoices the most read tabloid in Great Britain, which however did not consider it necessary to put this article on one of its site, preferring to bury it at the bottom of the sports pages, as most of the others have tabloids.
This is not the case of Daily Telegraphwho “congratulate the lionesses” having “ended up bring football home”, and devotes no less than nine articles to them in one. “After fifty years of trying‘unsuccessful since the first international match played by a women’s football team in England, and after three successive defeats’devastating” in the semi-final, it was Manchester City striker Chloé Kelly who “etched his name in stone in English football folklore”, ignites the conservative newspaper.
The 24-year-old indeed scored the liberating goal in extra time, at the 110e minute, giving the nation that saw the birth of football its first international title since the men’s World Cup in 1966 – against (West) Germany already. The champion then took off her jersey and ran in a bra on the lawn to celebrate her goal, recreating the emblematic gesture of Brandi Chastain “after scoring the winning goal for the United States in the 1999 World Cup final”, remembers the Times. This image had at the time greatly contributed to popularizing women’s football in the United States.
“An inspiration to girls and women”
Will Chloe Kelly’s gesture have the same effect in Great Britain? the Guardian wants to believe him, claiming that “this victory at the Euro will change women’s football forever” et “will inspire a generation of boys and girls”. Sportswriter Carrie Dunn explains that it was “the most watched Women’s Euro in history“on television and the crowd at Wembley for the final, 87,192 fans came to see”just soccer”, as a billboard in the stadium claimed, broke the record for a Euro match – “men or women”, she specifies. “For the first time, much of the coverage focused on technique and tactics, not just the players and their personal lives.”, finally rejoices the journalist.
The Queen of England, who at 96 only speaks on rare occasions, congratulated the team in a press release, and also estimated this “success goes far beyond the trophy you so deserved. You have all set an example that will inspire girls and women today and for generations to come,” reports of the BBC.
Outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson also tweeted, hoping that “Football pitches across the country will be filled like never before with girls and women inspired by your triumph.” As well as the two candidates to replace him at the head of the Conservative Party, Rishi Sunak welcoming a competition likely to “transformer” the sport, and Liz Truss highlighting the “pride” felt by an entire people. A moment of national communion, therefore.
Germans disappointed but good losers
For Germany, on the other hand, the disappointment is palpable. “It hurts the buttocks”, title without detour the Southgerman newspaperquoting the striker of the “Frauen-team”, Svenja Huth. Coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg prefers to look to the future, saying that the team “must do a little more” and that she “grows from matches like this”. Returning to the controversy of the match, the Bavarian daily is surprised in its report that “the referee and the video assistant [n’aient] saw no hand to punish” and did not whistle a penalty in the 25the minute.
The Hamburg daily The time judge for his part that “it was a typical finale: not particularly good, but dramatic and full of passion”. Good loser, he comes to the aid of the coach “always modest, favoring the collective, open and warm in its relations with its players”, and recognizes that “there was a time when a second place in a European Championship would have been a failure for the Germans. Not anymore”. Ultimately, “the country is proud of its team”.