At the end of a very indecisive meeting, the English “Lionesses” finally forced the decision against the Germans (2-1 after extra time) to win, in the London temple of Wembley, the first title in their history, in the final of the Euro 2022 football.
The English found the “Frauen Nationalmannschaft” in official competition for the first time since 2009, and a Euro final lost quite largely in Helsinki (2-6). And if Sarina Wiegman’s players seemed favorites in front of 87,192 supporters mainly committed to their cause, history gave the Germans the role of dream breakers.
This had been endorsed a year earlier by their Italians in the final of Men’s Euro 2021, already at Wembley, and already against the England team. Eight times European champions, the Germans had so far won all their finals. It is now done, facing a nation which wins, men and women alike, its first trophy since the 1966 World Cup, already won at home, already against the Germans.
Popp missed the Germans
And if the famous and decisive “Wembley goal” by Geoff Hurst is still controversial today, so uncertain is it that he crossed the line, the decisive strike with the tip of the foot and full of opportunism from Chloe Kelly (110e) does not suffer from any possible challenge.
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg will long regret the absence of her star Alexandra Popp. The executioner of the Blue in the semi-final (2-1) left his partners in the warm-up, victim of a “muscle injury” even preventing him from taking a seat on the bench. A blow given the influence of the number 11 of Wolfsburg, co-top scorer of the tournament with the English Beth Mead (6 goals each). His replacement Lea Schüller never managed to weigh on the opposing defense, even receiving a yellow card for yet another delayed charge on the Mary Earps door.
“We are not afraid of anyone” said Sarina Wiegman before the match. The Dutch coach took her place in September 2021 on the English bench with the sole mission of winning, she who had led the Netherlands to the European title in 2017 and to the 2019 World Cup final. Her players therefore started the game on foot. floor, with a lot of intensity in the duels and a first hot situation poorly exploited by Ellen White with a header in the box (3e).
Behind, the Lionesses maintained a sterile grip on the game, before seeing the Germans – however harmless – gradually get their heads out of the water, to the point of obtaining the most dangerous opportunity of the first act, on a scramble to the five meters after a poorly cleared corner by the English defense, which could have benefited Marina Hegering if she had better oriented her foot in front of the goal (25e).
An English salute from the bench
Faced with her attacking line lacking in juice, Sarina Wiegman had the lucidity to make two early changes, with the exits of Ellen White and Fran Kirby, uninspired, in favor of the “super-subs” (super- substitutes) Ella Toone and Alessia Russo, five goals and two assists between them since the start of the tournament, each time entering during the match.
And it was Toone who planted the first banderilla, “German style”, of a pest control finished with a subtle lob (62e), while England repelled the enemy attacks as best they could. Lina Magull’s equalizer (79e) on a superb collective movement initiated by the Kathrin-Julia Hendrich festival along the sideline brought back bad memories at Wembley, the scene of another breathtaking extension. And if the extra thirty minutes delivered very little in the game, England were able to finish the job, once again thanks to the quality of their bench.
Entering in place of the best English player of the tournament, Beth Mead, Chloe Kelly knew how to keep a cool head, from the top of her 24 years, to carry the thrust of a goal full of opportunism with the tip of her foot (110e). In total, five English goals came from substitutes during this Euro. “A tournament is never won by eleven”, reminded the Monde French international Louisa Nécib. Tonight, a whole country wins and should celebrate this first title until the end of the London night.