England’s footballers won the first edition of the “Finalissima”. The European champions defeated South American champions Brazil 4-2 on penalties at London’s Wembley Stadium.
The hosts had taken the lead through Ella Toone in the 23rd minute, Andressa Alves (90+3) forced a late penalty shoot-out for Brazil. There is no overtime in this competition.
After the revival of the intercontinental comparison between the European and South American champions for men last year, there was now the same format for women for the first time. England, who beat Germany in the final at the same venue in Euro 2022, showed a strong performance and kept their nerve in the penalty shoot-out. Argentina won the men’s duel 3-0 against European champions Italy in 2022, also at Wembley Stadium.
The Brazilians will meet European runners-up Germany in a friendly next Tuesday (6:00 p.m./ARD) in Nuremberg. The DFB selection will first play in the Netherlands this Friday. Both games are important for the team of national coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg on the way to the World Cup from July 20th to August 20th in Australia and New Zealand. (dpa)