The Lionesses have shown that England can Win

All eyes were on Wembley on Sunday evening as England finally lifted an international trophy.

Image credit: @lionesses 

On Wednesday night it was confirmed that England would play our old foes Germany in the final of UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 at Wembley. 

England had made their route to the final look effortless as they made it out of the group without conceding a goal and scoring 14 in the process.

One of those games was a resounding 8-0 victory against a strong Norway side. After that game it really felt like it could be coming home.

England made it out of the group stages and found themselves up against tournament favourites Spain in the quarter finals. After going to extra time and conceding their first goal of the tournament England came out 2-1 victors.

Sweden were up next and were swiftly brushed aside in a convincing 4-0. Once again, like the Norway game, England came up against a European elite and made it look easy. They made it look like there was nothing that could stop them.

It is never quite as easy as that for any England team. Especially when you have to play the Germans. Gary Lineker famously once said ‘Football is a simple game. 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end the Germans win’.

There was something different about this England team under Sarina Wiegman. The Dutchwoman, had taken over from former England international Phil Neville who left to join his friends vanity project Inter Miami in the MLS.

She had most recently been the manager of the Dutch women’s team and took them to the finals of both the Women’s Euros and World cup, winning the Euros in an unbeaten campaign.

She was a winner and she seemed to have instilled that in the England players. It was evident to everyone watching, that this England side was a force to be reckoned with.

After going 1-0 down to Spain in the quarter final, Wiegman made positive changes, defended on the front foot and it paid off. It was refreshing to see an England manager make important but ultimately positive decisions, in big games.

In the final, in front of the biggest crowd at a European International final, England had it all to play for. Germany were a good side but England had proven throughout the tournament they could beat anyone. 

Being considered an underdog purely because of Germany’s dominance of the Women's international game for so long, having never lost a European final in their history (They have won it 8 times), suited England down to the ground.

It started off as cagey as you might expect from a final but there were glimpses of what was to come from both sides. A goal line scramble in the England box and calls for a penalty waved away, there wasn’t much separating the sides as they went in at half time.

The start of the second half saw a little more football from both sides as they looked for an opening. Just before the 60th minute England made their standard Toone for Kirby and Russo for White substitution. 

Like all of Wiegmans decisions, it had worked up until this point, so why change a winning formula.

Ella Toone had barely been on the pitch for 5 minutes when she beat the offside trap and ran on to a fantastic pass from Kiera Walsh about 30 yards from goal. The nation had their hearts in their mouths as she bared down on goal. German keeper Merle Frohms came out to meet her on the edge of the area and Toone with a deft touch knocked over head into the back of the net.

62 minutes on the clock England 1-0 Germany.

Like all good German sides of the past, they didn’t give up and kept chipping away. Eventually they found a way through with a nicely worked routine down the right with Lina Magull getting the goal.

In other years and different England sides heads may have dropped. That’s not how Wiegman allows her teams to play. You have to be positive and move the ball forwards.

Full time came and went as extra time saw two very tired teams try to create a moment of magic whilst not leaving themselves open for a counter attack themselves. England had brought on Greenwood and Scott just before the end of regular time. The mix of experience and fresh legs proved vital.

Jill Scott enforced the centre of the park and quickly stamped out any potential German attack.

Bizarrely Germany made a change and took centre back Marina Hegering off, who was arguably their best player up to that point, and brought on Sara Doorsoun. Had the Germans got one eye on the penalty shoot-out? We will never know.

7 minutes later a Hemp corner was knocked down by Bronze into the path of Chloe Kelly. Her first chance came back off the keeper but there was no mistake with the second as she stabbed home from inside the 6 yard box.

She stopped half way through running to celebrate, as like most fans, she felt that there was about to be a VAR intervention. The ref signalled the goal had stood and she wheeled away swinging her shirt as she ran.

What was to follow was possibly the longest ten minutes in every one of those women’s lives. The Germans tried to make things happen but England were so professional and snuffed out any creativity the Germany side tried to conjure.

With five minutes on the clock England had started playing for the corner and it was all but sealed. England. European Champions.

In what has been a brilliant tournament on the pitch for England, it has also been a spectacular success off it with every game being made available to watch for free, reasonable ticket prices and record breaking attendances. 

It has finally come home. Let’s just make sure we do all we can to make sure it isn’t another 56 years until the next time!