England women created history after Chloe Kelly’s extra time finish saw the Lionesses beat Germany 2-1 to secure their first major trophy and England’s first since 1966.
A record-breaking Wembley crowd of 87,192 witnessed England battle it out with familiar foes Germany in a tight and intense battle. The first half saw not a lot of chances with both teams even in possession but it was the Lionesses who broke the deadlock in the second half with Ella Toone’s classy chip finish over the German keeper following a fabulous ball from Keira Walsh around the German defence. However, the eight-time champions levelled in the 79th minute with Lina Magull’s smart front post finish to silence the crowd and led to a nervy last 10 minutes.
However, England dug deep and after a cagey first half of extra-time, England substitute Chloe Kelly popped up in the box in the 110th minute to poke home after the Germans failed to clear their lines following a corner, which led to scenes of jubilation at Wembley.
The scenes at Wembley only got better as soon as the full-time whistle blew to cement England women as history-makers. There was an outpouring of emotion all across the pitch with a number of players embracing each other, filled with tears of joy following the result which also saw the familiar tune of ‘Sweet Caroline’ blasted around the stadium.
“This is the proudest day of my life,” said captain Leah Williamson after lifting the trophy. “The legacy of this tournament is a change in society. We’ve brought everyone together and we’ve got people at games. We want people to come to WSL games but the legacy of this team is winners, and it’s the start of a journey.”
Manager Sarina Wiegman has now become the first manager in history to win back-to-back Euros with two different nations following her glory managing the Netherlands in 2017.
Reaction
A number of celebrities and sports expressed their joy on social media following the Lionesses’ victory. Congratulations to the Lionesses on such a momentous achievement.
England women have created history and the Euro 2022 final success was capped by forward Beth Mead picking up the Golden Boot as the tournament’s top scorer with six goals and five assists.
