England ended their wait for a major trophy when Chloe Kelly’s extra-time winner gave them a 2-1 victory against Germany in the European Women’s Championship final.
Watched by a record crowd of 87,192 at Wembley Stadium, England surged ahead through substitute Ella Toone before being overtaken by Germany’s Lina Magull.
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But Kelly provided the perfect ending for England after coming on as a substitute, scoring in the 110th minute to give the Lionesses their first win at a major tournament and England’s first for either men or women since the 1966 World Cup. of Lauren Hemp fell into the hands of the Manchester City striker, who beat German goalkeeper Merle Frohms at the second attempt. After a brief moment of confusion, Kelly took off her shirt and celebrated wildly.
England captain Leah Williamson called the title the “proudest moment of my life” in emotional post-match scenes at Wembley.
“I just can’t stop crying,” Williamson said. “We talked and talked and talked and finally got it done. You know what, the kids are fine. This is the proudest moment of my life.”
“Listen, the legacy of this tournament is the change in society. The legacy of this team is the winners and that’s the journey. I love every single one of you, I’m so proud to be English. I’m trying really hard.” no swear”.
Consistency had been key for England in their run to the final, so it was no surprise that manager Sarina Wiegman named the same starting XI for the sixth game in a row, the first team to do so in either men’s or women’s European Championship history. .
Germany were shaken when their top scorer, Alexandra Popp, was removed from the starting line-up before a ball was kicked after suffering muscle problems in the warm-up. She was replaced by Lea Schuller.
That gave England a boost, and they almost got off to a perfect start early on, when Fran Kirby fired a cross into Ellen White that the Lionesses’ top scorer headed straight into Frohms.
Germany was about to take the lead in the 25th minute after an uncheck in the mouth of the goal after a Magull corner. German defender Marina Hegering threatened from close range, before England goalkeeper Mary Earps claimed to have deflected the danger. Wiegman’s team were relieved when a VAR check for a hand came to nothing.
England finished a contentious first half strongly and could have gone ahead in the 38th minute when Beth Mead found White with a cut inside the area, but the forward finished with a left foot as she stretched to make contact.
With the momentum shifting towards the hosts, Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg made an early change at half-time, bringing in Tabea Wassmuth for Jule Brand.
That change gave Germany renewed purpose, and he fired a warning shot when Magull blasted a good chance just wide of the Earps right post in the 50th minute after a clever spin into the box.
Wiegman sensed the danger and duly sent in his two super substitutes, Toone and Alessia Russo. And it was Toone who put England ahead in style in the 62nd minute, running into a good through ball from Keira Walsh before blasting a finisher over Frohms to send Wembley into a frenzy.
Germany rose to the challenge, and they nearly equalized when Magull dived into the area in the 66th minute, his right footed shot ricocheting off the crossbar, before Schuller missed the rebound.
Magull had been Germany’s liveliest player and finally made the difference in the 79th minute. Wassmuth sent a low cross into the area and Magull slammed into the near post to temporarily silence the English fans.
Frohms deflected Toone’s shot from distance with his feet in extra time, before Kelly sent England back to dreamland with their winner.
“It doesn’t look real,” Toone said. “I’m going crazy. Honestly, the best moment of my career, the best moment of my life. I’m very proud to be part of this group.”
Their victory, over a country that had previously beaten so many England teams, both men’s and women’s, also earned a congratulatory message from Queen Elizabeth.
“Their success goes far beyond the trophy they have so deservedly earned. They have all set an example that will be an inspiration to girls and women today and to future generations,” the queen wrote.
“I hope he is as proud of the impact he has had on his sport as he is of today’s result.”
Information from Reuters contributed to this report.