Chloe Kelly scored the winning goal off a rebound in the second half of extra time after Germany failed to clear a corner. The game had finished 1-1 after 90 minutes at Wembley Stadium with Lina Magull for Germany canceling out Ella Toone’s goal for England. After the final whistle, the England players danced and the crowd sang ‘Sweet Caroline’. The good atmosphere inside the stadium on Sunday contrasted with the violent scenes when the England men’s team lost the European Championship final to Italy at the same stadium a year ago. “I always thought I would be here, but to be here and score the winner, wow. These girls are amazing,” said Kelly, who returned from a serious knee injury in April. “This is amazing, I just want to celebrate now.” Kelly took off her shirt to celebrate her goal, earning a yellow card and a shout-out from Brandi Chastain, who celebrated in similar style when her penalty won the World Cup for the USA in 1999. “Enjoy them for free round of pints and dinners for the rest of your life from all over England. Cheers!” Chastain tweeted. The tournament’s record crowd of more than 87,000 underlined the growth of women’s football in Europe since England and Germany last played for a continental title 13 years ago. On that occasion, Germany beat an England side still reliant on part-timers 6-2. Two years later, England launched the Women’s Super League, which professionalized the game and developed into one of the main competitions worldwide. This has meant increased competition for Germany, which has been a pioneer in European women’s football and increasingly faces well-funded rivals in England, Spain and France. England’s title comes 56 years after the country’s only major men’s title, which was also an extra-time win at Wembley over Germany at the 1966 World Cup. Ella Toone latched on to a long pass from Keira Walsh to get behind the German defense in the 62nd minute and cleverly curled a shot over goalkeeper Merle Frohms and into the net for the opener. Toone’s goal, six minutes after coming on from the bench, sparked celebrations as England manager Sarina Wiegman – the winning coach with the Netherlands in 2017 – raised both arms in joy. Facing their first defeat in nine European finals, Germany came close when Lea Schüller hit the post and then leveled in the 79th when Lina Magull whipped a low cross past England goalkeeper Mary Earps, sending the game into extra time. When the match went into extra time, there were echoes of another European Championship final at the same venue the previous year, when England’s men’s team led 1-0 but lost on penalties to Italy. Germany were without captain Alexandra Popp – the team’s top scorer with six goals – after she reported a muscle problem in the warm-up. He was replaced in the lineup by Schüller while Svenja Huth took over as captain. The game was goalless after a natural first half in which Ellen White shot narrowly over the bar for England, while Marina Hegering almost put the ball away for Germany in a corner before defender Leah Williamson and Earps intervened. Either side could have had a penalty in the first half, first when the ball appeared to touch Williamson’s hand as she cleared, and later when Hegering dived to clear the ball and collided with Lucy Bronze. After the full-time whistle, Pop joined her teammates on the field and was comforted by England’s Georgia Stanway with midfielder Lena Oberdorf. Wiegman remains unbeaten in 12 matches as a manager at the European Championship after winning the tournament first with the Netherlands and now with England. One of her first moves after England’s win was to share a hug with 35-year-old midfielder Jill Scott, the only player left in either team since England’s 2009 defeat by Germany. The game was refereed by Ukrainian Kateryna Monzul, who fled her homeland after the Russian invasion. One of Europe’s top referees, Monzul left her home in Kharkiv — a major city that has been heavily bombed by Russian forces — and spent five days living in a basement at her parents’ home before fleeing the country and eventually live and work in Italy.
