The game came during a period of supreme German dominance in international women’s football. Their victory in Finland on 10 September saw them secure their seventh European Championship title, while the Lionesses appeared in their second final. Within 22 minutes, Germany were already 2-0 up with goals from Birgit Prinz and then Melanie Behringer. England pulled a goal back through Karen Carney two minutes later, with Jill Scott also seeing an effort cleared off the line just before the break. Kim Kulig restored Germany’s two-goal cushion five minutes after the break, with Kelly Smith producing a trademark strike to reduce the deficit to 3-2. But in the final half hour, Germany ran away with the game with Prinz adding her second, along with a brace from Inka Grings. Now, the two old foes will meet again on Sunday in the Euro 2022 final, with perhaps a bit of revenge on the cards. Here, goalscorer Carney, Sue Smith and then England captain Faye White give their memories of that day. …

“Unique Germany nothing like I have experienced before”

  Image: Karen Carney scores the first goal for England in the Euro 2009 final

Sky Sports WSL pundit Karen Carney: “I remember the Germans had a win bonus and we were laughing because we were like ‘wow, that’s incredible’ and those were the differences we faced. Maybe four of us were full-time in America, but only for about six months or so. The rest of the team he was working and I don’t think central contracts had been put in so everyone was working and training. “So there were a lot of differences between Germany and England, but I felt we had good team cohesion. We were in the game until half time and then in the second half they pulled away with the resources and the technical ability. , that’s what really set them apart. “The target [Carney scored] actually created by Kelly [Smith], and I was there to hit it. I actually thought my assist on Kelly’s goal was much better. We had a really good relationship in terms of finding each other and finding venues. “For me, I was in the best shape of my life at the time, but we were still physically up against each other. They were a lot stronger and faster than us, but we were in it for large parts of the game. it fell apart and that was the reality, but it was where we wanted to be. “From Euro 2005, where we finished bottom of the group, to the 2007 World Cup where we reached the quarter-finals and then the final in 2009, we thought we were on a really good track and that was our path. “I remember the German coach and the American coach who were watching at the time said that 6-2 wasn’t really reflective. We lost the game but we had a lot of chances and we pushed a German team like no other team had done before. A lot of people they recognized this. “They were just ruthless. They were clinical, powerful and nothing I’d ever faced before – they were really unique. It was crazy, actually. “It’s not every day you’re in a European final, some fantastic players never get the privilege to do that. When you don’t win things, it becomes a bit of a blurry memory, you don’t really want to remember it. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player England’s Jill Scott is underlining the magnitude of the Euro 2022 women’s final against Germany at Wembley, describing it as a defining moment for the sport. “I don’t really know how I feel about it, to be honest. Even though I have bronze and silver medals, I will always be sad that I never managed to get the gold. “I wish the team was professional and more uniform. I wish we could have done it really well, but it was probably never a fair fight. to today. “We needed to go to those places and experience those things. Four or five of us went to America and that made people want to give us major contracts. Then there was a professional league and that led to the best league in the world. This means our team is in a great position to win a European Championship on Sunday. “You can’t change things, I just wish we were all full-time and given the best chance. But it didn’t happen and we did our best. Our families and the country were proud of us and I think that’s what I look at back with more love. We did it together as a team and you always want to leave the place in a better place. I think we did because the game has progressed in such a positive way.”

“We prepared to beat Germany but they were too strong”

Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player Sky Sports’ Sue Smith says England manager Sarina Wiegman has instilled in her team a genuine belief they can win the tournament Sky Sports News’ Sue Smith: “Starting the tournament, there was very little expectation of us to do anything. It was exactly what we set ourselves up for. We started against Italy and I remember straight away, we got beaten, Casey Stoney was sent off, I ended up playing left-back where I had never played before. and we lost. “I was thinking, ‘Okay, we’ll get out of the group stage here’, but we managed to get out of the group. Not doing so well also meant we had an easier route to the final. We got better and better, but Germany was such a force. “We had never beaten them before and we had a psychologist who had been with us for quite some time. He did certain things to get you in the right mindset, playing against a German team we had never beaten before and different ways of thinking. . “I played in every game and I went down for the final. Jill Scott came in, I think they wanted a bit more fitness. But I was sitting and watching it and as soon as we conceded, you could see the players who just went. you think you’ve got faith, you do all those psych sessions and you get the right mindset, you do all the preparation of how we’re going to beat them and you just had that feeling of “what are we going to do now?”

Jill Scott reflects on the changes since the Euro 2009 final

“I think when you talk about 2009 we knew that Germany was ahead of us, where football was in their country. “We had a loss that day and we knew it was going to be so hard to beat them that day. “The FA has really focused on the women’s team. It’s been a process to get to this level. I hope everyone knows that if we win the trophy on Sunday, they’ll have a hand in it too.” “That’s the difference from then to now is that we were preparing to beat them, looking at their strengths and how good they are and how we’re going to stop them. But now, we focus on our strengths and what we are good at. This is something Sarina has instilled in them. “Obviously you have to look at the opposition and try to stop them, but it’s also about yourself and the belief and mentality these players have, we didn’t really have then and it’s probably because we hadn’t beaten the peak. Teams. We were still growing and probably relying too much on Kelly Smith to do something, whereas now, there are so many players who can do something. They have this strength in depth that maybe we didn’t have at the time. “Although we said we were confident about the game, I don’t think we really were. We heard just before the game that Germany had planned a winner’s party, all their friends and family were invited, so we wanted to spoil it. We tried to use it as motivation, but that was the confidence they had, we were just in their way. Image: Birgit Prinz (right) scored twice as Germany beat England in Helsinki “People fear England now, and we didn’t have that. We went through, but we probably hadn’t faced any of the big teams in the run to the final. Germany just saw us as an opponent they’d beaten so many times before, whereas now , this German side see England as a team to be respected. There is as much of a fear factor for them as there is for us. “We have always been a team that gives everything and fights until the end, we worked very hard. Technically, the majority were decent, but Germany was on another level. Even though we fought back and scored a couple of goals, they thought, ‘OK, we’re just going to score more’ and that’s the mentality they’ve always had. They were a better team all around. “We did all our preparation and training, but we were also semi-professionals and I think they were all full-time professionals, so that had an impact. The quality and fitness levels they had were not at the same level. A lot of our players were still trying to suitable for work around training and play. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player Jamie Carragher describes Sarina Wiegman as a ‘winner’ and predicts the Lionesses will lift the Euro 2022 trophy on Sunday “Once we finished it was just a disappointment and to get to the final was huge for us. At the start of the tournament if they said you’re going to get to the final and win a silver medal we’d be happy, but once you’re there you want to win. “It’s after when…