After three defeats at the final hurdle, goals from Kelly and Ella Toone canceled out Lina Magull’s equalizer and sealed a dream end to a stunning tournament run. And despite only beating Germany twice in their previous 27 meetings, Wiegman’s men battled to a hard-fought victory to extend the Dutch manager’s impressive run.
Injury struggle for Pop
Germany were dealt a crushing blow moments before kick-off when star striker Alexandra Popp, the tournament’s top scorer with six goals, suffered a muscle injury in the warm-up. Replaced in the starting XI by Lea Schüller, it marked a devastating end to what had been an emotional story of redemption for the 31-year-old. After missing the previous two Euros through injury, Popp had made up for lost time in emphatic fashion, equaling the tournament’s record for the most goals — set by compatriot Inka Grings in 2009 — with one game remaining. Popp’s visible anguish as she left the pitch acted as a stark contrast to the euphoric atmosphere of a sold-out Wembley Stadium as kick-off approached, with singers Becky Hill, Steflon Don and Ultra Naté taking to the center circle to host the pre-match performance. With the grounds surrounding the ground filling with fans and flags several hours before kick-off, it was a fitting gathering to end a tournament that had broken records long before the trophy was won. The total of 487,683 fans who attended the games leading up to the final more than doubled the previous record attendance set at Euro 2017 in the Netherlands. And that was before the historic turnout at Wembley, which broke the existing record for a men’s or women’s Euro final at Madrid’s Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in 1964. Backed by the home side, England started on the front foot. Fran Kirby created an early chance with a teasing cross for Ellen White at the back post, but the Manchester City striker could only steer her header into the arms of Merle Fromms. It would mark the first of a number of chances for White in a tight first half with few golden chances, with both defenses continuing the ironclad form that had seen them arrive at Wembley having conceded just once all tournament. Compounded by a quick succession of yellow cards for Georgia Stanway and White, frustration quickly turned to fear for England as a corner caused goal-line carnage. Pinballed around inches from the line, the ball looked destined to settle in the net before being gratefully smothered by England goalkeeper Mary Earps. Addressing the players’ grievances would set the tone for a busy day for referee Kateryna Monzul, who handed out six yellow cards and stopped play for 36 fouls in a hard-fought, hard-fought game. England’s best chance of the half came five minutes before the break as a Beth Mead cut-back found White heading into the box, but the off-balance 33-year-old was unable to keep it down.
Ecstasy
It was Germany’s turn to fly out of the blocks after the restart, Tabea Wassmuth almost punishing Millie Bright for a miscommunication just two minutes into the second half. But after running away from the left, Wassmuth could only fire straight at Earps. Wiegman called the changes as Germany continued their fast start, with Kirby and White making way for Toone and Alessia Russo. With four goals — all from the bench — Russo was the tournament’s unofficial sub-gold ahead of the final, but it was Toone who would steal the crown at Wembley. After a perfectly weighted long-range ball from Kiera Walsh split the German defence, the Manchester United striker found herself squarely faced by the onrushing form of Fromms. Her response? The finest chips lifted over the keeper and in. If the finish was deft, the response was anything but, as Wembley erupted into ecstatic scenes unseen under the arch after Luke Shaw’s strike had fired the men’s side into an early lead at the opposite end of the pitch just over from a year ago. Like so many tournaments in England before, this story ended in tears, and another painful chapter looked set to be written when Magull grabbed a deserved equalizer 10 minutes later. With Wiegman’s side dropping deeper and deeper to protect their lead, the pressure finally broke when a well-worked move saw Wassmuth slide a low cross to the Bayern Munich midfielder at the near post, who drilled smartly home net to equalise. Magull came close again with a tragic finish in normal time, the euphoric atmosphere of a few minutes earlier replaced by a nervous tension, momentarily broken by a rousing reception for the introduction of Jill Scott. In replacing Georgia Stanway, the 35-year-old midfielder became the first English footballer to play in two international tournament finals.
Returning home
Tempers flared during a nervy extra-time with few chances and many crisp tackles, with the Scot involved in an angry exchange with Sidney Loman after tripping the German. With tired legs and penalties looming, England took a corner with 10 minutes to play. Lucy Bronze knocked the ball into the path of Kelly who, after a missed tackle, drilled the ball over the line for her first international goal at the most timely moment. Scoop clean bed, iced momentarily by Kelly pausing to check with referee Monzul that her goal had counted. Ripping off her shirt to celebrate, the 24-year-old received what will surely be the most warmly received yellow card of her career. Persistent efforts to keep the ball in the corner ran down the clock as the Wembley crowd demanded their players get over the line, Monzul’s final whistle sparking the loudest roar yet. In time, “Three Lions” blared over the stadium speakers. After 56 years of suffering, football has – finally – come home.
