– Report: Kelly inspires England to historic ’22 win – Hamilton, McNamee: England’s superstars lead women’s Euro 2022 hosts to glory Captain Leah Williamson, tournament Golden Boot winner Beth Mead and other stars — including Ella Toone, Chloe Kelly and Alessia Russo — have, with their performances over the past month, taken the women’s game to a whole new level and their success will ensure a limitless future in England. For the men, the wait to add to their solitary World Cup victory in 1966 continues — Gareth Southgate’s side can do so at Qatar 2022 later this year — but the women have ended their own long years of hurt. Two World Cup semi-final losses, in 2015 and 2019, and defeats in the 1984 and 2009 European Championship finals, have been England Women’s tale of woes at major tournaments, but goals from substitutes Toone and Kelly , either side of Lina Magull’s 79- minute equalizer for Germany, sealed this team’s place in English football history. 2 Related The collective success of the team is one thing, and its importance cannot be overstated for a country as strong but traditionally under-performing as England. However, the Lionesses have done more than just end the country’s long wait for glory. They haven’t just brought football home. they enabled the game to find its soul again, on and off the pitch. It’s perhaps unfair to draw too many comparisons between the men’s and women’s competition, but with both reaching the Euro Wembley final in 12 months’ time, it’s inevitable that both occasions will be measured against each other. A year ago, the men’s final was marred by disgraceful scenes of fan violence outside the stadium, with fans without tickets rushing the turnstiles and physically intimidating children into illegally entering the ground. An inquest has since confirmed excessive alcohol and drug use during a day of carnage before and after England’s biggest game since 1966. England triumphed at Wembley in front of a brilliant, record-breaking home crowd in a game that showcased all the reasons we fell in love with the sport in the first place. Harriet Lander/Getty Images But for the women’s final the atmosphere was completely different. It was welcoming and inclusive as young families were able to socialize without fear of being attacked or verbally abused. There were no boos, no booing of national anthems from a crowd of 87,192 – a record for both the men’s and women’s European championships, surpassing the 1964 men’s final in which 79,115 watched Spain play the Soviet Union in Madrid. (Also, total attendance for the tournament finished at 574,875 over the past three weeks, more than double the previous record of 240,055 in 2017.) It was a day when soccer showed it can still be played in an atmosphere of civility. Women’s Euro: News & Features | Schedules & Results | Paintings Fans associated with the men’s game have shown no interest in Euro 2022, for which we can be eternally grateful. As Emma Hayes, the Chelsea women’s coach, told ESPN, “The fans were massive. It wasn’t hostile.” Of course, there are plenty of games in the men’s game that go by without incident and many clubs are a welcoming environment for families, but that hasn’t been the case with the England national team for a long time. The FA must now find a way to make the men’s game as welcoming and friendly as the women’s for a huge audience looking to build on their Euro 2022 experience. This tournament, and the final, reminded us all why we fell in love with football in the first place. There was no silliness or aggravation off the field. While in it, the game was played without the anger and ego that has become a regular sideshow in men’s wrestling. That’s not to say the final wasn’t hotly contested. Both sets of players threw themselves into challenges, forcing Ukrainian referee Kateryna Monzul to issue five yellow cards for excessively physical tackles and fouls. But there was a refreshing honesty about it all, as well as an acceptance that those in charge were in charge and had the final say, rather than a line of players waiting to argue or berate them. The beautiful game lives here. Stream top leagues, tournaments and teams.Subscribe to ESPN+ SUNDAY, JULY 31• Euro Final: England vs. Germany (11:30 a.m. ET) MONDAY AUGUST 1• Watford vs. Sheffield United (3 p.m. ET) • German Cup: Energie Cottbus vs. Werder Bremen (2:30 p.m. ET) None of the above would really matter, though, if the spectacle on the field didn’t count. There must be top-level quality and determination to excel and win, but both England and Germany displayed world-class technical ability over 120 minutes, as had Sweden, France, Spain and the Netherlands in previous rounds. Overall, Euro 2022 showed that there is a depth to the women’s game that deserves the biggest stage possible. Who will forget Russo’s stunning goal in the semi-final against Sweden or Georgia Stanway’s long-range winner against Spain? How about Alex Popp’s double in Germany’s 2-1 semi-final win against France? The muscle strain — suffered during the warm-up — that forced Popp out of the final likely cost Germany its chance of a record ninth Euro title. But this was England’s tournament and the manner of their victory will inspire a new generation. Toone’s stunning opener — a cool lob past Merle Frohms from Keira Walsh’s precise long pass — was a moment of magic, but the honor of scoring the winner fell to Kelly, who turned the ball in from close range 110th minute before racing away. with a Brandi Chastain-style celebration, taking off the top and swinging it over her head. (The USWNT legend certainly noticed, tweeting, “I see you Chloe, well done!”) It earned her a yellow card, his sixth of the game, but it had also sealed England’s eventual Euro 2022 victory, so it was probably deserved. The next challenge is the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023. Who knows if the men’s team will beat them to become world champions later this year. Whether Harry Kane & Co. do it or not, it’s the women who have shown them how to win.
