They brought it home, then it was time to party
ENGLAND’S history-making team captain has joked “we’ve partied more than we actually played football in the last 24 hours”, as thousands of fans marked their Euros triumph.
The Lionesses beat Germany 2-1 after extra time in front of 87,000 supporters at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, securing the first major tournament title for the country since 1966.
The team has been credited with inspiring the nation and being “fantastic role models”.
Fans in Trafalgar Square yesterday looked on as captain Leah Williamson summed up the last day by saying: “I think we’ve partied more than we actually played football in the last 24 hours.”
Supporters hailed the victory as a “massive” moment, while the Football Association’s director of women’s football, Baroness Sue Campbell, said England’s win will make a “phenomenal difference”.
Crowds descended on central
London to join the team at an event hosted by ex-player and TV presenter Alex Scott.
Cheers rang out as confetti cannons and giant sparklers greeted England once again lifting the trophy.
The final attracted a peak TV audience of 17.4 million, a record for a women’s football match in the UK, according to overnight ratings released by the BBC. The previous record was set during England’s 2019 World Cup semifinal defeat by the United States, which had a peak of 11.7 million.
Earlier, Baroness Campbell told BBC News: “I think what happened yesterday was much broader than football.
“I think it will change the perception of women in sport generally, and I hope give women and girls real optimism that if they want to do something in life, whatever it is, if they work at it, they’re going to achieve it.”
The Queen praised the team, saying their “success goes far beyond the trophy”.