Ecstasy for England on joyous night football came home
Lionesses overcome arch rivals in historic triumph
It was the night that football came home. that an iconic white shirt came off. that it all came together. twirling her white jersey around her head in an echo of one of football’s most famous celebrations, matchwinner Chloe Kelly epitomised one of the most special occasions in the history of the game in the country.
the sacrifices, the hard work, the journey, the effort it has taken to place England’s women centre stage at last, it has all been worthwhile. It was all leading to this.
this night. this marvellous, joyous, peaceful — and let’s not deny the importance of that, either — night. England are the champions of Europe. they triumphed over their greatest rivals, their nemesis, Germany, in extra time at wembley. Kelly’s scrappy 110th minute goal was the decider of a fine match that took a hammer to the notion that this is somehow a meeker, milder, tamer, less captivating version of the sport.
this was a ferocious encounter, that only tired towards the end because two hours on this huge pitch saps the energy from even the best conditioned athletes, male or female. and England went the distance. they found the energy for one last push.
Historically, this nation fears the worse once any encounter with Germany creeps beyond 90 minutes. Extra time is bad enough. But then, gulp, penalties.
Kelly spared us that. and then, mischievously, she gave English football its Brandi Chastain moment. she whirled her shirt around her head in a moment of glorious abandon, as she raced away pursued by ecstatic team-mates. what a moment it was, what a noise, what joy, what promise for the future.
It was Chastain of the United states who in 1999 celebrated scoring the world Cup-winning penalty against China by ripping off her shirt to reveal the most famous sports bra in history.
It became an iconic image of female empowerment. a yes-wecan, seen around the planet. and this was England’s belated riposte. In many ways, the celebration almost overwhelmed the goal itself, becoming the image that will dominate this morning’s front pages and news bulletins. as for the goal, that was not even as special as Ella toone’s first. well, not as spectacular certainly.
Lauren Hemp swung in a corner and the ball fell to Kelly. Her first swing missed, but Germany goalkeeper Merle Frohms did not collect so Kelly tried again. this time she made contact, muscling in front of the German defence.
It was this persistence that summed up England on the night. they were not daunted by Germany’s equaliser, scored with 11 minutes to go.
they did not surrender to the familiar doomy narrative, the decades of hurt, this notion that, at the end, Germany always win. they changed their own historic record of disappointment at the last. what was it sir alf Ramsey told his players entering extra time in 1966? You’ve won it once, now win it again. and they did. and this England did, too.
and so, as the ball hit the net, away Kelly went, shirt swirling in the night air, pure emotion on legs. and second time, England held. Doggedly, bravely. they had delivered, just as promised. they had made the country proud.
and at the end there was dancing and tears, as there should be. It’s been a long road here. Not just for this group and their outstanding coach sarina wiegman but also for women’s football in a man’s world. Last night, though, felt worth it. all worth it. and as she whirled away, Kelly seemed to sense that, too.
were England the better side? Not always. when wiegman brought on her super sub pairing of Ella toone and alessia Russo early in the second half, it was a response to Germany’s growing domination. Lina Magull got the better of Keira walsh in the 49th minute before shooting wide.
wiegman had seen enough. On came what Eddie Jones would call her finishers and six minutes later toone changed the game. so wiegman’s instincts were again justified. Germany had taken the second- half initiative and it needed to be wrested from them.
toone did that. and she did a little more. she scored one of the most memorable and special goals in England’s history at wembley.
It was the 56th minute when toone crossed the white line to enter play and the 62nd when she scored the goal that looked to have delivered victory. In 1966, it was a red- shirted England man, haring clear of the German defence before providing a definitive, iconic
finish that has seeped into our consciousness. This time, it was a white shirted England woman, but the product was the same.
What a finish. Walsh’s ball over the top was smart and accurate, but Toone exploited a gap between Germany’s deepest defensive pair, won the foot race, and as Frohms advanced lofted the ball over her with exquisite precision.
Growing up near Wigan, Toone would pretend to be Cristiano Ronaldo in her back garden. He would have been proud of this finish, too. Any forward would. It deserved to win this game. It deserved to win almost any game. But sport doesn’t always conform to our desires; so it didn’t.
Germany wouldn’t give up. That’s why they have eight of these titles, plus two World Cups. That’s why they had won every game played on English soil — 14 of them — until last night.
Magull had already hit the near post with the outstanding goalkeeper Mary Earps getting the merest of touches, but in the 79th minute she went one better.
Sydney Lohmann pushed the ball to Tabia Wassmuth on the right.
She struck a low cross and Magull flicked it past Earps at the near post. Into extra time we went. It’s Germany: what did anyone expect? Not this, maybe. Not an England team that, while not always the best here technically, were often the best at executing a gameplan effectively, at pressurising opponents, that had the heart and, yes, the soul that is required to triumph when it matters.
There were plenty of moments when a lesser team might have crumbled. Ellen White missed two very good chances in the first half. Referee Kateryna Monzul, from Ukraine, awarded some soft early bookings that could have taken a toll had players not kept their heads. And, yes, they rode their luck too, not least when Germany lost their best player and captain minutes before kick-off.
Alexandra Popp was contending tournament top scorer with Beth Mead but muscular problems saw her withdrawn from the starting XI at the end of the warm up.
If it was a blow to Germany, it wasn’t as much help as England might have hoped. Wiegman would have made special plans for Popp and this gave her scant time to change them. At the back England did not capitalise creatively as much as they might have hoped.
Nor did White. As early as the third minute. Fran Kirby found her with an arrowed pass which she headed straight at goalkeeper Frohms. Then, six minutes before half-time, White found Mead who sped down the flank and cut back her pass inside. White shot over.
Yet these are mere footnotes now. By the end, only friends and family remained to serenade England’s players but the celebrations echoed outside. Here it was. England’s game-changer.
Football did indeed come home. But it won’t stay housebound. From here, it can go anywhere, do anything. From here, who knows?