LATE BLOW FOR THE RECORD BREAKERS

THE LIONESSES broke new ground in front of a record crowd atwembley but suffered injury-time heartbreak against their oldest enemy. The largest attendance ever for an English women’s football match – 77,768 – turned out in dreadful, rain-lashed conditions.

But they suffered the same sinking feeling that blighted Phil Neville’s side at last summer’s World Cup as their woes from the penalty spot again surfaced – and Klara Buhl’s goal in the final seconds compounded their misery.

In truth, it was little more than the visitors deserved.they flew out of the blocks, looking by far the more the more dangerous outfit.

England, meanwhile, were awful in the opening quarter, and Alexandra Popp opened the scoring for the visitors after nine minutes. Dzenifer Marozsan started the move on the right with a lofted ball that was played into Kathrin Hendrich. She crossed and her captain headed in from 12 yards.

The most that could be said of the Lionesses for the next quarterhour was that they stayed in the contest. But the flocwacph:anged after a dreadful tackle on Beth Mead by Sara Doorsoun. Had VAR been available, there is little doubt she would have been dismissed.

Ten minutes later, Mead came in off the flank and was picked out by Ellen

White. The Arsenal forward reached the ball before keeper Merle Frohms and was upended. Her opponent did manage to touch the ball but the referee pointed to the spot.

Up stepped Nikita Parris, who blasted her effort down the middle. Frohms dived.the ball hit her hand, rebounded onto her leg and was diverted over the crossbar.

England pressed and were rewarded a minute before the interval. Kiera

Walsh lifted a ball over the top.white gambled, made a clean connection and poked home.

But Germany weren’t finished and in the final 10 minutes, England were on the back foot as they pressed.

And in the 90th minute, Buhl took the ball outside skipper

Steph Houghton before drilling home a cross-shot.