.png?2.1.1 "Vokash")
10 hours ago
The golden confetti whitethorn person been swept distant but it will return immoderate clip for nan particulate to settee connected nan astir singular of tournaments. England are European champions. Again. Writing a caller section successful nan history book of English football. Leah Williamson, nan first England skipper to assistance 2 awesome trophies. Michelle Agyemang, nan 19-year-old wonderkid. Jess Carter and her singular capacity amid nan astir difficult of times. Hannah Hampton, defying nan likelihood to go England’s saviour connected penalties, twice. Chloe Kelly almost quitting shot successful January and becoming a European champion for nine and state by nan extremity of July. Lucy Bronze playing pinch a limb fracture.
Each 1 of nan 23 has a communicative to tell. The group are singular and their stories are remarkable.
Though they were nan reigning champions, this tourney was successful galore ways a harder European Championship to triumph than successful 2022. Then, they had location advantage and their first-choice starting XI avoided wounded and Covid astatine nan important time. At nan location tourney nan support astir nan broadside stepped up a cogwheel and aligned pinch a playing group that was a operation of nan champion of nan preceding procreation and nan pick of nan caller harvest of young professionals coming through, who had benefited from nan finance successful nan Women’s Super League and nationalist squad pathways.
The h2o has been choppier since, arsenic England’s grounds became pockmarked pinch defeats and draws. There were setbacks for Williamson and Beth Mead, who some suffered anterior cruciate ligament injuries that ruled them retired of nan 2023 World Cup. On nan eve of that tourney came news nan players were disappointment that talks complete bonuses had surgery down. Still, they battled on, reaching a 2nd awesome last successful 12 months, which they mislaid against Spain.
The pursuing 2 years would beryllium likewise fraught, England failing to unafraid qualification for a Team GB broadside astatine nan 2024 Olympic Games earlier Nations League defeats by Belgium and Spain led to galore questioning nan viability of their European title defence successful Switzerland.
The decisions this twelvemonth of Mary Earps and Fran Kirby to discontinue from world football, and of Millie Bright to retreat herself from action successful nan abstraction of a fewer days, only further fuelled nan doubts.
The scenery was very different going into this tourney compared to nan last. Time moves accelerated successful women’s shot and, arsenic federations progressively spot nan maturation imaginable successful nan women’s game, nan remainder of Europe is catching up.
The English FA responded pinch other investment, seen successful nan finer details. No disbursal was spared successful ensuring nan players were supported. That included their barista James and his canine Reggie accompanying them to Switzerland, and everything from games consoles to hoops hoops and Lioness-branded Yorkshire tea. They were besides capable to bring their ain location comforts, Agyemang having her soft and Lauren Hemp a Lego castle. It’s these good margins that proceed to beryllium a cardinal facet successful keeping England’s noses ahead, but location are different important factors that contributed to this win.
Critically, nan togetherness of nan squad has been a characteristic of interviews pinch nan players and nan caput coach, Sarina Wiegman. That has not been automatic, it has been cautiously crafted, nan players encouraged to stock stories of their individual journeys for that purpose. Many of those person been publically shared too, players keen to beryllium ambassadors and group who fans tin empathise pinch and link to: Bronze said astir her attraction shortage hyperactivity upset and autism diagnoses, Hampton discussed an oculus condition that affects her extent cognition and had doctors doubting whether she’d beryllium capable to play, Williamson and Mead talked candidly astir their anterior cruciate ligament betterment journeys.
They bonded further done their shared anger and vexation astatine nan racist maltreatment meted retired to Carter online and their corporate nationalist condemnation of it. They person besides been agreed successful individual grief, pinch Mead and Ella Toone being consoled by teammates amid nan celebrations, a poignant reminder that sometimes bully times don’t consciousness truthful good.
after newsletter promotion
It is these bonds that helped to substance nan “proper England” vibe successful Switzerland. These were 23 players fresh to conflict for each different until they had thing near to give, Bronze – playing pinch a fractured tibia successful 1 limb and picking up a knee wounded connected nan different and still trying to enactment connected – epitomising that. That is simply a large portion of why, pinch nan unit connected pursuing a humbling conclusion by France successful nan opening game, England didn’t collapse. Every crippled from past connected successful was a final, triumph aliases bust. A thrilling 4-0 triumph against nan Netherlands made it look for illustration nan tide had turned, and nan 6-1 triumph against Wales suggested that nan Lionesses had settled into their tourney rhythm.
They vanished 2nd successful nan group to France, opening up nan kinder broadside of nan draw, connected paper. Sweden, though, person been tricky opponents for England complete nan years and it was nary different successful Zurich, nan similarities successful style of play betwixt nan 2 sides evident. A unspeakable first half was followed by a thrilling 2nd arsenic England fought backmost from 2 goals down, forced other time, past won a ludicrous shootout, their expertise to excavation deep, that unity and their belief tested to nan maximum.
They had to travel from down successful each 3 of their knockout games, Agyemang’s precocious extremity against Italy forcing other clip earlier Kelly scored nan winner. In nan final, Alessia Russo cancelled retired Mariona Caldentey’s extremity earlier nan crippled ended successful different shootout successful which Hampton saved 2 and Kelly scored nan decisive penalty. England led for only 4min 52sec crossed nan quarter-final, semi-final and nan final. They were aided by nan extent they person successful nan squad, forged from finance successful nan WSL and successful nan England younker teams. And location is nan elasticity successful that depth, illustrated by Mead playing arsenic a deep-lying midfielder against Sweden and past Italy, arsenic England hurled nan attacking balanced of nan room descend astatine them.
In nan last they had nan gameplan too, nan blueprint group retired by their conclusion of Spain astatine Wembley successful February and successful Arsenal’s underdog victory against Barcelona successful nan Champions League final. Near-perfect and cleanable protect displays were, respectively, required successful those matches. Tellingly, neither England nor Arsenal tried to outplay Spain and Barcelona, letting them do what they do, while staying disciplined defensively and attacking their weaknesses retired wide. That was what England did successful Basel.
Wiegman has been a important cog. As nan FA’s main executive, Mark Bullingham, said, galore teams person awesome players but nary person a head of her quality. She is loved by her players. Her connection to her 23 earlier nan Italy crippled and past nan last was a elemental one, that said to her wry consciousness of humour and nan battling tone of nan team. She brought retired a “little toiletry container that said: ‘Bitches get crap done,’ and bitches sewage crap done today”, Mead said aft nan final. “That is it, driblet nan mic.”
English (US) · 
Indonesian (ID) ·