Not the team in blood form, which played so beautiful football at the European Championship in Switzerland and scored so much at this tournament, but the team that struggled and managed to find the goal so difficult. So not Spain, with world star Bolmatí but England of national coach Sarina Wiegman became European champion on Sunday.
For the second time in a row – three years ago, Wiegman managed to control Germany. This time England was the only country that managed to beat the in advance by many Spain winner. And Wiegman managed to win the title for the third time: in 2017 also with the Netherlands.
The final in a sold-out Sankt Jakob park in Basel was one of high level, with two teams who wanted to play football, fighting the fight and were matched. The attacking game of both teams went back and forth rapidly, but was not rewarded with many great opportunities, let alone that they were used.
Penalty pook
Not for the first time at this tournament, ninety minutes were insufficient to determine the winner. And not even the extension. For the third time, a penalty shootout series was involved. And again England turned out to be able to win it – after the insane series against Sweden in the quarterfinals in which they were mainly missed. The historic penalty poker of English football has now finally managed to dispel the Lionesses.
At a quarter to nine, Chloe Kelly shot in the winning penalty kick, after Spain – also the Vedettes Bonmatí and Mariona Caldentey – had missed three. Large discharge with the team that was set up in the center circle. And a huge scream of relief from national coach Wiegman for the dug-out, followed by a powerful hug with her assistant Arjan Veurink-two Dutch tints at the champions; Both the previous and the next national coach of the Dutch team. The KNVB hopes with Veurink in the coming years to be able to play the prizes, as has succeeded with Wiegman.
Read also
Also read Senschouwers records, more goal attempts and sometimes wonderful football
After seeing Spain in the group stage, they too had thought that the reigning world champion would not be so easy to catch. The team, which had a difficult preparation for the tournament, was in blood from the start – with the record number of 14 goals in the first three games in the group stage. And England, the title defender, the tournament had just started so moderately, with a 2-1 defeat against France.
The thumping of her old team of the Netherlands a few days later-4-0 in Zurich-did the team well. An expected monster victory followed Debutant and neighboring Wales: 6-1.
Stiff knock-out phase
But in the subsequent waste race things went extremely rough. England was released twice with a fright. It was with two goals behind Sweden in the quarterfinals and only managed to get 2-2 shortly before time, after two late points from Wiegman. In the bizarre, and weak, penalty shootout series, England still won.
The semi-final against Italy gave the same picture: England was 1-0 behind for a long time and only managed to force an extension deep in the injury time when the young talent Michelle AGYEMANG made the equalizer. She too was brought in by Wiegman late. In the extension, England received a penalty, which was also used by Kelly as a winning goal.
Again a final place for Wiegman – the fifth in a row – and the third in a row for England but the criticism of her permanent and therefore predictable playing style in her own country. The Dutch coach didn’t care much about it, but after that thriller had told Italy that her team in the final would have to play with more pace and in better cohesion from the start.
That worked considerably better in the final against Spain, although it was unable – as Germany had done in the semi -final – to disrupt the world champions. The criticism of Wiegmans playing method or alternating policy will undoubtedly be silent now that it turned out to be able to turn a backlog into a victory. And one of her invaders again played a decisive role. Against Spain, the national coach was forced to change much earlier than in its usual final minutes. Already at the end of the first half, wing attacker Lauren James had been injured. Her replacement had hardly any time for a warm-up, but she was and for the second time this tournament the match winner, Chloe Kelly.