Inspiration is the word of the month for this summer’s UEFA Women’s European Championship, a whirlwind tournament which seems to break attendance and viewing figure records across the country with each passing match. Although not as widely documented, England, who last night reached the final of the competition for the third time, are once again demonstrating and orchestrating the unifying power of a sport whose trajectory is rapid and thrilling.
England’s first of those three finals was in 1984, when the women’s football landscape was unrecognisable and incomparable to the sport that has captivated families from around the world in recent weeks. It was a two-legged, home-and-away style fixture; the Lionesses first on the receiving end of a 1-0 defeat to Sweden in Gothenburg inflicted by Pia Sundhage, whose iconic playing career has continued into management, winning FIFA World Coach of the Year in 2012. A fortnight later came England’s chance for redemption in the second leg, in hindsight a momentous although unglamorous occasion, with Luton Town’s Kenilworth Town playing host to 2567 dedicated onlookers, England equalling the score in Gothenburg earlier that month to take it to penalties where they eventually fell short.
Fast forward 38 transformational years and it was Sweden again, now ranked second in the world, who England found themselves contesting for a chance at glory with, this time on a stage amplified by a near capacity 28,624 crowd at Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane, becoming the best-attended semi-final in the competition’s rich history.
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So often as a nation, upon reaching the latter stages of an international tournament, we have come to mentally prepare ourselves for a wretched, but all too familiar feeling of disappointment and ‘what could have been’ following an underwhelming England display in which the pressure became insurmountable, but not this time. It was a joyous, mutually beneficial exchange throughout the match between the enthused crowd and the Lionesses, who worked tirelessly to earn a famous victory under the floodlights. The families who had travelled far and wide to witness history, roared songs that have spanned generations in the hope that their words of encouragement would trickle down onto the pitch below them and into the ears and wearying legs of those in white. In return Sarina Wiegman’s XI, of whom she is yet to alter, put on a show to reward those in attendance whilst ensuring a return to emphatic victory once more.
Like chess pieces with Wiegman the Grandmaster, England, following an enthralling yet incontrollable opening period in which Mary Earps needed to be at her unbeatable best, fell into place to execute the proverbial plans of the masterful tactician Wiegman, who guided her native country of the Netherlands to host nation glory in 2017, and is now just one step away from replicating the success. It is near impossible to highlight one individual as being England’s catalyst for success last night with the quality and influence spread evenly across the pitch and onto the bench with the theme of impactful substitutes continuing to flourish.
Beth Mead’s opener provided sighs of relief that extended beyond the walls of Bramall Lane just after half an hour, swivelling balletically before firing an angled volley beyond Hedvig Lindahl, whose wealth of experience proved insufficient in the face of this summer’s golden boot favourite. It was a goal not only vital in breaking the deadlock and easing tensions, but also historic as, on the return to her home county of Yorkshire, Mead became the all-time top England scorer in the Women’s European Championships.
At half time Wiegman seemingly demonstrated another invaluable string to her managerial bow - her calming, reassuring presence paired with an unrivalled winning psychology deployed at a time when it was needed most. As a result, the second half told a different story, with England resembling the free-flowing, confident team that dominated their group stage, reflecting in the three goals scored to put the Lionesses out of reach of a Sweden side unable to find an answer to England’s dynamism and Wiegman’s astute tactical mind.
Lucy Bronze, who had already assisted Mead’s opener with a drilled cross infield, found space in the box from a corner and unmarked, was able to gently guide a header across goal, somehow avoiding the sea of yellow shirts, and into the bottom corner to double England’s lead just minutes after the resumption.
Alessia Russo, who had already registered three goals from the previous four games, added another to her tournament tally, and her best to date. Kirby, who was once again majestic and miraculous in everything she did, ran beyond the last Swedish defender, cutting a low ball back perfectly into the path of Russo whose job seemed simple. The Manchester United forward skewed the initial effort from close range, the goalkeeper’s save allowing the 23-year-old a second bite of the cherry which this time she didn’t squander, inventively, and blind sighted of the goal, backheeling an effort from a tight angle through the legs of a despairing Lindahl, Russo’s arms waved wildly aloft in celebration.
Fran Kirby, with 15 minutes left on the clock, made sure there was no way back for the Swedes, audaciously lifting the ball over a scrambling Lindahl, who, despite her best efforts, was unable to claw the ball away before it bounced over the line to add a fourth.
And now Wembley. A destination where all football fans, irrespective of age, race or gender, dream of one day having the opportunity to lift a trophy, a dream that could imminently turn into a reality for this special group of 23 resilient and abundantly talented Lionesses. Tonight, two titans of the sport in France and Germany will lock horns with the singular aim of joining England under the arch this Sunday, however regardless of who emerges victorious, England, with a capacity crowd behind them, will have belief they can go all the way.
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