Chloe Kelly fired the nation into jubilation as the Lionesses lifted the UEFA Women’s Euro trophy after extra time on a historic occasion for the women’s game and Sarina Wiegman’s team.
In front of a record-breaking crowd of over 87,000, the Lionesses had Wembley roaring like never before as Kelly secured glory for England after a year's absence from the game with an ACL injury.
Here’s how we rated the performances of Sarina Wiegman’s side:
ALSO READ: England beat Germany 2-1 to win Women's Euro 2022 final at Wembley
Mary Earps: Met every challenge she encountered with bravery and confidence. A goal-mouth scramble halfway through the first half quashed by Earps was typical of her impact. She kept the Lionesses out of trouble during the frantic spells in the game. - 9
Lucy Bronze: Made a crucial block early in the first half and remained dominant both in attack and defence in the half. Bronze played a game of fine margins, running high up the field in attack and trying to not be caught out defensively, a difficult balancing act that she executed better than in most of the other games. - 8
Leah Williamson: The captain looked the more progressive of the two centre-backs, working well with Rachel Daly down the left flank and playing the ball to Georgia Stanway in a tight midfield. - 8
Millie Bright: Alexandra Popp’s absence left a marginally easier afternoon for the defence, particularly Earps and Bright, who got her head onto most crosses and marked Lea Shüller out of the game. She wasn’t fast enough to the threat of Lena Magull when Germany equalised. - 8
Rachel Daly: Out of the blocks faster than any other on the pitch, Daly was energetic, creative, and a defensive bastion from the first whistle. - 8
Keira Walsh: An undetectable entity that lurked in the midfield waiting to play the killer pass. Walsh played an exquisite ball over the top to find Ella Toone for a fantastic opening goal and was metronomically consistent in the middle of the park. A fantastic performance. – 10
Fran Kirby: Kirby’s runs opened up Germany in the first period, but she failed to plant a creative stamp on the fixture with the skills we know she has in the locker. - 6
Georgia Stanway: A victim of the referee in the first half, Stanway got firmly stuck into Germany and was strong a strong presence to bounce off in the attack. – 6
Beth Mead: Wing-play was essential to England’s attacking build-up in the first period, and Mead took on her marker with bravery and delivered a few dangerous corners too. However, her impact was not as strong as the rest of the competition. - 7
Ellen White: Occupied Germany’s defenders well and looked threatening throughout the first half, a golden opportunity in the 39th minute was fired just over the bar, and, unfortunately, White could not match Wayne Rooney’s goalscoring record at this tournament. - 6
Lauren Hemp: Got the assist for Chloe Kelly’s goal in extra time but struggled to get a grip of the game in normal time despite being a lively character during the opening exchanges; just unable to light that spark. - 6
Subs
Alessia Russo: The injection of energy brought by Toone and Russo brought about a change in the Lionesses focus that lead to the first goal. Russo worked incredibly hard, holding the ball up, applying pressure and generally being a nuisance for the Die Nationalelf and was a star in keeping things ticking in extra time. – 8
Alex Greenwood: Came on and instilled extra defensive solidity when Germany had the momentum to see the game to extra time. - 7
Chloe Kelly: One of the less impactful substitutes brought on in normal time. In extra time, however, she certainly turned up, securing England the silverware with a goalmouth scramble in the 110th minute. - 9
Ella Toone: It was the dream substitute appearance, only ten minutes after entering the field she had the ultimate impact finding space and chipped Merle Frohms with unbelievable composure. – 9
Jill Scott: A tenth international tournament finished at a final for Scott. She came on and filled in ably for Stanway (who was restricted by the yellow card she received early in the first half). Scott worked hard to create chances in the second half of extra time and was the most active in forcing England towards goal. - 8
