England's women celebrated long into the night at their west London base after sealing Euro 2022 success at Wembley.
The Lionesses saw off Germany in extra-time with substitute Chloe Kelly grabbing the winner from close range after the contest finished 1-1 after 90 minutes. Ella Toone had bagged the opener before Germany's Lina Magull equalised, but it was the host nation who ended their wait for a first tournament triumph.
It was the country's first success since 1966 - when the men beat Germany at the old Wembley. The women's game has enjoyed a rapid rise and their popularity was underlined by a record-breaking attendance of over 87,000 at the home of football on Sunday evening.
The Lionesses have based themselves at the Lensbury Hotel, just outside Richmond, throughout the tournament. Their matches have taken them to Manchester, Brighton and Sheffield as well as London throughout the tournament.
Footage of the squad dancing outside the entrance to the hotel has been captured. The squad, the majority of them wearing their medals, were passing around the trophy as they sang long into the night.
Kelly, the final hero, was wearing a flag around her waist with a cowboy hat that included the cross of St George.
The Manchester City star was interviewed after the final, saying: “This is what dreams are made of, as a young girl watching women’s football.
"Wow, this is unbelievable.”
During her response Kelly ran off with the mike to sing and dance with the team as 'Sweet Caroline' rang out at Wembley during the celebrations.
England boss Sarina Wiegman has now won successive tournaments after her victory with the Netherlands in 2017.
She masterminded victories over a much fancied Spain side before England made light work of Sweden, the No.2 ranked nation, in the semi-finals. Wiegman has continued to keep a lid on expectations, but opened up after the victory at Wembley.
The 52-year-old said: “I think what we’ve done is really incredible. I don’t think I’ve really realised what we’ve done, because I’ve not followed everything, but we know all of England is behind us. We have had so much support from our fans and I’m so proud of the team, the players and the staff. I will need a couple of days to realise what we have done.
She also added: “When I took the job you hope one thing, but we knew there was quality and such big potential in this country. You hope things will work out. That was one of my personal challenges.
My challenge was to bring people together from another culture and it worked out. It’s something you dream of and hope for.”
Lucy Bronze, regarded as one of the leading players in the women's game, has now set her sights on the World Cup.
"This will probably sink in at the end of my career," she said. "The younger players probably think this [winning trophies] is normal. We have got to go and win the World Cup now."
Captain Leah Williamson, who had only been handed the armband recently, spoke about the legacy the tournament will leave.
She said: "The legacy of this tournament is a change in society, it is everything that we have done, we brought everybody together, we got people at games. We want them to come to WSL games, the legacy is this team are winners and that is the start of a journey."
Tributes have poured in from all quarters - with the Queen leading them.
Her message read: "It is a significant achievement for the entire team, including your support staff. The Championships and your performance in them have rightly won praise.
"However, your success goes far beyond the trophy you have so deservedly earned. You have all set an example that will be an inspiration for girls and women today, and for future generations."
