… have only gone and done it again!
Fantastic… got out of more scrapes than James Bond.
Heroes all.
The greatest football team England have ever produced…
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Musings on the byways of popular culture
It was a nail biting final but for all their clever passing Spain had at least 4 real opportunities to settle it and they didn’t score and made a complete mess of the penalties so we deserved to win!
I haven’t been a big follower of football since childhood, but I seem to have fallen in love with the women’s game, and have been hooked (like many, I suspect) ever since the last Euros.
Maybe naively, I think there seems to be a purity, for want of a better word, to women’s football compared to the men’s top flights (the only ones whose games I occasiobally catch) – fewer on-pitch shenanigans, certainly fewer fouls, and, based on my admittedly limited experience, more visible passion and enthusiasm from the players. Also, the fans in the stadiums seem different, with what sounds and looks like less abuse towards players and opposition fans, and screams of excitement when a goal is in the offing. It’s great.
Obviously the Lionesses’ success is transforming women’s football, and good luck to them all, but it would be nice if it influenced, say, the Premier League as well. Let us see more male players with the dedication of Lucy Bronze, playing a tournament with a fractured bone, or Chloe Kelly, whose post-victory interview was all about her pride in her teammates and gratitude for her opportunity.
When I watch the England men’s team, who are supposedly some of the best players in the best league, there often seems to a sense of entitlement around them, and going-through-the-motions as if they automatically deserve to win. When they’ve won two major titles back to back, including beating the world champions, then they can gloat.
These are only the thoughts of a casual viewer, and I bow to those with more knowledge of the game, but I hope the Lionesses and women’s football in general continue to win more fans, inspire new generations, and create more exciting games like we’ve had over the past few weeks.
Oh, and Ann-Katrin Berger’s save for Germany against France was one of the greatest sporting feats I’ve ever seen.
Yes, I’m minded to recall the”Golden Generation” who won bugger all, preening about with their WAG wives ooze with entitlement but unable to string 4 possesses together in and score goals.
Indeed, but England men’s so-called golden generation was now nearly 20 years ago. The England set up is different now.
Worth also mentioning that though the women’s game appears to have some specific injury risks, the men do play significantly more matches per season (in the fifties for an ever-present like Kane, Palmer or Rice with European and international matches) and that tournaments at the end of the year see fatigued players across many teams.
Great result ! The report said that the England seemed to play out the game in order to get to penalties, because they were confident that they would win a shoot-out. Direct opposite to the men’s team – who are seemingly terrified of them.
I saw that but it’s not true. Spain pinned England back but couldn’t score despite multiple opportunities which was underlined in their disastrous penalties. Maybe you need more than tippy tappy passing?
On the money Twang. Only a bitter cynic would claim that England played for penalties.
I felt really sorry for Spanish sub Salma Paralluelo who could have scored a hat-trick with the chances that came her way, then she missed a penalty in the shootout.
She will be having nightmares about the match.
She had similar problems finishing in the semis. I knew she’d miss that penalty.
Spain’s coach was trotting out that England played for penalties within minutes of losing.
And the “playing for penalties” only really applied in the last 15 minutes of extra time when a quarter of the starters were off injured.
Spain were technically the better team – but the point is to score goals and they only scored one.
Happens in Men’s too. It’s part of the game. (and indeed other sports).
If the best team always won it would be awfully dull.
(Paralluelo must be inconsolable)
England have me to thank for their victory
I have never seen a team I support win on penalties if I watch the shootout so I turned the TV off while the penalties were taken.
Above and beyond the call of duty Pyramid
They were fabulous – worked hard as a team and had the confidence and belief in themselves throughout.
I don’t really understand the need to compare women’s football with men’s football though – whichever way the comparison goes. Just celebrate and admire the achievement.
Yup, this. The win is something to celebrate. Using it to knock the men’s game is just part of the “jumpers for goalposts” trope.
A cynic would say the women are getting better at cheating. Spain showed some skill in faking fouls to win free kicks and the referee missed the play acting. England played fair and honestly for the most. Spain both male and female have a certain impotence in scoring, despite all their skills and flair. Dogged determination and toughness can get you there as was the case for England.
Beating the current world champions, and self-evidently the better team, is a huge achievement for the England women. To be the first (senior) England team to win a major tournament outside of England is not to be sniffed at.
But..its the Euros, not the World Cup. It’s only the second most important trophy available to them, not the most important. Germany, France and certainly Spain are amongst the very best womens’ teams globally, but there was no Brazil, Japan and no USA who are the global leviathans in the women’s game. Win the world title outside of England, and they can then be rightly nominated as the greatest England team ever.
Sorry, that’s tosh.
Apology accepted, but please explain why? The World Cup, both male and female versions, is undoubtedly bigger and of greater significance than the respective versions of the European Championship, by definition.
Certainly this is likely England’s best ever women’s team, but it is quite pointless to try to compare the achievements of teams of different sexes and from different eras with each other.
Greatest football team England has ever produced?
I think…
Hagerty F., Hagerty R., Tomkins, Noble, Carrick, Dobson, Crapper, Dewhurst, MacIntyre, Treadmore, Davitt.
…might beg to differ
It’s obviously fantastic that they won, and them being such an inspiration to young women is wonderful.
However I do think some of the innocence is being lost. You can see it in some of the increasingly blatant diving and simulation. Referees need to keep an eye on it or it’ll become just as endemic as the men’s game which would be a huge shame.
One thing that is becoming a gripe, something where the men’s and women’s games are now identical, is that hideous thing where the players wave their arms about to the crowd to exhort them to make more noise. I know it’s probably one of my pet peeves but I just find it really irritating. Teams usually get the level of support fervour they deserve.
Certainly not the greatest ever team when it comes to taking penalties. Fortunately Spain (and Sweden) were even worse. The last team they beat in 90 minutes were plucky Wales, but well done on hanging in there when seemingly being outplayed in most games after that.
How ironic that the Spanish coach should accuse England of playing for penalties. She obviously didn’t watch the Sweden v England game. Spain created more chances than England but their finishing was woeful. England created two chances, scored one and defended as if their lives depended on it.
Thanks Dai for your enthusiasm… not.
This team have produced exactly what the various German male sides have tended to do over the years… they won.
The Italians of 1982, now much revered, stank out the World Cup during the group stages, winning ‘no’ games… they won. Talk me through the ho-hum Brazil of 1994 and 2002. Oh, that Italy-France final in 2006 was a cracker. That’s how tournaments are won.
Best English team ever.
NB Maybe the Welsh rugby team… oh no, too soon, and highly unlikely.
England have acquired the skill of winning even when they are second best as they were frequently in this tournament. There is a mental toughness and confidence there which is hugely impressive, and a credit to Serina Wiegman’’s management skills. The fact that they had come back and won against both Sweden and Italy in the way that they did must have got into the Spanish players’ heads the longer the match went on. I can’t remember which player it was but I loved the quote she gave – ‘we weren’t lucky; we rode our luck.’
And how great is Chloe Kelly? When she came on I think the whole country thought “right, we’ll score now” and sure enough, we did. Ironically she wasn’t even in the squad initially as she’s barely had a game at Man City.
yup – nerves of steel after the last penalty which she only scored on the follow-up.
Yep – unwanted at Citeh, dropped by England, goes to Arsenal, wins the Champions League, makes two game-changing substitute appearances then goes on to score the winning goal in the European Championship.
You could almost say it’s been a Raye* Of The Rovers story…
* Real name Rachel Keene.
Scored the final penalty to qualify and the winning goal in the last final. Worragal.
A delightful arrogance from Chloe Kelly, which is obnoxious in real life but rather fun in athletes and rock stars.
(no idea what she is like in real life)
A friend’s son was invited to “help”* at Saint George’s Park during the preparation (he helps coach a women’s team linked to Arsenal) and did say that Leah Williamson was just awesome.
(*”help” he thought he’d be putting out cones but they dont even do that – they project the lines onto the full size indoor pitch… long way from jumpers for goalposts, innit?)
I predict that the bizarre leg lift in her penalty taking technique, which is straight from the Ministry of Silly Walks, will now catch on with junior players. I have no idea if she believes it steadies her balance prior to striking the ball, or is merely intended to distract the keeper, but it don’t half look weird.
I assume she is a big fan of Kung Fu Panda.
Grit. They have it in spades. Magnificent.
One simply has to adopt the Alan Hansen voice to say ‘grit and determination’… doesn’t sound right otherwise.
Interesting to ponder that if Wales had won this (difficult to imagine I know) would we have had the same level of media hysteria? Probably scraped fifth story on the Ten o clock news at best. And no mention at all in the Times (as usual when Wales play, be it men or women).
At least Wales have their own national anthem, and a glorious one it is too, that is played at every sporting event they participate in. England have to put up with the dirge like God Save The King, which is the UK’s national anthem. No wonder Sarina Wiegman refrains from singing along to it. I long for the day when the stirring hymn Jerusalem becomes the official English national anthem.
Well, there was a homecoming parade after the men got to the semis in 2016. So I think the amount of fuss would at least be equal
I thought the Wales performance at the Euros in 2016 got lots of deserved attention across England as well as Wales – it superceded the England attention, even with the hyperbole that always surrounds England.
If Wales had won the Womens Euros, I would expect the fuss to be even greater – achievement multiplied by giant killing. England getting to the final is not unexpected as they were one of the strongest teams there.
Yes I’m sure we would have.
I’ll give them best England team ever on the basis that they got my wife to sit down and watch a whole game. She says there’s something in the movement of women players that makes it better to watch.