Press comments on the EM final drama
“A blow to Germany’s neck”
08/01/2022, 11:11 am
The international press enthusiastically celebrates the Lionesses’ European Championship triumph. “The deepest pain of the English sports psyche” has finally been eliminated. The 1966 World Cup is remembered again and again. The German women, the “titans of women’s football” and their “resilience” earn a lot of respect. The press reviews at a glance:
England
TheTelegraph: “The Lionesses sealed 56 years of pain with a historic victory. The deepest pain in the English sporting psyche has been removed. Germany, the eight-time champions, probably looked better for large stretches of the tournament, but the hosts rode their luck. (… ) This is a sport that was officially banned for women in England for half a century.As late as the 1990s, women’s football on Fleet Street was derided as ‘a game to be played only by consent of adults in private’. (…) But today, optimism has overcome short-sightedness and contempt. It’s a lesson (…): put women first and watch them soar.”
Mirror: “Inspiring women win England’s first football title in 56 years. England’s historic victory is a testament to how far women’s football has come.”
Daily Mail: “It wasn’t a dream…we DID beat Germany in a final! For the nation that invented the game, the final of the Women’s European Championship is the greatest sporting triumph in the lives of most of those who were lucky enough to It was really inspiring – for all ages and both genders. The lionesses defeated the titans of women’s football.”
The Guardians: “When England’s men last won a major trophy, the 1966 World Cup, women were barred from playing any form of competitive football. Now, against the same opponent in the same stadium, English football is – all, not just them Half – climbed to the top step of the podium.”
Daily Express: “The Lionesses pulled it off, what a moment for all of us. Our country has been in the doldrums; the pandemic has knocked us down; we have an ongoing cost of living crisis. But yesterday the England women’s football team provided the perfect boost. (.. .) The Lionesses rewrote the history of English football at Wembley. All the years of pain are over. Football has finally come home. And who knows, the Lionesses’ triumph might even inspire the England side of Southgate at the World Cup in Qatar in November.”
DailyStar: “It’s all over…WOW! And adoring fans across the country sunk 10m pints toasting the triumph – giving the economy a much needed £40m boost in just 24 hours.”
The Sun: “It’s come home! (He’s come home!) England’s lionesses roar with pride as they celebrate their historic triumph at Euro 2022.”
TheTimes: “The fans chanted ‘football coming home’ and England had to defeat a side known for their resilience and whose representatives have stood in their way so many times in the past. But England have the ceaseless test managed by Germany. They lived up to their expectations. They took the lead, lost it and then showed their character by winning it back. That made their performance even more significant because it was Germany.”
Spain
mark: “Germany was the better team in extra time, Kelly’s goal was a blow to Germany’s neck. (…) It was their European Championship and they couldn’t fail. England wanted to make their debut and did it in a big way, with one breaking full Wembley and against a Germany that didn’t know what it was like to lose a final.”
AS: “England has a new queen. Chloe Kelly decides the best women’s European Championship final of all time. The women’s football party had a happier ending for the hosts. If Germany had won, nobody could have complained.”
Sports: “It’s Wembley again. Another overtime. The tears were sweet, though. England won the European Championship for the first time in a game that went back and forth. It’s true, well, football” it’s coming home”.
El Mundo Deportivo: “Germany showed character and mentality, but this time a bit of luck was missing.”
La Vanguardia: “England has achieved its dream goal. Not even the best screenwriters could have written such a perfect story.”
Netherlands
NRC: “The European Football Championship was nice, but there is still a long way to go. That doesn’t change the fact that the tournament on English soil was a success from a sporting, commercial and promotional point of view. This sport will develop at a fast pace in Europe continue to develop, for many it is not fast enough.”
trouble: “By winning the European Championship final, Sarina Wiegman made herself immortal in England.”
The People’s Crane: “Sarina Wiegman does it: she also becomes European champion with England. She was hired for nothing less. Her transfer from the Netherlands to England reflects the changed balance of power in women’s football.”
France
L’Equipe: “England end their curse by winning the Women’s Championship”
Le Figaro: “It was not for nothing that Sarina Wiegman was voted Best FIFA Coach of the Year 2017 and 2020. Five years after winning the European Championship at the helm of the Netherlands, the Dutchwoman kept her crown, but this time with England.”
Liberation: “The English women rule the Old Continent”
Austria
Crown newspaper: “European Champion! England celebrates hot summer fairy tale”
courier: “England fulfills the big EM dream”
Switzerland
View: “England are European champions! Joker Chloe Kelly decides the final spectacle in London’s Wembley in front of a record crowd of 87,192 fans in extra time. Germany feels disadvantaged – like in 1966!”