The Lionesses, as England's girls's soccer crew is thought, will defend their Euros crown on Sunday, after Sarina Wiegman's aspect snatched victory from the jaws of defeat towards Italy within the semi-final, scoring the newest of late objectives to win 2-1 on the Stade de Genève in Lancy.
It's the crew's third successive main match ultimate. They gained Euro 2022 towards Germany at Wembley, and reached the World Cup ultimate a 12 months later, the place they misplaced to Spain. On Sunday they may have the chance to rectify two years of damage after they face La Roja once more.
Spain beat a wonderful Germany 1-0 in further time on Wednesday evening and can go into Sunday night's match as favourites. However after a sequence of final minute victories, England will likely be hoping to hit their stride and take the trophy dwelling once more.
The place can I watch?
The match at St Jakob-Park in Basel kicks off at 5pm BST and will likely be proven on BBC One, iPlayer, ITV1 and ITVX. You'll be in good firm – the semi-final was watched by a peak viewers of 10.2 million, ITV's highest viewing figures of the 12 months.
So a 3rd main match ultimate for England …
Sure, however the hundreds who've travelled to Switzerland to look at the Lionesses have been by the wringer.
First got here an impressively dangerous opening efficiency towards France, after they in some way solely misplaced 2-1. Issues did get higher. England then trounced the Netherlands 4-0, earlier than thrashing Wales 6-1 of their ultimate group recreation.
However the knock-out phases of the match had been a white-knuckle journey. Within the quarter ultimate towards Sweden, England had been trying down the barrel of a 2-0 defeat when two English objectives in 102 seconds propelled them into further time and the best horrible penalty shootout of all time. Of the 14 penalties taken, solely 5 had been scored, with England sneaking dwelling 3-2.
The semi-final towards Italy was much more dramatic. England had been 1-0 down with two minutes of harm time remaining when 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang scored a belter to take the sport into further time. With one minute of that to go, the tremendous sub Chloe Kelly – who it's possible you'll bear in mind for a shirt-twirling celebration of her match-winning purpose within the the Euro 2022 ultimate – pounced on the rebound of her saved penalty within the 119th minute to place England by. It's been exhausting, frankly.
So … we're truly not superb?
England are nonetheless among the finest groups on the earth, with a depth of world-class gamers and a ferocious crew spirit that solely a idiot would guess towards. They've additionally confirmed on varied events throughout this match that whereas they might appear to be they're down, you possibly can't depend on them being out.
Wiegman has are available in for some criticism for making late substitutions and overseeing some lacklustre performances, however she is nonetheless making her strategy to Basel for her fifth major-tournament ultimate in a row. For now no less than, followers are conserving the chorus “in Sarina we belief”.
Will I recognise this crew from earlier tournaments?
Sure, though a few of the best-known figures are usually not in Switzerland.
There may be nonetheless loads of expertise within the crew, together with the captain, Leah Williamson, Georgia Stanway, Alessia Russo and Chloe Kelly. Lucy Bronze, arguably the best feminine participant England has ever produced, continues to be a pressure of nature. In addition to burying her penalty against Sweden, the 33-year-old captured the never-say-die mentality of the squad, together with when she strapped her own injured thigh in the quarter-final.
Who're the recent faces to look out for?
The title on everybody's lips earlier than the ultimate is that of {the teenager} Michelle Agyemang, who has twice come on to attain and save England from elimination on this match. The Arsenal participant spent a lot of final season on mortgage to Brighton and solely made her worldwide debut in April, when she scored after 40 seconds. With three objectives in 4 video games in an England shirt, followers will count on to see her introduced on earlier than the dying moments of the match. Chelsea's 24-year-old goalie Hannah Hampton had large gloves to fill at these Euros, however has proved her mettle, saving two penalties within the semi-final shoot out with a bloodied tissue shoved up her proper nostril.
Are Spain any good by the way in which?
Sure, muy bueno. Realmente bueno, in truth. With a really on-brand love of possession (68% towards Switzerland, 67% towards Germany), Spain have a behavior of merely conserving maintain of the ball till they lastly handle to cross it into the web.
The midfielder Aitana Bonmatí – who was solely discharged from hospital after a bout of viral meningitis in June – might be the perfect participant on the earth proper now. She gained the Ballon d'Or, Fifa's participant of the 12 months award, for the second 12 months in succession in December.
The midfielder Alèxia Putellas, Barcelona's captain, is a double Ballon d'Or winner. And Patri Guijarro, who performs for, sure you guessed it, Barcelona, might be a future Ballon d'Or winner. Mariona Caldentey has had an excellent first season for Arsenal, after a decade with… Barcelona. They're a bunch of golden ballers, principally.
