The team of Sarina Wiegman won the semi-final at Bramall Lane, the home of Sheffield United, and will now face either Germany or France, who will play in Milton Keynes on Wednesday.
The Lionesses of England are ecstatic after defeating Sweden 4-0 to qualify for the women’s Euro 2022 final at Wembley.
The team of Sarina Wiegman excellently won their semi-final and will now face either Germany or France, who will play in Milton Keynes on Wednesday.
In London’s Trafalgar Square, where large screens had been installed, fans yelled “football’s coming home” with excitement.
England Women are in a major final for the first time since 2009, although they have never won the World Cup or the European Championship.
Beth Mead scored in the 34th minute at Bramall Lane for Sheffield United against the top-ranked team in the competition.
Lucy Bronze passed to the Arsenal player who had her back to the goal but turned and shot past goalie Hedvig Lindahl to put the Lionesses in front.
Bronze scored from a Mead corner kick in the 48th minute, shortly after the halftime break, to double their lead.
Replays revealed that Lauren Hemp was onside as the ball passed her on its way into the net, despite a VAR check for offside.
68 minutes later, Alessia Russo produced a moment of bold brilliance.
With her back to the net, she executed a spectacular backheel that nutmegged Lindahl and gave England their third goal.
Fran Kirby was the subsequent participant.
Mead passed the ball to Kirby, who produced a lobbed finish; Lindahl was unable to keep the ball from entering the goal despite getting her hands on the shot.
Sunday at 5 pm, the final will take place at a sold-out Wembley Stadium.
Wiegman, the England head coach, told: “We will rejoice a little bit, but as I’ve said before, we’ve gone a long way and don’t want to lose it.
“The first half was a struggle, but the second half was a vast improvement. This outcome will spread throughout Europe and the world. Our performance was so impressive that everyone will be talking about us tomorrow.
“I believe we have demonstrated remarkable resiliency. We did not start the game well, but we found a way to win.”
London-based student Zuha Animashaun, 19, stated at Trafalgar Square: “It is returning home. The environment has been positively electrifying.
“Scoring four goals is a bonus, and it has been a lot of joy.”
Another pupil, 18-year-old Freddie Lagesse from Chiswick, expressed pride.
“It’s been a lot of fun. Everyone has been outstanding, and I am thrilled to see England represented.”
The Lionesses have reached the final of a women’s European Championship for the third time.
After losing to Sweden in the first competition in 1984 and to Germany in 2009, they will seek to achieve victory this time around.
England men’s captain Harry Kane tweeted in response to tonight’s victory: “Yesss @Lionesses! Bring on the last examination.”
Wayne Rooney, England’s all-time leading scorer, wrote: “What a performance tonight by @Lionesses! A well-earned #WEURO2022 final is approaching. Congratulations to the entire team and coaching staff.”
Prince William, the Football Association’s (FA) president, tweeted: “On Sunday, the @Lionesses will compete in the #WEURO2022 final. The entire nation is extremely proud of your accomplishments. We have faith in you and will always be at your side! W.”
Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, also congratulated the team, tweeting a Union flag emoji and the following: “To Wembley, we go!
“The skipper @leahcwilliamson and the @Lionesses achieved a wonderful result tonight against Sweden. England, please bring it home.”
In addition, the Lionesses’ official Twitter account tweeted, “SEE YOU AT WEMBLEY.”
England Women had lost in the semi-finals of their last three major competitions – Euro 2017, where they were defeated by eventual champions the Netherlands, and World Cups 2019 and 2015.
The Lionesses overcame Spain in a thrilling quarterfinal match at Brighton’s Amex Stadium last week. They came back from a 2-0 deficit to win the game 2-1 after an impressive comeback.
