England Women made history on Sunday night, with their Euro 2022 final win helping them lift the trophy that the whole country has been waiting for. The celebrations were seen on and off the pitch by the 87,000 fans that were watching in Wembley Stadium and the millions watching around the country.
The England Women conceded just two goals throughout the whole tournament and had some big results, including their 8-0 win against Norway and a 5-0 victory over Northern Ireland. The win is not only a big achievement for the team itself but will also inspire so many young people worldwide, especially girls, and hopefully change how women's football is seen.
The teamwork and resilience the whole squad and manager Sarina Wiegman showed throughout the tournament helped them lift the trophy, and it was fully deserved. Wiegman became the manager of the first men's or women's team in a European Championship, to name an unchanged starting line-up in every game from the group stages to the final.
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However, in the final, it was the substitutes that changed the game and made history. Ella Toone replaced Fran Kirby in the 56th minute, and it took her just six minutes to score the opening goal for England.
It was then ten minutes from the end of extra time that Chloe Kelly scored the winning goal after Germany had equalised in the 79th minute. The England Women then saw the game out and came out as champions at the final whistle.
Antonio Conte's Tottenham side won two, drew one and lost one of their pre-season friendlies, and the Italian has spoken about the fight they need for the upcoming season. "For sure, to finish with a loss is not good, but at the same time, it can help us keep our feet on the ground for the environment, for the people inside and outside the club. Then to understand, we have to be humble and to continue to work," he admitted after their 1-0 defeat to Roma on Saturday.
"This season, I think we can be competitive in every game to try to fight. You don't know what will happen at the end of the game, but we have to start the game with the hope of getting three points."
For the 2022/23 campaign, Spurs have a busy fixture schedule, which is why this summer, it has been important to build the quality in the depth of the squad. Conte has seen this with his six new arrivals and previously spoke about the want for two players per position.
During his time at Chelsea, the Italian reiterated the importance of rotation and the hardship of the amount of fixtures teams have to play. "You know very well if you win, you've made the best decision. If you lose, you've made the worst decision. I must be realistic. I must be calm, to make the best decision for these seven games. It's normal when you have to play seven games in 21 days to rotate my players. I'm very calm about this because I trust my players," he explained.
This trust and need for rotation in players is something Wiegman showed on Sunday. The England boss may have stuck with the same starting XI, but she knew she had the quality on the bench to bring on players who would make a difference.
The likes of Toone and Alessia Russo showed throughout the tournament the impact they can have, even when they don't start games. A glimpse of this was seen at Tottenham last season, with Steven Bergwijn's injury-time brace against Leicester securing his side the win after coming on as a substitute.
As the 2022/23 season quickly approaches, Conte needs to replicate what the England Women have been able to do, to find success in N17. Not only utilise the squad and rotate when needed but create a cohesive team full of players he can trust and, more importantly, players he can rely on to be ready and make an impact when needed.
The Lionesses become the history makers!
Make sure you get a copy of our 48 page special celebrating England's fantastic victory over Germany in the final of the UEFA Women's EURO championships featuring all the final action, celebration pictures, the road to Wembley glory, tournament wallchart, stats and facts and a fantastic centre spread souvenir poster. Only £3 and available to pre-order NOW
Link: https://shop.regionalnewspapers.co.uk/england-euros-champions-2022-2009-p.asp
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