England's Lionesses will take on Germany in a mouth-watering Women's Euro 2022 final at Wembley on Sunday after the Germans beat France 2-1 in their semi-final.
Alexandra Popp’s brace sunk the French in their Milton Keynes showdown last night (July 27) to tee up a hotly anticipated showdown with hosts England, who had beaten Sweden 4-0 in their own semi-final a day earlier. The Germans held their nerve to see off Les Bleus, with Svena Huth claiming two assists in another pulsating contest.
Eight-time European champions Germany can push for a ninth continental crown against England, who have reached their first Euros final since 2009. Match-winner Popp insisted Germany have earned the right to push for yet another European trophy, having entered the tournament entirely under the radar.
“I can’t put it into words,” said Popp. “We played an amazing game and threw everything in. We are incredibly happy, nobody expected us. We’re in the final at Wembley against England, it doesn’t get any better than that. We earned our self-confidence in all the games.
“The team is just great, they have my back and are happy with me after my whole story of suffering. Now it’s time to recover quickly.”
Young German star Lena Oberdorf admitted she could not comprehend reaching the Wembley final. She said: "It feels surreal, I need a day to understand it. It was once again the commitment and the will to score and defend our goal. Unfortunately we conceded our first goal today but that didn’t upset us either. We adjusted our game and carried on.
“Poppi delivered an outstanding header again. She’s just a beast in there, that’s exactly what we need from her.”
England’s defensive rock Millie Bright has enjoyed a stellar tournament, but will need all that nullifying nous once again at Wembley on Sunday. Popp’s canny movement in the box will doubtless cause England problems in the final for the ever-smart Germans. And Bright versus Popp certainly whets the appetite in the early build-up to Sunday’s silverware showdown.
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