THE DUST HAS settled on Uefa Women’s Euro 2022, and whether we like it or not, It’s Home.
England are still basking in the glory after last Sunday’s 2-1 extra-time win over Germany in the showpiece. The Lionesses lifted their first-ever major trophy in front of a record-breaking crowd at Wembley Stadium. The stuff of dreams.
The final was a terrific occasion for women’s sport, in general. A close game, as everyone expected, and no shortage of twists and turns on the biggest stage.
Germany losing star player Alexandra Popp in the warm-up was a real turning point before a ball was even kicked. I had been backing them this whole tournament, and when her devastating absence was announced, a bit of doubt began to creep in. It all seemed to be lining up perfectly for England.
There had been so much hype around the Lionesses from the very beginning, and in the end, Sarina Wiegman’s side certainly delivered.
Ella Toone’s 62nd-minute opener was one of the Goals of Tournaments for me; from that pin-point pass from Keira Walsh to the tiki chip finish, it was just magnificent. And extra special for Toone herself in front of a full house at Wembley.
Lina Magull’s 78th-minute equaliser ultimately brought the game to extra-time, and I do think Germany were looking the stronger team right up until Chloe Kelly put away the winner in the 110th minute. The celebration? Iconic.
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Chloe Kelly celebrating the winner. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
England winning this tournament was absolutely huge for women’s sport. Love or hate them, credit must go to what this team has done for the game.
The final crowd, 87,192, was the high-ever attendance at a European Championship, both men and women, so that itself proves how much the women’s game is growing. The big hope is that it continues. I do think the knock-on effect will be massive for the Barclay’s FA Women’s Super League, with the success of this England side drawing increased interest and bigger crowds.
I was cheering for Germany, the team I most enjoyed watching having backed them from the beginning, but I do think England winning the tournament is a bonus — not only for England, but also for the rest of the UK and for Ireland. Most players in those parts tend to play in the English league, so it’s undoubtedly a big boost all around.
A quick overview of the tournament, before looking at the bigger picture and the next chapter for Ireland. Overall, the entire campaign was fantastic, and even though I was just a spectator unfortunately, I did really enjoy watching it from start to finish.
Standout moments for me? Alessio Russo’s phenomenal backheel goal against Sweden in the semi-final, for sure. It was voted Goal of the Tournament, so that says it all. Perhaps not a positive one, but England’s 8-0 win over Norway was definitely one of the main talking points. That defeat will haunt Norway for a long, long time, but it was a result that really shook things up.
Popp was outstanding all tournament for Germany. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Popp’s return and how brilliant she was all tournament has to be another standout. She hit the ground running with a goal from the bench in Germany’s first game, and well and truly established herself as their best player from there. She was so unlucky in the end; it’s devastating to miss the final especially after missing the previous two Euros due to injury. How horribly ironic for this to happen on the day of the decider.
I agree with most of the awards: the outstanding Beth Mead rightfully named Player of the Tournament after her Golden Boot success, Germany ace Lena Oberforf deserved Young Player of the Tournament — playing the six position is such a big responsibility, she’s only 20 but didn’t show her age and was consistently excellent throughout — and England and Germany dominated a fairly accurate Team of the Tournament.
The best match, in my opinion, was the quarter-final meeting between England and Spain. It had me on the edge of my seat right up until the last minute, and I was nervous watching it, if I’m honest! Spain, minus Alexia Putellas, showed their class, but it was a real turning point in the tournament as people truly started believing England were going to win it out.
Talk has already turned to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next summer, and hopefully that’s going to be another fantastic tournament. It might be a little different being Down Under, but there’s still going to be plenty of noise. The 2019 World Cup in France was a huge tournament, this Euros was even bigger than that, so hopefully it just keeps progressing.
I’ve written about our disappointing absence from the Euros and World Cup qualification ambitions over the past few weeks, and I’ll touch on that again to round off my final column.
All eyes on a big September for Ireland. Kalle Parkkinen / INPHO
Kalle Parkkinen / INPHO / INPHO
September is going to be a huge stepping stone in our campaign. Two very tough games against Finland and Slovakia lie ahead to round off the group and decide that coveted play-off spot, and everyone is very determined and raring to go.
It’s all about Finland at home first. It’s a big challenge, but there’s no doubt we will have full confidence in ourselves to deliver. The Finns come in off the back of a rough Euros and the sacking of their manager Anna Signeul, so that all adds to it. It could egg them on more, but could easily go in the opposite direction. Either way, they’re still a tough side.
They made the Euros at the end of the day and we didn’t. We had a great result in Helsinki, a 2-1 win, so hopefully we can repeat the feat at home. But we’ll need to be on our A Game again.
With a now sold-out Tallaght Stadium, that’s only going to encourage us more and it’s sure to be a fantastic occasion for women’s football in Ireland. I genuinely believe the Euros have had a huge impact on the sell-out status of our game, which is fantastic to see.
More of this, please.
The only way is up.
Over the course of Euro 2022, Republic of Ireland international and Florida State University star Heather Payne has written a regular column for The42.
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It's Home: England winning Euro 2022 can only benefit Ireland
THE DUST HAS settled on Uefa Women’s Euro 2022, and whether we like it or not, It’s Home.
England are still basking in the glory after last Sunday’s 2-1 extra-time win over Germany in the showpiece. The Lionesses lifted their first-ever major trophy in front of a record-breaking crowd at Wembley Stadium. The stuff of dreams.
The final was a terrific occasion for women’s sport, in general. A close game, as everyone expected, and no shortage of twists and turns on the biggest stage.
Germany losing star player Alexandra Popp in the warm-up was a real turning point before a ball was even kicked. I had been backing them this whole tournament, and when her devastating absence was announced, a bit of doubt began to creep in. It all seemed to be lining up perfectly for England.
There had been so much hype around the Lionesses from the very beginning, and in the end, Sarina Wiegman’s side certainly delivered.
Ella Toone’s 62nd-minute opener was one of the Goals of Tournaments for me; from that pin-point pass from Keira Walsh to the tiki chip finish, it was just magnificent. And extra special for Toone herself in front of a full house at Wembley.
Lina Magull’s 78th-minute equaliser ultimately brought the game to extra-time, and I do think Germany were looking the stronger team right up until Chloe Kelly put away the winner in the 110th minute. The celebration? Iconic.
England winning this tournament was absolutely huge for women’s sport. Love or hate them, credit must go to what this team has done for the game.
The final crowd, 87,192, was the high-ever attendance at a European Championship, both men and women, so that itself proves how much the women’s game is growing. The big hope is that it continues. I do think the knock-on effect will be massive for the Barclay’s FA Women’s Super League, with the success of this England side drawing increased interest and bigger crowds.
I was cheering for Germany, the team I most enjoyed watching having backed them from the beginning, but I do think England winning the tournament is a bonus — not only for England, but also for the rest of the UK and for Ireland. Most players in those parts tend to play in the English league, so it’s undoubtedly a big boost all around.
A quick overview of the tournament, before looking at the bigger picture and the next chapter for Ireland. Overall, the entire campaign was fantastic, and even though I was just a spectator unfortunately, I did really enjoy watching it from start to finish.
Standout moments for me? Alessio Russo’s phenomenal backheel goal against Sweden in the semi-final, for sure. It was voted Goal of the Tournament, so that says it all. Perhaps not a positive one, but England’s 8-0 win over Norway was definitely one of the main talking points. That defeat will haunt Norway for a long, long time, but it was a result that really shook things up.
Popp’s return and how brilliant she was all tournament has to be another standout. She hit the ground running with a goal from the bench in Germany’s first game, and well and truly established herself as their best player from there. She was so unlucky in the end; it’s devastating to miss the final especially after missing the previous two Euros due to injury. How horribly ironic for this to happen on the day of the decider.
I agree with most of the awards: the outstanding Beth Mead rightfully named Player of the Tournament after her Golden Boot success, Germany ace Lena Oberforf deserved Young Player of the Tournament — playing the six position is such a big responsibility, she’s only 20 but didn’t show her age and was consistently excellent throughout — and England and Germany dominated a fairly accurate Team of the Tournament.
The best match, in my opinion, was the quarter-final meeting between England and Spain. It had me on the edge of my seat right up until the last minute, and I was nervous watching it, if I’m honest! Spain, minus Alexia Putellas, showed their class, but it was a real turning point in the tournament as people truly started believing England were going to win it out.
Talk has already turned to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next summer, and hopefully that’s going to be another fantastic tournament. It might be a little different being Down Under, but there’s still going to be plenty of noise. The 2019 World Cup in France was a huge tournament, this Euros was even bigger than that, so hopefully it just keeps progressing.
I’ve written about our disappointing absence from the Euros and World Cup qualification ambitions over the past few weeks, and I’ll touch on that again to round off my final column.
September is going to be a huge stepping stone in our campaign. Two very tough games against Finland and Slovakia lie ahead to round off the group and decide that coveted play-off spot, and everyone is very determined and raring to go.
It’s all about Finland at home first. It’s a big challenge, but there’s no doubt we will have full confidence in ourselves to deliver. The Finns come in off the back of a rough Euros and the sacking of their manager Anna Signeul, so that all adds to it. It could egg them on more, but could easily go in the opposite direction. Either way, they’re still a tough side.
They made the Euros at the end of the day and we didn’t. We had a great result in Helsinki, a 2-1 win, so hopefully we can repeat the feat at home. But we’ll need to be on our A Game again.
With a now sold-out Tallaght Stadium, that’s only going to encourage us more and it’s sure to be a fantastic occasion for women’s football in Ireland. I genuinely believe the Euros have had a huge impact on the sell-out status of our game, which is fantastic to see.
More of this, please.
The only way is up.
Over the course of Euro 2022, Republic of Ireland international and Florida State University star Heather Payne has written a regular column for The42.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
column Euro 2022 heather payne