Jubilant scenes as Lionesses keep Euros dream alive with second-half equaliser
Fans draped in England flags joined the Prince of Wales and his daughter Princess Charlotte in holding their heads in their hands as Mariona Caldentey put Spain 1-0 up in the final on Sunday.
A nervous atmosphere transformed into a jubilant one at Boxpark Croydon as Russo's header found the net, with England flags being waved and supporters hugging each other during the celebrations.
At the final whistle, fans of the Lionesses appeared confident as they started dancing and cheering as the match went into extra time.
William and Charlotte were pictured in Switzerland for the Euros final as the royal family led the nation in wishing good luck to England's Lionesses.
Shortly before kick-off, an image of the pair was posted on the Prince and Princess of Wales's X account with the caption 'let's go, Lionesses'.
As Caldentey's header found the net in the 25th minute, William and Charlotte were pictured with their heads in their hands and crowds in fan zones across England fell silent as they watched proceedings.
Before kick-off, supporters waved England flags and loudly sang the national anthem at Boxpark Croydon and star striker Michelle Agyemang's former team, Brandon Groves Community Club in Essex.
Agyemang, 19, who had one England cap before the tournament, scored crucial equalisers in the Lionesses' quarter-final and semi-final comebacks.
Ahead of the game, 11-year-old Violet Ingram, a left winger for Brandon Grove Emeralds, said: 'Seeing her (Agyemang) and the team just makes me feel like I can do anything I want to do.'
Lionesses fans stood on their feet while some children said 'come on England' after Russo's header put England on level terms.
The Prince of Wales, who is patron of the Football Association (FA), applauded the national anthem as he stood next to Charlotte in the stadium.
In a show of support ahead of the final, the Band of the Grenadier Guards performed Three Lions on the Buckingham Palace forecourt, while the royal family's official X account posted: 'Wishing the very best of luck to the @Lionesses in the Women's Euro Final this evening.'
Let's go girls!! 💪🦁⚽️
Wishing the very best of luck to the @Lionesses in the Women's Euro Final this evening. pic.twitter.com/y1tcrm94ST
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) July 27, 2025
Meanwhile, BBC Sport and ITV have secured the broadcasting rights for the Women's World Cup 2027, meaning the tournament will remain free-to-air for UK viewers.
England's path to the final has been marked by late drama.
They sealed their spot with a last-gasp extra-time win over Italy, following a penalty shootout victory against Sweden in the quarter-finals after nearly crashing out in extra time.
The Lionesses will be looking for redemption against Spain, who edged them 1-0 in the 2023 Women's World Cup final.
England boss Sarina Wiegman said the team is 'going to do everything we can to win it' and she would prefer to avoid a 'nerve-wracking' match.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
North Wales Chronicle
21 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
You've made nation proud – Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulates Lionesses
England beat world champions Spain 3-1 on penalties in the Euro 2025 final after a 1-1 draw to defend the title they won three years ago. In a post on X, the Prime Minister said: 'Champions! Congratulations @Lionesses – what a team. What a game. What drama. 'You dug deep when it mattered most and you've made the nation proud. History makers.' Champions! Congratulations @Lionesses — what a team. What a game. What drama. You dug deep when it mattered most and you've made the nation proud. History makers. — Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 27, 2025 The Prince of Wales was spotted in the stands applauding and celebrating with those around him – including his daughter Princess Charlotte. William was among those to heap praise on striker Michelle Agyemang, who was named young player of the tournament. As the presentation ceremony took place, William exchanged words with Agyemang, appearing to say, 'Well played, fantastic, well done'.
Metro
21 minutes ago
- Metro
England warrior reveals she played whole of Euro 2025 with brutal injury
England legend Lucy Bronze revealed she played the entirety of Euro 2025 with a fractured tibia after the penalty shootout win over Spain in Sunday's final. The Lionesses bounced back from conceding a first half opener to Spain in Basel, with Alessia Russo scoring an equaliser just before the hour mark. The match was 1-1 at 90 minutes and remained so at the end of extra time, heading to a nerve-shredding penalty shootout. Both teams faltered, but England got over the line with a 3-1 victory, thanks to two saves from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and a winning spot kick from Chloe Kelly. Bronze had to be taken off during extra time after suffering a knee injury and it must have been serious because she had already shown her immense toughness. The 140-cap full-back revealed that she has had a fractured tibia for the whole tournament, the tibia is sometimes known as the shin bone. 'I've actually played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia, but no one knew,' she told the BBC. 'And now I've just hurt my knee today on the other leg. 'I think that's why I got a lot of praise from the girls after the Sweden game because I've been in a lot of pain, but that's what it takes to play for England so that's what I'll do. 'They know that, I think we inspire each other by playing through things like that and it got to the end, in the end.' Asked how bad the pain has been, she said: 'Very painful.' The Lionesses have defended their European Championship title in extremely dramatic circumstances, having needed penalties to beat Sweden in the quarter-finals and extra time to get past Italy in the semis. Bronze stepped up to score one of the spot-kicks against Sweden and felt the resilience of the team throughout the tournament has been immense. 'We never lost belief in ourselves,' she said. 'I think there was a lot of noise on the outside but we just stuck together and dug deep. 'We showed that in all the knockout games, to go 120 minutes back-to-back-to-back is incredible. 'To win on penalties, two games, this team is so inspiring to be a part of. We just give each other energy I think what we've done today is just unbelievable.' She added: 'Today we've just shown resilience, the fight we've had through all the tournament. We've shown everyone to believe in yourself no matter what other people say about you and to believe in the people that give you that support. 'I think that's what we showed throughout the tournament. We showed that today and that's what's got us the trophy.' England's record goal-scorer, Ellen White, said of her former teammate: 'I mean this in the nicest way but she's not human. 'She's proper England. She's just won a major tournament on a fractured tibia, that's not normal, the pain must have been insane and she smashed that ball in the Sweden game. 'That's true to Lucy Bronze, she will give everything to play for England and win for England.' MORE: Hannah Hampton was told she would never play football due to a serious eye condition MORE: Hannah Hampton reveals message Sarina Wiegman gave England players before shootout drama MORE: Why Beth Mead was allowed to take penalty twice in England's Women's Euro 2025 triumph over Spain
The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Lucy Bronze played through pain of fractured tibia to secure Euro 2025 glory
Lucy Bronze revealed she had played the whole of England's victorious Women's European Championship campaign with a fractured tibia. The 33-year-old full-back had played every minute of the tournament until she succumbed to a separate knee injury at half-time of extra time during Sunday's final in Basel. Speaking after their quarter-final penalty shootout triumph over Sweden, when Bronze scored a crucial spot-kick, England boss Sarina Wiegman said of the defender: 'I think the only way to get her off the pitch is in the wheelchair.' Bronze, now a two-time European champion with the Lionesses, opened up about her injuries following their 3-1 penalty shootout win over Spain. 'We never lost belief in ourselves. There was a lot of noise on the outside, but we just stuck together and dug deep,' she told BBC One. 'We showed that in the all the knockout games, to go 120 minutes and go back to back to back, is incredible. To win on penalties, in two games… this team is so inspiring to be part of. 'We give each other energy and what we have achieved today is incredible. 'Today we have just showed resilience, like we have through all the tournament. The want to believe in ourselves and believe in the people who give you support. 'I've actually played the whole tournament with a fractured tibia, but no one knew. And now I've hurt my knee on the other leg. 'I think that is why I got a lot of praise from the girls after the Sweden game because I'm in a lot of pain, but that's what it takes to play for England and that's what I will do. They know that and we inspire each other by playing through things like that, and it got us to the end in the end.' Chloe Kelly insisted she was never in doubt when stepping up to take the match-winning penalty. 'I'm so proud of this team, so grateful to wear this badge and so proud to be English,' Kelly said. 'I was cool, I was composed, I knew I going to hit the back of the net. I don't miss penalties twice. 'It's unbelievable, it's not just this team it's the staff behind us. Twenty-three players and all the staff behind us. Sarina Wiegman has done it again. It's unbelievable. 'It's going to be crazy. I hope the whole of England comes out to support us and show the love to all these girls because they deserve it.' Hannah Hampton admitted she 'lost track' of the scoreline during final's penalty shootout. 'This team is just unbelievable, incredible,' the England goalkeeper said. 'We've shown throughout the tournament we can come back when we go a goal back. We've got that grit, that English blood in us. We never say die, we keep going and we did that today. 'When Chloe stepped up I turned around to the fans, miming a kick and trying to ask if we score do we win, I'd completely lost track. 'They were just cheering at me so I didn't know what the answer was, but then I saw that run up and that was it, we've won. I can't believe it.'
