England's Lionesses head home to party after Euro glory
It was sweet revenge for Sarina Wiegman's defending champions, who suffered bitter defeat against the same opponents in the World Cup final two years ago.
Fans are preparing to welcome home the victors, who will be whisked straight to 10 Downing Street, the working home of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
An open-top bus parade will follow on Tuesday, culminating in a celebration in front of Buckingham Palace.
King Charles III said the team had the royal family's "warmest appreciation and admiration" following their victory, adding: "The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can."
Starmer hailed the triumph, saying: "The Lionesses have once again captured the hearts of the nation.
"Their victory is not only a remarkable sporting achievement, but an inspiration for young people across the country."
The Downing Street reception will hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and sports minister Stephanie Peacock.
Red-and-white St George's flags were hanging around the famous black door ahead of the team's arrival later on Monday from a rainy Zurich.
Captain Leah Williamson showed off the trophy to a knot of fans who had gathered as the team made their way to the airport.
Late drama
Victory in Switzerland on Sunday capped a remarkable tournament packed with of late drama for England.
Wiegman's team were slow out of the blocks, losing their first match against France, before comfortable wins over the Netherlands and Wales in the group phase.
They came back from 2-0 down against Sweden in the quarter-finals before winning on penalties, and sealed their spot in Sunday's final with a last-gasp extra-time win over Italy.
The defending champions again fell behind against Spain on Sunday but Alessia Russo cancelled out Mariona Caldentey's first-half opener and neither side could find a winner by the end of extra time.
Two penalty saves by player-of-the-match Hannah Hampton and Salma Paralluelo's miss set the stage for Kelly, who also scored the winner against Germany in the 2022 final, as England won the shootout 3-1.
The Lionesses led for fewer than five minutes across the entire Euros knockout stage.
"I must admit that this is the most chaotic and ridiculous tournament we have played," said Wiegman.
"The players say we can win by any means, and we just never, ever give up."
The Dutch coach, who has now won three European Championship crowns in a row, having led the Netherlands to victory in 2017, said she hoped England's win would boost women's football across the globe.
"How I've experienced this tournament is that the level went up again, the intensity of the games went through the roof," she said. "That's what we've seen.
"We've seen it in the games, but also in the data we have. I think this tournament broke every record again and that's great, and I hope that that will boost the women's game everywhere.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
Destructive Dwarshuis gives Australia 5-0 sweep of West Indies T20s
Chasing a modest 171 to win the fifth T20 international, Australia recovered from 25-3 and 60-4 to score 173-7 with three overs to spare. Cameron Green anchored the middle-order recovery with 32, big-hitting Tim David raced to 30 off 12 balls with four sixes and a four, and Mitchell Owen scored 37. When Green departed, Australia were 141-6, still needing 30, and the West Indies sniffed a consolation win. But Aaron Hardie kept his composure to see Australia home by three wickets with an unbeaten 28. "I didn't expect 5-0 at the start of the series. But we played some great cricket," said Australia captain Mitchell Marsh. West Indies captain Shai Hope pinpointed the reason for his team's failure to win a match. "We never put together a proper batting display. We either started well or finished poorly or the other way round," said Hope. "Against a quality team you can't get away with that." The West Indies were in trouble early, having been asked to bat when Marsh won the toss. Dwarshuis removed Brandon King for 11 and Hope for nine to reduce the hosts to 22-2 in the fourth over. That became 64-4 until Hetmyer led a fightback, hitting three fours and three sixes on his way to a half-century. It looked like the left-hander might take the West Indies to a challenging total, but Dwarshuis returned to induce a miscue to Sean Abbott at long-off from a slower bouncer. Hetmyer departed for 52 from 31 balls to leave West Indies 155-7 in the 17th over. "It was a little bit of a slower wicket so we tried to hit the wicket hard and use the slower balls as well," said Dwarshuis, who was named player of the match. Australia also won the three Tests which preceded the T20 series to sweep all eight matches on the tour.
France 24
21 hours ago
- France 24
England's Lionesses head home to party after Euro glory
Chloe Kelly converted the decisive spot-kick in Basel after Sunday's Women's Euro 2025 final ended 1-1, repeating her heroics from three years previously. It was sweet revenge for Sarina Wiegman's defending champions, who suffered bitter defeat against the same opponents in the World Cup final two years ago. Fans are preparing to welcome home the victors, who will be whisked straight to 10 Downing Street, the working home of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. An open-top bus parade will follow on Tuesday, culminating in a celebration in front of Buckingham Palace. King Charles III said the team had the royal family's "warmest appreciation and admiration" following their victory, adding: "The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can." Starmer hailed the triumph, saying: "The Lionesses have once again captured the hearts of the nation. "Their victory is not only a remarkable sporting achievement, but an inspiration for young people across the country." The Downing Street reception will hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and sports minister Stephanie Peacock. Red-and-white St George's flags were hanging around the famous black door ahead of the team's arrival later on Monday from a rainy Zurich. Captain Leah Williamson showed off the trophy to a knot of fans who had gathered as the team made their way to the airport. Late drama Victory in Switzerland on Sunday capped a remarkable tournament packed with of late drama for England. Wiegman's team were slow out of the blocks, losing their first match against France, before comfortable wins over the Netherlands and Wales in the group phase. They came back from 2-0 down against Sweden in the quarter-finals before winning on penalties, and sealed their spot in Sunday's final with a last-gasp extra-time win over Italy. The defending champions again fell behind against Spain on Sunday but Alessia Russo cancelled out Mariona Caldentey's first-half opener and neither side could find a winner by the end of extra time. Two penalty saves by player-of-the-match Hannah Hampton and Salma Paralluelo's miss set the stage for Kelly, who also scored the winner against Germany in the 2022 final, as England won the shootout 3-1. The Lionesses led for fewer than five minutes across the entire Euros knockout stage. "I must admit that this is the most chaotic and ridiculous tournament we have played," said Wiegman. "The players say we can win by any means, and we just never, ever give up." The Dutch coach, who has now won three European Championship crowns in a row, having led the Netherlands to victory in 2017, said she hoped England's win would boost women's football across the globe. "How I've experienced this tournament is that the level went up again, the intensity of the games went through the roof," she said. "That's what we've seen. "We've seen it in the games, but also in the data we have. I think this tournament broke every record again and that's great, and I hope that that will boost the women's game everywhere.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Jamie Overton added to England squad for fifth Test against India
The return of the Surrey paceman is the only change to the group from Old Trafford, where India on Sunday escaped with a draw after batting for five sessions and 143 overs. Ben Stokes' men had been in pole position to move into an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series after taking a first-innings lead of 311. But they were only able to take four wickets in India's second innings, even though Chris Woakes struck twice in the first over. Stokes hinted "fresh legs" might be needed among the bowlers for the fifth Test, which starts on Thursday. Woakes and Brydon Carse have both played all four matches so far while Jofra Archer has featured in back-to-back Tests following a four-year absence. Stokes considers himself "very unlikely" to miss out despite struggling with various injuries at Old Trafford but the tight turnaround means changes seem likely. Overton, who won his only Test cap in 2022, joins fellow seamers Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue in a 15-man squad pushing for a spot in the starting eleven. Tongue featured in the first two Tests of the series and took 11 wickets but was expensive, while Atkinson has not played a first-class match since England's win against Zimbabwe in May. Liam Dawson looks set to be retained as England's frontline spinner despite taking just one wicket in Manchester across two innings.
