More than eight reasons to worry? The footballing heritage England must overcome v Germany in the Women’s Euro 2022 final
England will have a mountain to climb when they face Germany in the Women’s Euro 2022 final at Wembley.
The Lionesses may be favourites to win Euro 2022 having blown Sweden in their semi-final thanks to a 4-0 victory at Bramall Lane, continuing Sarina Wiegman’s fantastic run as England manager. Since replacing Phil Neville (via Hege Riise) last September, Wiegman has taken charge of 19 games against all competitions and England are yet to taste defeat.
In fact, they have only failed to win three matches within 90 minutes and one of those came in the quarter-finals of Euro 2022, which England eventually won 2-1 thanks to Georgia Stanway’s rocket in extra time. Scoring 104 goals, including 20 at Euro 2022, and conceding just four across Wiegman’s 19 games has optimism growing among fans of a first final since Euro 2009. But Germany are a different beast.
First let’s just take a quick look at Germany on their own. Before this year there had been 12 editions of the Women’s European Championships, starting with its inaugural tournament in 1984, and Germany have won eight. Yes, EIGHT. Norway are the only team to have won more than one, and they’ve managed just the two.
And Germany’s eight wins have come in eight finals. They know how to win in Europe. So what are England’s chances of beating them?
England actually won their last meeting with Germany, beating Die Nationalelf 3-1 in their final Arnold Clark Cup game thanks to goals from Ellen White, Millie Bright and Fran Kirby, securing the tournament for the Lionesses. But that’s about as good as it gets.
Sunday’s game will be the 28th time that England have faced Germany across all competitions and they have managed just two wins in the previous 27. Before the 3-1 win at the Arnold Clark Cup, England’s only other victory over Germany came in the 2015 World Cup third-place play-off when Fara Williams sealed the bronze medal in extra-time.
That win came at the 21st time of asking, and talking of 21, there have been 21 wins for Germany in this fixture. No other nation have beat England on more occasions than Germany, with Sweden next up on 15 wins vs the Lionesses.
OFFICIAL: England will face Germany in the final of #WEURO2022. pic.twitter.com/KyWcNd1IK2
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The first meeting came all the way back in 1984 in the Mundialito mini tournament when Silvia Nied’s double secured a 2-0 win for West Germany, a sign of things to come. There were 15 straight wins for Germany until England secured back-to-back goalless draws in 2007.
Also part of that 15-game winning run for Germany came victories in qualifying for Euro 1991, the Euro 1995 semi-finals and Euro 2001 group stage.
Of course, the hardest defeat for England to take, and one that will dominate the build up to Sunday, is the Euro 2009 final. Four years after crashing out of the group stages in the tournament they hosted, England made it all the way to the final of the European Championships – for the first time since 1984.
Hosted at the Olympic Stadium in Helsinki, Birgit Prinz and Melanie Behringer gave Germany a two-goal lead but Karen Carney pulled one back for England to make it 2-1 at half-time. Kim Kulig restored Germany’s two-goal advantage before Kelly Smith cut the deficit again, but then Die Nationalelf stepped up another gear. Three more goals made the final score 6-2 to Germany, breaking England hearts and keeping their domination of Europe going.
But what will happen in 2022?
