England win European Champioship

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LONDON, July 31, (AP): England beat Germany 2-1 in the final of the European Championship after extra time on Sunday to win their first major women’s soccer title. Chloe Kelly scored the winning goal on a rebound in the second half of extra time after Germany failed to clear a corner. The game had finished 1-1 after 90 minutes. Ella Toone latched onto a long pass from Keira Walsh to get in behind the German defense in the 62nd minute and cleverly sent a lobbed shot over goalkeeper Merle Frohms and into the net for the opening goal.

Toone’s goal, six minutes after she entered the game from the bench, sparked celebrations among the crowd of 87,000 at Wembley Stadium as England manager Sarina Wiegman – the winning coach with the Netherlands in 2017 – raised both arms in joy. Facing their first defeat in nine European finals, Germany came close when Lea Schüller hit the post and then leveled the score in the 79th when Lina Magull knocked a low cross past England goalkeeper Mary Earps, taking the game to extra time. Germany were without captain and top scorer Alexandra Popp after developing a muscle problem, the team said shortly before kickoff.

Popp is replaced by forward Lea Schüller. Svenja Huth took over as captain. Other than Popp’s injury, Germany coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg stayed with the same lineup from the 2-1 win over France in the semifinals. Jule Brand kept her place on the left wing after replacing Klara Bühl for the France game when Bühl tested positive for the coronavirus. Germany said Bühl has tested negative and will be able to watch the game in the stadium, though she isn’t in the squad.

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