England’s Lionesses roar to victory, beating Germany 2-1 at Euro 2022 final

England won a major international soccer tournament on Sunday for the first time in more than half a century. The fact it was the women’s team, not the men’s, that ended decades of pain made it all the sweeter for many fans.

Crowds erupted in joy at London’s Wembley Stadium, at fan zones across the country and in pubs, clubs and living rooms as the whistle blew after extra time with the score England 2, Germany 1. It was the first-ever European victory for England’s Lionesses, and the first major international trophy for any England team - male or female - since 1966.

In London’s Trafalgar Square, fans chanted “It’s coming home!” - a reference to the England anthem Three Lions, with its chorus “football’s coming home” - and jumped into public fountains in celebration.

“I’m so happy,” said 24-year-old Becca Stewart. “It shows that after all these years, women’s football is something to care about and something to scream about. We did it - the men couldn’t do it but we did!”

At Wembley, the crowd broke into Sweet Caroline, the Neil Diamond song that has become a soccer anthem.

“The girls finally brought football home,” said Mary Caine, who attended the game with her eight-year-old daughter. “We’re delighted! It’s historic. It was magic in there and a breakthrough moment for women’s sport.”

Whatever the outcome had been, the Lionesses have energised a nation and brought interest in women’s sport in Britain to an entirely new level. Their success has provided a welcome distraction from the UK’s political turmoil and its cost-of-living crisis amid soaring prices for food and fuel.

The final was watched by a record crowd of more than 87,000 at Wembley and a huge television audience, after a tournament that received an unprecedented level of media coverage. More than 9 million people watched the broadcast of England’s 4-0 semi-final win over Sweden last week.