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Key eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureTom GarryMy silly stat to offer you all is: England are the first team to win the Euros without being drawn into Group A or B.ShareClaire has emailed:
We’re still buzzing from last night’s game and Guardian coverage keeping us entertained in car. Film title game brought these suggestions from my two boys, Josh and Sam.
Edge like Agyemang? Hold it like Hampton?
Two very good suggestions, both have great rings to them.ShareHampton played Euros two days after grandfather passed awayEngland goalkeeper Hannah Hampton had an incredible tournament, being the hero in two penalty shootouts but she did so after a recent passing in her family. Read her Instagram post:Allow Instagram content?This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.ShareWant to know what cost Spain the final? Nick Ames explains all here, it’s a great read to tuck into:ShareThere have been various reports on how fast Chloe Kelly’s penalties have been at this tournament, she has taken three – one against Sweden, one against Italy and one against Spain. But the latest report suggests Kelly’s penalty in the final was the fastest goal of the entire tournament, going at a whopping 110km/h. That is faster than the fastest Premier League goal scored in the 2024/25 season which came at 109km/h by Newcastle’s Alexander Isak.ShareUpdated at 14.42 BSTSomething for your ears:ShareDebbie Tidy has emailed her movie title suggestion:
Call it out like Carter…
So apt. Jess Carter called out racism that she endured during the tournament and responded with a 10/10 performance in the final.ShareThis piece is so good from Jonathan Liew:ShareI am a little surprised there isn’t anything for Michelle Agyemang. Yes Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton were both impressive throughout the tournament and of course Sarina Wiegman deserves all the flowers but Agyemang scored two goals that kept the Lionesses in the tournament. Without her, England would have come home a week ago.ShareKelly and Hampton set for MBEsEngland stars Chloe Kelly and Hannah Hampton are set to be awarded MBEs after helping the Lionesses retain the Euros trophy. Kelly scored the winner against Italy in the semi-final and the winning penalty against Spain in the final. Hampton, meanwhile, was a great goalkeeper all tournament and saved two penalties in the final shootout. More here:Fans waiting outside Southend airport for the England team to arrive. Photograph: Yui Mok/PAShareUpdated at 13.59 BSTDavid Smith has a move title suggestion:
Surely surely given everything that happened in this euro tournament it must be…
Escape To Victory.
That’s not a bad shout, you know. The Bend it like Beckham director may go in a different direction but a documentary of Euro 2025 should definitely be called that.ShareDo you follow us on BlueSky? If the answer is no what have you been doing? Jokes aside, you can find us here if you want to follow.ShareColin Beveridge has emailed:
Has it been noted that Sarina Wiegman is an anagram of “I win as manager”?
This is absolutely incredible. Any fun facts or more suggestions for a new Bend it like Beckham title for the sequel, please email me and get in touch.ShareHere’s a full breakdown of how England won the tournament:Allow Instagram content?This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click ‘Allow and continue’.ShareLondon train stations are getting in on the celebrations:ShareSpain manager Montse Tomé’s contract ends at the end of August and after the final loss to England, her future is up in the air. RFEF President Rafael Louzan said:
Montse Tomé’s future is an issue we need to address, but now is not the time. Tomé has done a commendable job and with great courage. Her future will be discussed later.
ShareRichard Whitehouse with two suggestions for the new Bend it like Beckham movie:
It’s surely got to be Welly It Like Kelly?
Or in light of the latest news Break It Like Bronze?
ShareRetaining the Euros was not a bad way for England’s assistant coach Arjan Veurink to bow out. It was announced pre-tournament he will be taking over the Netherlands managerial position after the Euros and he deserves all of his plaudits too for all the work he has put in. Sarina Wiegman has won three Euros in a row but so has he. It will be interesting to see how Wiegman adapts without her number two. Photograph: Michael Buholzer/EPAShareMichael Gould with quite a good one here:
Win it (just win it) like Williamson
ShareAs they say a picture is worth a thousand words so here’s a few that tell the story of the tournament:ShareThis is another good new movie title pitch from Tom Stephenson:
‘Blast it like Bronze’ would be appropriate
ShareJust to put that news into context, Lucy Bronze was playing with a high level of pain. Not only did she play 598 minutes across the tournament but she scored England’s opening goal and the winning penalty – her first spot kick for England – against Sweden. She then went on to play all of the 120 minutes against Italy and 105 in the final, eventually being forced off with a separate injury. To top it all the final was her 140th cap for England, drawing level with Alex Scott for the third-highest capped England player of all time. Bronze also made her 36th major tournament appearance last night which broke the England record for most major tournament appearances. Icon.ShareBronze fractured tibia in JuneLucy Bronze said in post-final interviews that she has played the entire tournament with a fractured tibia and her mother Diane has confirmed she suffered the injury in June. She told the BBC:
We knew all the way through. We’ve known all the time and originally somebody said, well, it can’t be a fracture because you wouldn’t be able to stand up but she said, ‘I’ve got high pain threshold and I can deal with pain’.
There’s lots of equipment and things that they’ve got, and obviously we knew the medics had checked it and they knew what they were doing and so does she, because she did a sports science degree.
She reads research papers and things. She knows about injuries. That’s how she can keep going. That’s why she knew how to tape her own leg. She knew that she felt her muscle and she thought, if I don’t tape this, I’m going to pull the muscles. I need to tape it now.
Lucy has this kind of, never say die. [She fractured it] in June. It didn’t matter how I felt, it’s what she was going to do [play].
She knows her own body and as I say, I trust the medical team. Chelsea knew about it. They all knew about it. We knew about it. I think a lot of the girls knew and not a whisper got out.
Photograph: Priscila Bütler/SPP/ShutterstockShareAbsolutely love this from Will Padmore:
Surely the Bend it like Beckham sequel should use a Lioness in the title, Curl it like Kelly?
Any other novel new titles for the movie, email me.ShareSometimes adrenaline during these matches can make you completely forget moments of the game the day after so here’s a reminder of how it all played out in Basel:ShareFor the entire Euro 2025 Spain were behind for just four minutes. That came against Italy in the group stage. Every other game they scored first and while they may have conceded to level the scoreboard, they didn’t fall behind. Yet they have a silver medal, not a gold one. Football, eh.ShareAgyemang’s name will forever be heard in my head as ITV commentator Seb Hutchinson going crazy when she equalised against Italy so thank you for that one Daniel. Hello everyone, I’ve just about recovered from last night’s history-making win – shall we start with a fun fact? Incoming …ShareRighto, my watch is over – thanks all for your company and comments. Otherwise, all that remains is for me to pass over to Sarah Rendell, who’ll chill with you for the next few hours, and leave you with one eternal thought: Agyemaaaaaaaaaannnnnggggg!ShareUpdated at 12.03 BST“Another life-affirming tournament win for England’s women leaves us with plenty of subtexts to consider,” begins Mike Gibbons, “and perhaps the most obvious one relates to the frankly incredible Sarina Wiegman. If we can get calm, rational, talented, relatable, inspiring and qualified people into positions of power and influence, maybe we can have happier days like this more often. Also quickly wanted to mention Chloe Clutch-Kelly, who now has the rest of her life to mull over which one of her defining moments of a European Championship win is her favourite. What a choice, and she’s still only 27.”Every word. Sarina for PM!ShareShareBend it Like Beckham, with added Emma Hayes?I’m in.ShareJoe Bunney’s Instagram story is worth your time. Featuring, in particular, Ella Toone, his partner, singing River Deep Mountain High.ShareTalking of Women in Football…ShareAnother OG of women’s football writing is the late, great and much-missed Vikki Orvice. Here’s her husband, Ian Ridley:I think of my Vikki, one of the founder members of @WomeninFootball, many times a day. Today, many more times. And I recall one of her favourite quotes, by Eleanor Roosevelt: “A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” #Lionesses— Ian Ridley 💙 (@IanRidley1) July 28, 2025
ShareFans in London celebrate England’s Women’s Euros win – videoShareBBC crunch some edifying numbers:
A peak live audience of 12.2 million watched England’s historic back-to-back Women’s Euro final on Sunday evening across all BBC platforms, making it the most watched television moment of 2025 across all TV broadcasters.
Online, the BBC Sport’s live page pulled in a staggering 11.4 million views as fans were gripped to see which country would come out on top.
The unprecedented victory which saw the Lionesses retain their title as European Champions peaked at 11.6 million on BBC One – 59% of all TV audiences – with an additional 4.2 million streams of the match on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.
Overall, the tournament was streamed 15.5 million times across BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website & app –20% of these were from 16-35’s, highlighting strong engagement from younger audiences throughout the competition. The BBC’s TV coverage alone also reached 22.1 million.
With digital clips and highlights of every match, BBC Sport social media accounts were front and centre with a mammoth 231 million total views across the tournament. 45% (104m) of those views came from TikTok (the highest proportion of any platform) and the audience on BBC Sport’s Women’s Football TikTok account over the last four weeks was 76% under 34-year-olds (39.3% under 24s, 36.7% 25-34).
Lucy Bronze strapping her own leg in the quarter final against Sweden was the most viewed clip from the tournament with a whopping 12.5million views across BBC Sport social channels (TikTok, Instagram and Facebook).
16 million unique users used the BBC Sport website and app to keep up to date with all the breaking news, and 10.1 million signed in accounts accessed Women’s Euro content across all of the BBC’s digital services (iPlayer, Sounds and BBC Sport website & app) an increase of 15% from Euro 2022.
On BBC Sounds, live commentary on Radio 5 Live and 5 Sports Extra had over 1.1 million – 122% increase from 2022.
Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport says: “This final was a landmark moment in sporting history. The kind of moment people will remember exactly where they were when they watched it. The incredible Lionesses took us on an emotional rollercoaster, and millions were hooked on BBC coverage from start to finish – from live streaming post-match analysis to millions following our live page and younger audiences in huge numbers on social media”.
“Just because the tournament stops there, our coverage doesn’t. We’ve got live WSL matches every match week, highlights, clips and more from next season, and you can follow everything on our Women’s Football TikTok.”
BBC Sport and ITV have also secured the rights to broadcast the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027, ensuring that the biggest tournament in women’s football remains free-to-air for UK audiences.”
ShareShare“Tributes are rightly being paid to communities, clubs and coaches,” says Dan. “The dedication that I saw from those three Cs when my daughter played age-group football, representing the borough at London Youth Games, had so much fun and fresh air education along the way, then later progressing to her latest footie adventures at university (caveat – what happens on tour…) is what makes the England side what it is now, it seems to me. That’s how pyramids work I guess. I’m especially happy for everyone who can join in and feel they also made this tournament victory happen in that way.”Yup, and the same applies to the writers who’ve slogged for years and decades without proper platform and support. Please allow me to refer you to the work of one such OG, Carrie Dunn – whom you can also enjoy in the pages of the Guardian.ShareHere’s the latest Football Weekly.My sense is that it’ll brighten your day.ShareUpdated at 11.25 BSTA rare occasion when everyone is in agreement.ShareAha, here comes Williamson bearing the trophy. What a leader she is, radiating certainty, steel and compassion, and at 28, there’s plenty yet to come. As used to be said of Frank McLintock, one her predecessors as Arsenal captain, if she’d been skipper of the Titanic, it would never have sunk.England captain Leah Williamson with the trophy leaving the team hotel. Photograph: Nick Potts/PAShareUpdated at 11.27 BSTThe squad continue boarding the bus, Alessia Russo and Beth Mead stopping to sign autographs for a young boy. It’s a lovely moment, quiet and symbolic.Lauren James leaving the team hotel in Zurich. Photograph: Nick Potts/PAShareUpdated at 11.17 BST“Something that I think was lost in all the praise being dished out is just how good Jess Carter was in that final,” says Ryan. “Dealt with everything Spain had to throw at her without fuss, and looked so assured. What a way for her to finish that tournament, especially after the horrendous racism and personal abuse she suffered. She was my hero of the night.”Agreed. She was, I think, my player of the match, though Leah Williamson ran her close. They showed exactly how to defend against a side who you know will dominate possession – proactively, with confidence, composure and discipline.ShareIt’s hosing it down in Zurich … but here come the champions of Europe!Share“Daniel! “ begins Ellie Newman. “What a day yesterday. I live in America, and have followed the Lionesses from afar for about 10 years. I’ve watched matches in all kinds of circumstances: alone, on my phone, at work, at home, wherever I can. This year a women’s sports bar opened in my city (Pittsburgh) and last week I convinced them to open early to show the final. We packed the pub. It was so amazing to watch the Lionesses’ grit, determination and self-belief. To get to watch them with a full crowd following every gripping moment was unreal. I’ll always remember this. England!!!”The scope of all this is mind-boggling. Nothing – literally nothing – crosses every conceivable border, whether based on geography, religion, sex, sexuality or culture – apart from football. It’s a beautiful day.ShareThe view from Madrid:ShareThe England squad will soon be getting on the coach. That’ll take them to the airport, after which they’ll head to Downing Street, where they’ll be welcomed by Angela Rayner. Tom Garry has more on that, though as things stand, there’s nothing on whether Sarina Wiegman plans on pivoting to PM when she’s done winning trophies.ShareSky have just shown a clip of Aitana Bonmati’s post-match interview – a perfect example of how to express disappointment and honesty. She was right to say Spain played the better football, and that came across in a way that was not churlish at all; equally, she was right to say they didn’t score one more than England, so can have no complaints about their defeat. She is an absolute superstar, and I’ll be shocked if she doesn’t redeem the situation before she’s done.Share“Your point around volunteers and communities is a key one,” says Thomas Atkins. “What will really show that women’s football in England has succeeded, is not a trophy, but if you can walk through a park on a weekend morning and see a group of women of varying ages and abilities playing a game of crap football, purely for the fun of it – just like you see men do pretty much wherever there’s a green space. This is the mistake that the 2012 Olympics made, by thinking that if the elite sportspeople win, then pitches, clubs and infrastructure will magically appear.”Yup, it needs institutional support along with the the constant inspiration and dedication of leaders. But unlike Olympic sports, many of which only appear in our purview once every four years, football is ubiquitous and unstoppable, so hopefully we’ll see its explosion continue.Rachel Yankey visits Alessia Russo’s first club, Bearsted FC in Kent, to highlight the impact of National Lottery funding into grassroots sport. Photograph: Tom Dulat/Getty Images for The National LotteryShareUpdated at 10.47 BSTIn the maelstrom of the moment, it can be hard to remember what actually happened – in a post-match interview Hannah Hampton said she couldn’t recall most of the game – so here’s Eze Obasi to take you through the shootout once more.ShareUpdated at 10.53 BST“Sarina Wiegman is brilliant at responding to the flow of a game and making changes in both players and tactics,” reckons Anil Patel, en route back from Basel. “Something Southgate was rarely able to achieve. That skill is even more important with the advent of ‘goalkeeper time-outs’ where the goalkeeper goes down with an ‘injury’ and the rest of the team rushes to the sidelines for a word with the coaching staff.”I agree, though it’s fair to note that, during the last men’s Euros, Southgate’s subs made crucial interventions, even if their performances were poor. But, though we’re still enjoying the moment, I’d be pretty surprised if, during the party, no one mentioned the World Cup, coming up in 2027 – in Brazil, too. There, I think, Wiegman and England’s challenge will be to keep winning, but to develop their style into one that is more dominant. This triumph was one of personality and heart – as well as skill under pressure, of course – but the talent and depth is there for them to move up yet another level.Share
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