This Sunday, England and Germany face off in the final of Euro 2022 at Wembley Stadium. A dream poster between the two favorite nations before the start of the competition.
After three intense weeks, the Euro 2022 will see the curtain fall with the final between host country England and Germany, which fell to the French team in the semi-finals. A meeting taking place this Sunday (6pm) at a sold out Wembley. If the London enclosure was already full when the ticket office opened, fans should not be disappointed by the spectacle between the two favorite nations of the competition.
• Road rollers are running
The Finale simply goes up against the two best attacks in the competition. The cards of England (20 goals) against Norway (8-0), Northern Ireland (5-0) and Sweden (4-0) testify to the offensive power of Sarina Wiegman’s players. If the ex-Netherlands coach has relied on the same eleven since the opening game against Austria, the danger comes from everywhere on the side of the lionesses. Eight players have also shaken the nets at least once: Mead (six), Russo (four), Stanway, Kirby, White (two), Hemp, Toone, Bronze (one).
On the other hand, the Germans (13 goals) also show icy composure in front of goal, symbolized by their captain Alexandra Popp (6 goals), the nightmare of the French in the semifinals. Both teams have not only a fiery attack, but also an iron defense, with goalies Mary Earps and Merle Frohms conceding just one goal.
• An exciting duel between Popp and Mead
They are easily the top two scorers at Euro. If Alexandra Popp is the spearhead of her team through her experience (31 years) and her efficiency, Beth Mead is the revelation of the English attack. The Arsenal player (27) even managed to eclipse legend Ellen White, yet she is the team’s top scorer in history (52 goals). The author of a hat-trick against Norway, “Angry Meado” (Meado in French) has such a wide range that she is also the Euro(Five)’s top passer. On a mission after being zapped by Hege Riise (former Lionesses coach) for the 2021 Olympics, Mead is a staple player for Sarina Wiegman (18 goals in 16 games under her command).
In front of her comes Alexandra Popp from far away. Creator of a brace against Les Bleues (2-1) in the semi-finals of their first international tournament, ‘Poppi’ was not spared an injury. In 2013, an ankle injury forced her to watch from afar as her team-mates became European champions for the sixth and final time in a row. Four years later, this time it was a stubborn meniscus that prompted him to abandon the competition in the Netherlands, which ended in a quarter-final defeat by Denmark (2-1).
She also tore cartilage in one knee last year. If the EM hadn’t been postponed by a year because of Covid-19, it would have been pushed into the injury package. Earlier this year she had to rest again due to a relapse when she thought she had left the tunnel.
• A title for the story
This 13th Euro final will be historic regardless of the outcome. The players of Martina Voss-Tecklenburg (fifth FIFA nation), undefeated in the final of the competition, can compete for a ninth European crown and further extend the gap to the other nations: Norway (two titles), Sweden and the Netherlands (one) . The Germans can also taste the joy of victory for the first time since the 2016 Olympics.
Worn by Sarina Wiegman, winner of Euro 2017 with the Netherlands, the Lionesses (eighth FIFA nation) can win their first title in their history. After losing the men’s final at Wembley last year, England have the opportunity to offer their supporters their first title since 1966, ending the final curse (two defeats at Euro 1984 and 2009).
Analie Simon Journalist RMC Sport