England women’s manager Sarina Wiegman hailed the impact her players have made in changing perceptions beyond the pitch after the Lionesses won a major tournament for the first time at Euro 2022.
In front of a record crowd of 87,000 at Wembley for a European Championship match, the hosts were roared over the line to beat Germany 2-1 after extra-time.
“Winning is what we are here for, we try to win and do our job as good as possible,” said Wiegman. “But through football you can make little changes in society and that is what we hope for.”
Queen Elizabeth II was among those to pay tribute to the England squad for providing “inspiration for girls and women today, and for future generations.”
Chloe Kelly and Ella Toone became national heroes by coming off the bench to score the goals as not for the first time in the tournament, Wiegman’s substitutions changed the course of the game.
Five years on from leading her native Netherlands to their breakthrough on the international stage in the women’s game at Euro 2017, Wiegman repeated the trick to inspire another home nation.