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Alexandra Popp comforts Tabea Wassmuth
Photo: Sebastian Christoph Gollnow / dpa
Tears of joy and other tears:
In the end, they all hugged each other.
The English women, drunk with joy about the first European Championship title in their history, ready to join tens of thousands of people in the wide circle of Wembley Stadium in singing »Sweet Caroline« and celebrating a big football party.
And the Germans, worn out, defeated.
Her path didn't end until the 110th minute of the final, but it ended - for now.
For a long time, the TV cameras stayed on Alexandra Popp, the goal scorer who was unable to score, who comforted teammate Tabea Waßmuth with a long hug.
In a bittersweet way, it was a fitting end for a DFB selection that had impressed at this European Championship beyond the football played.
The result:
the Englishwoman prevailed 2:1 in the European Championship final.
After 90 minutes it was 1-1, then Kelly hit the heart of the DFB selection.
Read the match report here.
Without the boss:
The bad news only reached German football fans when the TV cameras were already panning to the players in the tunnel.
There, Leah Williamson was getting ready to captain her Lionesses – but where was Alexandra Popp?
The German captain had just posed for the team photo.
Now Popp was missing, instead Svenja Huth wore the bandage on his arm.
Then the message from the DFB turned the fear into certainty: a muscle injury from training stopped the double goal scorer in the semi-final game, the endurance test during the warm-up provided certainty.
In Wembley it had to go without Popp, Lea Schüller moved into the top storm for her.
The first half:
But how should it go against the English, who had outclassed Norway 8-0, beat Sweden 4-0, who was roared forward by the majority of the 87,192 spectators at Wembley?
It was difficult.
In the early stages, England repeatedly found Beth White, the storm institution, who sometimes tested Merle Frohms' goalkeeping game with a header (4th) and sometimes the stability of the German keeper with a bump (6th).
It was already a competitive game, everyone threw themselves into every ball, Lucy Bronze's header save when Sara Däbritz shot was a reflection of that (10th).
However, the goals failed to materialize because of the roughness.
The most idle discussion:
That could have changed with just a whistle: After a German corner, Marina Hegering, who had moved up, fought for the ball with half a dozen English women in the six-yard box, somewhere in the crowd the arm of England captain Williamson touched the ball.
Referee Kateryna Monzul didn't mind that, but it was worth numerous repetitions on German TV.
National coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg later chose the golden mean in the analysis: »Handball.
You have to see it," she classified the scene, but didn't feel cheated of a goal or even the title: "Of course it's stupid.
But I don't want to harp on about a situation."
The second half:
The English hardness remained, the DFB-Elf now understood better how to counter the whole thing with their own physicality.
Sometimes a little too much: Lena Oberdorf and striker Schüller each saw a yellow card within seconds (58'), Mead responded with a hard effort against Hegering - and injured himself in the process.
Outnumbered, England lobbed the lead (62') through substitute Ella Toone after a smart through ball from Keira Walsh, then Wiegman replaced Mead with a certain Chloe Kelly.
Germany came back into the game (79') through Lina Magull, who was now getting stronger, but the English substitutes were supposed to make the difference.
The defending champion:
Sarina Wiegmann not only had the golden touch in the final, the Dutchwoman has an almost golden handwriting when it comes to European championships.
Five years ago, Wiegmann had led Oranje to the title at the home European Championship, now the pragmatic perfectionist has achieved the same feat with England - and won every single game in both tournaments.
The extra time:
The last 30 minutes of such an intense exchange of blows are often described as “heavy legs”, game events are banished to the realm of chance.
This final was different, the tension remained high, the teams organized.
Only the goal chances remained rare.
In the end, the famous little bit of luck decided: after a corner, Kelly, who had already loudly animated the audience, dropped the ball in front of his feet.
The 24-year-old tipped the ball into the goal – and didn't have to ask the raging Wembley Stadium twice for volume afterwards.
Against all odds:
"Unlikely hero" is what they call it in England when someone dares to do heroic deeds who should never have been considered.
Chloe Kelly is someone like that: At the European Championship, the Manchester City striker was only a substitute.
How was she going to get past Mead, who was voted Player of the Tournament with six goals and five assists?
Freshly recovered from a cruciate ligament rupture, Kelly only made her comeback in April.
"You lose everything, the ability to walk or go to the bathroom yourself," Kelly said recently, looking back on her rehab.
Now she, the England team, had won it all – with coach Wiegman taking the injured Mead off the field and bringing in Kelly, the winner-scorer in extra time.
The most unlikely heroine.
They're coming home:
Time will tell what remains of this tournament, which brought impressive football, fighting spirit and great drama to the big stage.
In any case, the Germans are not allowed to call themselves European champions, but on Monday afternoon (4:10 p.m., TV: ARD) when they return to Germany on Frankfurt's Römerplatz, they are right to be celebrated for great achievements.
And it doesn't have to have been the last party: Jule Brand, 19 years old, Oberdorf, 20 years old, Klara Bühl, 21 years old, who was prevented from the final by Corona - the generation after Popp has enough talent in their feet to also compete in upcoming tournaments shine.