The semifinal stage of the 2022 Women's EURO came to an end on Thursday (July 28) with England defeating Sweden 4-0 and Germany defeating France 2-1 to advance to the final. The England vs Germany UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 final will be held on Sunday (July 31) at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London and it will kick off at 10 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time).
This is the second time both teams will meet each other in a Women’s European Championship final. Prior to this, Germany thrashed England 6-2 in the 2009 final at the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki. Will England's women’s team come up on top against the German side this time? The championship match preview of the women’s EURO 2022 is discussed in this article.
England-Germany’s road to the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 final
Both England and Germany have reached the 2022 Women’s EURO final without losing a single match in the competition.
The hosts, England, have reached the final by comprehensively winning all of their group stage fixtures against Austria, Norway, and Northern Ireland. They later came out on top against Spain and Sweden in the knockout rounds and earned a spot in the tournament’s championship match.
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England women’s team route to final
Group A
England vs Austria: 1-0
England vs Norway: 8-0
England vs Northern Ireland: 5-0
Quarter-Final
England vs Spain: 2-1
Semi-Final
England vs Sweden: 4-0
The eight-time champions, Germany, have reached the final by beating Denmark, Spain, and Finland in the group stage. They later overcame Austria and France in the knockout stage to seal a spot in the championship match. Germany didn’t concede a goal in the tournament till the 44th minute of the semifinal fixture against the French side, which suggests they have a formidable defensive lineup.
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Germany women’s team route to final
Group B
Germany vs Denmark: 4-0
Germany vs Spain: 2-0
Germany vs Finland: 3-0
Quarter-Final
Germany vs Austria: 2-0
Semi-Final
Germany vs France: 2-1
Read UEFA Women’s EURO 2022: Previews for the semifinals
Notable statistics of the two finalists in the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 (as on July 28)
Source: https://www.uefa.com/womenseuro/statistics/
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England’s chances to win the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022
The English team has shown authoritative performances in the ongoing 2022 Women’s EURO tournament. They have won all of their tournament fixtures with pure dominance to date and can be considered a hot favourite to lift the trophy for the first time.
England’s campaign started with a 1-0 narrow victory over Austria in Group A. Beth Mead was the only scorer in the match. Mead has been in outstanding form in the competition. She has netted the tournament’s highest six goals so far, including a hat-trick against Norway. The tournament’s biggest margin of victory has come in a group phase match between England and Norway, where the hosts netted eight goals. Besides, England also hammered Northern Ireland 5-0 in their last group stage fixture.
England had to work hard in their 2-1 victory over Spain in the quarter-final match, but overcoming 4-0 against Sweden in the semi-final match proved just how good England’s forward lineup is at the moment.
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England’s biggest challenge is waiting in the final against Germany. The German side has arguably the best defense in the competition. Creating a space in the German defense would be a hard task. However, with the kind of form Mead and Russo are having at the moment, it will be an equally challenging task for the German defenders to stop them going forward.
English captain Leah Williamson is leading the tournament’s stats when it comes to recovering the ball. She has recovered 46 balls thus far, which is a promising stat for the home team.
Germany have a far better head-to-head record. England can take inspiration from their most recent 3-1 victory over the German last February. The England women’s team is in the best-ever shape to win a major tournament in their history. Can they pull off a memorable victory over one of their bitter rivals in Sunday’s UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 final?
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Five players to watch out for England in the final
Mary Earps (GK), Beth Mead (Goals: 6; Assists: 6), Alessia Russo (Goals: 4; Assists: 1), Fran Kirby (Goals: 2, Assists: 3), Lucy Bronze ((Goals: 1, Assists: 2)
Predicted starting XI
Mary Earps; Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright, Leah Williamson, Rachel Daly; Georgia Stanway, Keira Walsh, Fran Kirby; Beth Mead, Alessia Russo, Ellen White.
Germany’s chances of winning the UEFA EURO 2022 final
The German team is enjoying a similar tournament run to England. They have comfortably reached the final by beating their respective opponents. Germany’s campaign started with a 4-0 demolition over Denmark, followed by a 2-0 victory over Spain and a 3-0 win over Finland in the group stage.
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Captain Alexandra Popp is leading the forward line for Germany. She has scored six goals, highest in the tournament along with England’s Beth Mead. Popp has found the net once in three Group phase fixtures and the quarter-final match against Austria. She then netted two goals against France in the semi-final match.
The English defenders will try to block Alexandra Popp to find a space in an attempt to score. Besides, Germany have a very strong defense line. Players like Hegering, Gwinn, and Oberdorf will make it tough for the formidable English offensive players. Lena Oberdorf, in particular, is brilliant when it comes to tackling. She has the record for most tackles in this competition so far.
The German side may take a cautious approach so as to not allow the opposition a chance to take a lead. They are likely to use a counter-attacking tactic and try to upset the English defense with quick attacks.
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Germany's national women’s team has a strong record over England's national women’s team. Germany have won 20 games and lost 10 out of 30 matches played against England. Germany’s 6-2 thrashing victory in the 2009 EURO final against England is the biggest margin of victory between the two sides.
Will Germany be able to stop a confident English side in the final who look more determined than ever to clinch their maiden European championship? The overall head-to-head record and Germany’s brilliant success in the tournament will boost their confidence heading into the championship battle.
Five players to watch out for Germany in the final
Merle Frohms (GK), Alexandra Popp (Goals: 6), Lina Magull (Goals: 2; Assists: 1), Svenja Huth (Assists: 2), Lena Oberdorf.
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Predicted starting XI
Merle Frohms; Giulia Gwinn, Marina Hegering, Kathrin Hendrich, Felicitas Rauch; Lena Oberdorf, Sara Dabritz, Lina Magull, Svenja Huth, Klara Buhl, Alexandra Popp
Verdict
The UEFA Women's EURO 2022 final between England and Germany is scheduled to take place on Sunday in front of around 90,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium. The English fans will be hoping the Lionesses come on top in the championship fixture and take revenge for their big defeat against Germany in the 2009 final.
On the other hand, Germany’s women’s team is expecting to outsmart an in-form England side in the final to clinch their ninth European championship. With the kind of performance England's women's team has shown throughout the competition, and as the host nation, they will begin as a slight favourite against Germany in the decisive final.
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