Women's Euros: Wiegman emphasises team effort in England tournament success

By Sports Desk July 31, 2022

Sarina Wiegman paid tribute to the players, who interrupted her media conference, and the staff as she celebrated guiding England to success in the Women's European Championship final.

The Lionesses overcame Germany 2-1 after extra-time at Wembley, with substitutes Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly scoring either side of Lina Magull's equaliser.

The win means that Wiegman has won back-to-back Euros, having lifted the 2017 trophy while in charge of her native Netherlands.

Speaking at a media conference after the trophy celebrations, Wiegman said: "What we have done is really incredible. I didn't follow everything [in the media] but I knew that England was behind us.

"Over the tournament we have had so much support from our fans. I am so proud of the team, the staff, and the support at The FA."

Wiegman has won all 12 of her matches in charge at the Women's Euros, with her teams scoring 35 goals and conceding just five in the process.

She was asked what made the difference in what had been a tight game at Wembley Stadium, but before she could answer she was interrupted by the entire England squad coming into the room and dancing around, singing "Football's coming home".

After composing herself, Wiegman was asked if football had come home, to which she replied: "We won the cup, I guess 'home' is in Switzerland [UEFA HQ] or wherever."

She also revealed her celebration tipple, saying: "For the first time in years I had a beer. I don't [usually] like it but I drank it, and I liked it too."

Wiegman added that she would need some time to process that she has won two Euros tournaments, and also revealed that she kissed her wrist after the win as a tribute to her late sister, before crediting her for Germany hitting the woodwork in the second half.

"After we had the trophy, I thought 'this is really incredible'… I think I need some time to realise [winning two in a row].

"The armband on my wrist, it was my sister's, who passed away… I think she was here and she was on the crossbar."

The Lionesses manager also revealed what is next for her European champions, saying: "First, we are going to party.

"We should be really proud of ourselves, the development of this game has gone so fast that many countries could win this tournament. Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, even more countries. So it's not easy to win this tournament.

"Now it’s time to party, have some time off, then prepare for the World Cup qualifiers and go again."

Related items

  • Casemiro hits back at critics over Man Utd performances Casemiro hits back at critics over Man Utd performances

    Casemiro has hit back at the "disrespectful" critics over comments made about his recent Manchester United performances.

    The Red Devils have come under pressure for a poor run of form in recent weeks, with Casemiro one of the players singled out, in particular for his performance in the 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.

    Casemiro enjoyed a successful first campaign with United, finishing third and lifting the EFL Cup, but the club are currently in danger of suffering their lowest-ever Premier League finish in eighth place.

    "I was considered one of the best signings of the Premier League last season, and now I'm not worth anything anymore?" Casemiro told Sky Sports.

    "The criticism is disrespectful. So, when it's lacking respect, then it's worrying, and I don't have to respect that either."

    Casemiro was also recently left out of Dorival Junior’s Brazil squad for this year’s Copa America.

    United finish their Premier League season away at Brighton on Sunday before facing Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 25.

  • IPL: Sunrisers cruise to victory to boost second-place hopes IPL: Sunrisers cruise to victory to boost second-place hopes

    Sunrisers Hyderabad eased to a four-wicket win over Punjab Kings on Sunday to boost their chances of finishing second in the Indian Premier League.

    Prabhsimran Singh helped Punjab set a target of 215, but Hyderabad chased that down with relative ease to go second, a position they will finish in should Rajasthan Royals lose to the table-topping Kolkata Knight Riders later on Sunday.

    After the Sunrisers won the toss and put Punjab in to bat, Prabhsimran top scored with 71 runs from 45 deliveries, while Atharva Taide (46 off 27) and Rilee Roussouw (49 from 24) also impressed as the Kings, already out of playoff contention, finished on 214/5.

    Hyderabad's chase got off to a terrible start as Travis Head was bowled with the first ball of the innings, but the Sunrisers' other opener Abhishek Sharma helped to steady the ship alongside Rahul Tripathi.

    Abhishek smashed his way to 66 off 28 deliveries before he was dismissed, while an important innings from Heinrich Klaasen (42 from 26) set the Sunrisers up for victory.

    Abdul Samad and Sanvir Singh finished the job as the Sunrisers reached their target with five balls to spare, and they can now look ahead to their playoff campaign.

    Data debrief: Abhishek wastes no time

    The Sunrisers overcame Head's second IPL golden duck thanks to a brilliant innings from Abhishek, who reached his half-century in just 21 balls and finished with a strike rate of 235.71.

    Tripathi and Klaasen achieved strike rates of 183.33 and 161.53 respectively, while Nitish Kumar Reddy also finished with 37 from 25 deliveries as Hyderabad made light work of a daunting target.

  • Chelsea players must set ego aside or 'situation will hardly change', Silva warns Chelsea players must set ego aside or 'situation will hardly change', Silva warns

    The departing Thiago Silva warned Chelsea's players to set their egos aside, or their "situation will hardly change" next season.

    Silva, who will return to hometown club Fluminense in the close season, is gearing up for his final appearance for the Blues after four years at Stamford Bridge, where they host Bournemouth on the final day of the 2023-24 campaign.

    A draw would be enough for sixth-place Chelsea to secure a return to European football next season, while they could still overtake Tottenham in fifth with a win and Spurs losing to bottom side Sheffield United.

    But despite a positive end to the campaign, during which they have won four successive games and lost just one of their last 14, Mauricio Pochettino's side are a whopping 28 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

    Silva believes the club deserves better, having spent over £400 million on no fewer than 13 players over the past year, and has urged the squad to prioritise teamwork over their personal ambitions next term.

    "I hope [the players] understand that everything they did to get to Chelsea has to be worth it," he told Sky Sports. "Because the season we're having is not worthy of Chelsea. I think they need to do more next year.

    "These boys need to be aware that Chelsea has to fight for [for trophies] in the top positions. If we take a little of our ego and put it in favour of the team, I think it will work. If we don't do that, the situation will hardly change, unfortunately."

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.