Football was an intrinsic part of the nation’s identity for years while women were excluded. After winning Euro 2022, they have reached the top of the podium
England won. In the end, perhaps that was the only thing that mattered.
This is the brutal bargain of high-end sport: it offers hard edges, black-and-white certainties, one pedestal and one precipice. And in front of 87,192 delirious, sweat-soaked fans at Wembley, they beat Germany 2-1 to become champions of Europe for the first time.