England emerged victorious in the inaugural Finalissima women’s tournament, beating Brazil on penalties in a thrilling match at Wembley. The Lionesses, who are unbeaten in 30 games under coach Sarina Wiegman, secured their place in the tournament thanks to their Euro 2021 triumph last summer. Brazil, who won the South American equivalent, the Copa America Femenina, provided a tough challenge for England, with the match going down to the wire.
Manchester United’s Ella Toone opened the scoring for England with a strong finish from Lucy Bronze’s pass. Mary Earps, also of Manchester United, impressed in goal, pulling off a superb save in the second half to deny Geyse. However, Brazil managed to equalize in stoppage time with a goal from Andressa, sending the match to a penalty shootout.
Both goalkeepers made fine saves during the shootout, but it was Chloe Kelly who emerged as England’s hero once again. Kelly, who scored the winner against Germany in the Euro 2021 final, slotted away the deciding penalty to secure victory for England.
The match was attended by a total crowd of 83,132, making it the fifth most attended official women’s game. Four of the top five most attended women’s games have taken place in the last 13 months, highlighting the growing popularity of women’s football.
Before the game, England’s record goal scorer Ellen White was honoured on the pitch at Wembley for her 52 goals in 113 appearances. The men’s version of the Finalissima was also held at Wembley last year, with Argentina beating Italy 3-0 and Lionel Messi being the star of the show.
England’s victory in the Finalissima is a promising sign ahead of this summer’s World Cup, where they will be one of the favourites to lift the trophy. With a talented squad and an unbeaten record under Wiegman, the Lionesses will be hoping to go all the way in the tournament.