It was party time for the Lionesses on Sunday night after Sarina Wiegman’s side beat world champions Spain in a penalty shootout to retain their Women’s Euros title.
England fell behind for the third knockout game in a row but Alessia Russo equalised to cancel out Mariona Caldentey’s opener and force extra time.
Lucy Bronze limped off at half-time in extra time after picking up a knee injury to go with the fractured tibia she had been secretly nursing all summer.
But England still prevailed 3-1 on spot-kicks, thanks in no small part to goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, who saved two penalties, just as she had in the quarter-final victory over Sweden.
There were scenes of wild joy as England lifted the trophy they had first won on home soil back in 2022.
Chloe Kelly, scorer of the decisive penalty and also the match-winner back in the 2022 final, delivered a quick rhyme to mark the occasion. Shouting excitedly into a camera during a lap of honour, she declared: ‘The first time was so nice we had to do it twice!’
England star Chloe Kelly has now scored the winner in two consecutive Women’s Euros finals
Aggie Beever-Jones (left), Jess Park (centre) and Grace Clinton (right) posed with their medals
Beever-Jones and Leah Williamson (right) refuelled with pizza and beer after Sunday’s big win
But the celebrations did not stop there. With medals hanging proudly from their necks, the Lionesses performed a musical number as they left the field.
Led by captain Leah Williamson and Beth Mead, England’s players belted out 2010 hit Dancing On My Own by Robyn as they exited down the tunnel.
The team would later return to the field armed with boxfuls of pizza and cans of beer.
Friends and family also joined in the celebrations. Lauren James was seen posing for a group selfie with a large squad of loved-ones, including Chelsea men’s captain Reece James.
Lauren Hemp celebrated her second European Championship crown by wrapping her arms around girlfriend and former footballer Ashley Hodson.
But for some players, not all of their loved ones were able to be present.
Ella Toone posted of photo of herself holding team-mate Mead, who lost her mum in 2023. Toone, whose dad died in September last year, captioned the image: ‘We did it for our angels in the sky. Forever with us & forever proud’.
Toone then shared an image from where her family had been sat at St. Jakob-Park. Despite the game being sold out, seat 430 appeared to be unoccupied. Toone wrote: ‘Spare seat next to my mum tonight. If that’s not a sign I don’t know what is. I know you were there Dad. Love you cock’.
Maya Le Tissier (left) and Beever-Jones returned to the pitch in sliders long after full-time
Lauren James (front, centre) posed for a group selfie with her family, including brother Reece
No 11 Lauren Hemp grinned widely as she posed next to girlfriend Ashley Hodson in the stands
Beth Mead (left) and Ella Toone both lost parents in recent years. But Toone was adamant that her late father was there watching her – after spotting an empty seat next to her mum
Le Tissier and Beever-Jones posed for more medal selfies during the bus ride to the team hotel
Inside the England dressing room, Grace Clinton, Aggie Beever-Jones and Jess Park shared a selfie with their medals.
Beever-Jones had an extra reason to celebrate as Sunday was her 22nd birthday. The Chelsea star captioned an Instagram post: ‘BEST BIRTHDAY EVER.’
Maya Le Tissier later uploaded a selfie of herself and Beever-Jones flaunting their medals while on the team bus.
It was not only the players in the party mood. Indeed, manager Wiegman discussed her plans for the rest of the evening during a post-match interview.
‘I’ll do some more dancing,’ she said. ‘I’ll have a drink but I don’t think I’ll drink as much as the players will do.’
