Wiegman adds another prize to palmares with England after win over Brazil

Sarina Wiegman’s status as England’s national coach continues to grow. After last year’s European Championship final victory, the first-ever ‘Finalissima’ in women’s soccer history was won on Thursday night.

At a sold-out Wembley, over 83,000 spectators, Brazil was knocked out after penalties after a 1-1 final score.

The battle between the European champion and the champion of South America was not only prestigious, but also centered on the upcoming World Cup, in Australia and New Zealand.

Wiegman, since taking office in September 2021, has made her mark enormously on England. After the game with Brazil, the English have been unbeaten for 30 games in a row.

Not surprisingly, England are considered top favorites for the World Cup title. It would be a first, also for the successful Wiegman, who has also won numerous awards individually.

The test against Brazil, which entered without injured star player Marta (37), proved to be a tough one. Midway through the first half, Ella Toone shot the 1-0 after a cross from Lucy Bronze.

A justified lead at that point, but after halftime the Brazilian women had two huge opportunities in the space of three minutes.

First Ary mowed over the ball in a promising position, and then Geyse popped over via goalkeeper Mary Earps and the crossbar.

An at that point disappointing England escaped. In the remainder, a sloppy 30 minutes, neither team created any more major chances until extra time.

Goalkeeper Earps let go of a cross from the side, after which Andressa Alves was quick to score the 1-1. The result was a penalty kick immediately after the final whistle.

Earps repaired her mistake in the penalty sequence by turning a Tamires effort. In addition, she saw Raffaele hit the crossbar. For the English, only Toone missed.

Chloe Kelly, also the goldcrest in last year’s European Cup final against Germany, popped the decisive penalty into the ropes.