Women's EURO 2022: Meet the winners

England have clinched their first major trophy after edging Germany in the UEFA Women's EUR0 2022 final. We take a closer look at the Lionesses' path to glory and overall tournament pedigree.

Women's EURO best: winners (2022)

Women's EURO 2017: semi-finals

Previous Women's EURO finals
12/05/1984: Sweden 1-0 England (Gothenburg) & 27/05/1984: England 1-0 Sweden (Luton, agg: L1-1, 3-4pens)
10/09/2009: England 2-6 Germany (Helsinki)

Group A winners
England 1-0 Austria (Old Trafford) – Mead 16
England 8-0 Norway (Brighton & Hove) – Stanway 12pen, Hemp 15, White 29 41, Mead 34 38 81, Russo 66
Northern Ireland 0-5 England (Southampton) – Kirby 41, Mead 45, Russo 48 53, Burrows 76og

Quarter-finals
England 2-1 Spain (aet, Brighton & Hove) – Toone 84, Stanway 96

Semi-finals
England 4-0 Sweden (Sheffield) – Mead 34, Bronze 48, Russo 68, Kirby 76

Final
England 2-1 Germany (aet, London) – Toone 62, Kelly 110

Path to glory: A record 14 goals without reply in the group stage was a statement, but in their quarter-final meeting with Spain, England were second best in terms of possession, accuracy, energy and skill. Resolve, character, Millie Bright's commitment in defence and Sarina Wiegman's canny substitutions carried them through, and Georgia Stanway's spectacular extra-time winner instilled further belief that they could go all the way.

Indeed, the Lionesses then produced an almost perfect performance against Sweden in the semis, capped by Alessia Russo's outrageous back-heel. It was tough going against Germany in the final, but another resolute display, coupled with two well-taken goals, handed the hosts their first major international trophy.

Key player: Beth Mead lit up the group stage with five goals, and equalled Inka Grings' record of six at a single Women's EURO with her semi-final opener. Her trademark skill is pulling players out wide then using her close control to cut inside to either pass or shoot, and she ultimately finished with five assists to go with her goal haul – more than enough to edge out Alex Popp for the top scorer prize. She was likewise a natural choice as Player of the Tournament.

How they played: England started every match in a 4-2-3-1 formation and an unchanged XI, Mead and Hemp impressing on the wings, but when they were trailing against Spain, Wiegman turned to her unorthodox Plan B. She brought on Alex Greenwood for Rachel Daly and reverted to a back three, moving the versatile Bright from defence to attack. Once England had a lead to protect, Bright returned to the back four. Russo's four goals from the bench underlined their depth, while it was another supersub, Chloe Kelly, who came on to score the decisive winner in the final.