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German head coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg – who won this tournament four times as a player between 1989 and 1997 – said her team would have liked nothing more than to meet the hosts at Wembley, adding: “[The rivalry] excites football fans. England vs Germany has such a football history, and I don’t differentiate between men and women, it’s going to be a football party.
“And we [as a sport] will all only win like this [excitement around the women’s game] continues in a sustainable way, it is something that must remain to make the next steps in women’s football.”
The packed crowd in the home of English football should surpass the largest crowd for any women’s football match in the UK, which stands at the 80,203 who attended the 2012 Olympic final between the United States and Japan.
At those same Olympics, exactly 10 years ago to the day of this final on July 31, 2012, Team GB’s women’s soccer team defeated Brazil at Wembley in what many described at the time as a “turning point” for the sport in this country.
On that day, Williamson stood in the stands as a fan and the Arsenal centre-back thought: “That was another great opportunity for me that my parents facilitated, to put women’s football in front of me and at least convince me that it was the norm. It was unbelievable that that happened. Tomorrow will be another such event.
“The fall after that [in interest, perceived to have happened afterwards] is what we hope will not happen after tomorrow, because the interest cannot go away.
“Obviously our job is to win the game 100 percent, but I will fight for women’s football every day and that will not change. Nobody ever has a home game where they don’t have an advantage, more people will do that.” be here for us then Germany. We’ve played here before which has served us well, it’s definitely an advantage and the support from those who will fill the seats has been incredible. It’s an exciting thought.”
Selling out Wembley was unfeasible for so long
The sale has resulted in some tickets being resold online for several hundred pounds, and with support from fans Williamson added: “It’s [selling out Wembley] was unfeasible for so long, 90,000 people. Not so long ago that was not possible and that is one of the nicest things. None of us have been in that position before.
“It will be a new one for all of us. The opportunity to grow in this tournament has given me confidence, I am ready for tomorrow, whatever emotions come my way.”
Head coach Wiegman confirmed all 23 England players are available for the final, while Voss-Tecklenburg said the only German absentee will be their 21-year-old Bayern Munich winger Klara Buhl, who is out with Covid-19.
“The team has done very well, we have grown throughout the season and even more in this tournament,” said Wiegman. “The group stage was relatively easy, it looks easy, but it’s never easy. The match in Spain was tight and close, Sweden looked a little easier, but we had difficult moments and moments where we dominated, and here we are now.”
Yes, here they are now, with a place in sports history up for grabs.
Wiegman, winner of the 2017 European Championship and finalist of the 2019 World Cup as national coach of the Netherlands, has so far won 17 of her 19 games as England leader without defeat. If that streak continues at Wembley, statues, accolades and rising fame could all come in this team’s path, but for now all that matters is one thing: winning a football match.
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