England’s Lionesses return to heroines’ welcome after Euro 2025 glory

LONDON – England’s Lionesses returned to a heroines’ welcome on July 28, less than 24 hours after their dramatic penalty shoot-out victory against world champions Spain in the Women’s Euro 2025 final.

Chloe Kelly converted the decisive spot kick in the Swiss city of Basel, as Sarina Wiegman’s team successfully defended the European crown they won at Wembley in 2022.

Supporters, many of whom were dressed in England kits and holding flags, cheered as they waited outside Southend airport, about 64km east of London.

In a post on X, the team shared a photo of the trophy draped in an England flag on a seat on the plane, which had “Home” painted in red letters on its side.

The aircraft was welcomed with a water salute from two fire engines after landing. Captain Leah Williamson and manager Wiegman were the first off, with the skipper proudly holding the trophy.

Among the waiting supporters were twins Poppy and Daisy Macdonald, 11, who were holding a sign asking for a photo with star striker Alessia Russo.

“We’re so proud. They’ve won it two times in a row and they’ve worked so hard for it,” said Poppy. “They’ve had a lot of injuries and setbacks but they’ve done really well.”

The Lionesses were whisked straight to No. 10 Downing Street, the working home of British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, which was decked out in England flags.

“What a team. What a game. What drama. You dug deep when it mattered most and you’ve made the nation proud. History makers,” Mr Starmer wrote in a message to the Lionesses on X.

The team were hosted at No. 10 by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Sports Minister Stephanie Peacock, while Mr Starmer was in Scotland meeting US President Donald Trump.

Ms Rayner hailed the players as a “shining example of talent and excitement for women’s football”.

An open-top bus parade featuring thousands of jubilant fans followed on July 29 in London, culminating in a celebration in front of Buckingham Palace.

Victory in Switzerland was sweet revenge for Wiegman’s side, who suffered a bitter defeat against the same opponents in the 2023 World Cup final.

The win on July 27 capped a remarkable tournament packed with late drama for England.

They were slow out of the blocks, losing their first match against France, before comfortable wins over the Netherlands and Wales in the group phase.

They came back from 2-0 down against Sweden in the quarter-finals before winning on penalties, and sealed their spot in the final with a last-gasp extra-time win over Italy.

The Lionesses again fell behind against Spain on July 27 but Russo cancelled out Mariona Caldentey’s first-half opener and the teams were still locked at 1-1 at the end of extra time.

Two penalty saves by Player of the Match Hannah Hampton and Salma Paralluelo’s miss set the stage for Kelly, who also scored the winner against Germany in the 2022 final.

In total, the Lionesses led for fewer than five minutes across the entire knockout stage.

“I must admit that this is the most chaotic and ridiculous tournament we have played,” said Wiegman. “The players say we can win by any means and we just never, ever give up.”

The Dutch coach, who has now won three European Championship crowns in a row, having led the Netherlands to victory in 2017, said she hoped England’s win would boost women’s football across the globe.

“How I’ve experienced this tournament is that the level went up again, the intensity of the games went through the roof,” she said. “That’s what we’ve seen.

“We’ve seen it in the games, but also in the data we have. I think this tournament broke every record again and that’s great, and I hope that that will boost the women’s game everywhere.” AFP