England and Germany will meet on Sunday in the European Championship final at London’s Wembley. The focus is especially on Germany’s Alexandra Popp and England’s Beth Mead, who are fighting for the victory in the goal exchange. Urheilu’s expert Jonne Kunnas tells the tips for the match.
Every match of the European Football Championship can be seen on ‘s channels. You can find competition games, background stories, news and highlight clips on ‘s competition page here.
On Sunday, the wait of almost a month will culminate, when the eight-time European champion Germany and England, who are chasing their first European Championship gold in history in front of their home crowd, will meet in the final match of the European Championship. Sports expert Jonne Kunnas raise three attentions from the evening’s EC final.
1) Who will take the goal queenship?
Germany is fighting for the crown of goals in the EC tournament Alexandra Popp and England Beth Mead meet on the field on Sunday. Both have hit between the posts six times, which is also a record for the EC final tournament. Also from Germany Inca Grings has succeeded in scoring six times during one EC tournament, in the final tournament hosted by Finland in 2009.
– The story behind them increases the value of the story. Mead didn’t make it to the Olympics last spring, and Poppi has always missed the European Championships due to injuries. He’s had a lot of injuries, but he’s always gotten back up and how are both of them now, Kunnas praises.
Although the two have scored a huge number of goals, they are quite different in style.
– Popp is a pure attacking type, at his best in boxing. He is extremely skilled at creating space for himself and creating a goal. He times his movements behind the opponent’s back, wins the ball at the right moment and wins situations. Even defensively, he is a big part of Germany’s playing, Kunnas begins.
– Mead, on the other hand, has moved from the forward position to the wing over the years. He is extremely good with the ball to pass and create situations for others. He is also good at timing his moves to scoring positions and good at finishing.
Read more about the wonderful stories of England and Germany’s goalscorers:
2) How does the German press succeed?
Germany’s aggressive press has become familiar during the tournament.
– It has been the best of the tournament by many measures. The way they are able to turn possessions in the upper area into shots and goals and also how little time they give the opposition to make plays. How does England get out from under the press? The municipality is thinking.
According to Kunnas, the essential question for the decision of the whole match is how England manages to overcome the German press in its own ball-playing.
– If England can’t get out from under Germany’s pressure, which was a little visible at the beginning of the Swedish semi-final, then Germany will be able to play with their own strengths and I believe that it will turn in Germany’s favor at that point. If England manage to overcome the pressure, then they are really strong for victory.
3) England’s right wing attacks
Thirdly, Kunnas urges to follow England’s right flank.
– In addition to the previously mentioned Beth Mead, it’s worth following Lucy Bronze. In the role he plays, he creates a lot of chances for England’s attacks. Together, they have produced the most goalscoring opportunities on the right side, and the creation of goalscoring opportunities can be compared to all other countries, Kunnas points out.
England have not relied on just one way of breaking down the right flank.
– Mead’s passes and developments, Bronze’s Centers from different areas of the field… It has been difficult for all opponents to stop the pair. It will be interesting to see how Germany prepares for it.
How will England handle the pressure?
The match will be played at the sold-out Wembley Stadium in London, which can accommodate almost 90,000 spectators. It is the most watched EC final match of all time in history, including the men’s finals.
The English men’s national team also played in the European Championship final last year at Wembley against Italy, but then the corona restrictions were still partially in effect, and around 67,000 spectators were admitted.
The men lost to Italy at the end of the penalty shootout. The players of the men’s national team have indeed sent messages of encouragement to the women’s team – and at the same time asked for tickets.
In England, the performances of the women’s national team in the home games have been watched under a magnifying glass, and the expectations for the team are huge. Jill Scott is the only player of the England team who was involved in 2009, when England lost the final played at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium to Germany 2–6. In that case, the match was watched by more than 15,000 spectators.
– We know that Wembley is sold out. Just saying that gives me goosebumps. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thinking about gold. I think about it probably 50 times a day, Scott revealed at a press conference on Friday.
Jonne Kunnas reveals that he thought throughout the EC tournament about how England will endure under the ever-increasing frenzy.
– At the same time, when I follow (head coach) Sarina Wiegman and the team, they are really calm. They have survived even tough places, for example the match against Spain, where they had difficulties playing, equalized at the end of time and lost in overtime..
– I have changed my opinion. I believe that they will be able to take the strength from the home crowd and the pressure and turn it into an asset. But it’s not easy.
The European Football Championship final between England and Germany starts at 19:00. The live broadcast starts on TV2, Areena and the app on Sunday from 18:00. Background stories, news and highlight clips can be found on ‘s competition page here.