England added a 'Finalissima' after ending Brazil's resistance, who held on at Wembley until penalties after drawing 1-1 to fall from eleven meters.
England widened their trophy cabinet to introduce their second title after winning Euro 2022 and to which they added a 'Finalissima' after ending the resistance of Brazil, who held on at Wembley until penalties after tying 1-1 to fall from eleven meters with a save by Mary Earps and an erratic shot by Rafaelle.
Wembley, filled to capacity (83,132 spectators), answered the call for the first edition of the 'Finalissima'. England, champions of Europe, and Brazil, champions of America, both in 2022, measured the strengths of both continents and the Brazilian team showed that the gap is narrowing and becoming more and more equal thanks to a competitive gene with which it was able to survive until the penalty shootout thanks to an agonizing goal in the 93rd minute by Andressa.
Brazil came into the tournament as the continent's top team. For decades. The data support the tremendous abuse of the team coached by Pua Sundhage: of the nine Copa Americas that have been played, they have won eight. Only Argentina, in 2006, broke the Brazilian hegemony. That was an exception.
But globally, the World Cup has never been won by a South American team. The United States, with four out of a possible eight titles, occupies the highest place on the podium. Germany, with two trophies, and Norway and Japan, with one, continue the list. Brazil, in 2007, came close to success with a runner-up finish and years later is warming up to try to make a splash at the World Cup to be held this summer in Australia and New Zealand.
The match against England, in addition to serving as a scale to gauge the state of soccer on both continents, also served Pia Sundhage to dive deep into her memory and evoke a historic and nostalgic date for her.
The Brazil coach re-entered the venue where she became the first female footballer to score a goal at Wembley. She celebrated in 1989, when she played for Sweden in a 2-0 win over England. Almost 25 years later, she returned to sit on the bench for Brazil and with the responsibility of inaugurating the 'Finalissima' with a title for Brazil.
Sundhage was unable to field the historic Marta, who is recovering from a left hamstring injury. England coach Sarina Wiegman, on the other hand, also had to deal with an important absence, that of Beth Mead (second in the Golden Ball behind Alexia Putellas), who is struggling to overcome a cruciate ligament tear in her knee.
With that script, England completely dominated the first half. Absolutely intimidated by the stage and the British drive, they completed a gray first 45 minutes in which they were at the mercy of their opponents.
England had multiple chances until Toone, who after 20 minutes finished off a combination between Lucy Bronze and Georgia Stanway with a shot from the penalty spot that did justice to the scoreline. Lauren James - very insistent on the left flank - then had the chance to extend the lead, but her lack of finishing allowed Brazil to go into the changing rooms alive.
Sundhage's changes (Andressa Alves for Lauren and Adriana for Zaneratto) had an effect for Brazil, who gained in verticality and abandoned their predictable game to become a much more electric one that generated some concern for England.
The culmination of Brazil's dominance came in the 59th minute, when Geyse unleashed a shot from outside the area that Earps saved with a providential save. The ball hit the crossbar, went out for a corner and the best chance for the 'canarinha' went out of bounds.
Clearly, the wind direction had changed and Brazil's new dominance looked set to last as long as their players' physical strength would hold out. It went on for another quarter of an hour and in that time they failed to level the scores. However, in a last desperate burst of desperation in stoppage time, Earps failed to clear a ball well, leaving it dead at the feet of Andressa Alves and the equalizer was a bitter pill to swallow for England.
In the penalty shootout, the British team recovered and were more accurate. Earps saved one from Tamires and Rafaelle crashed another against the crossbar. Chloe Kelly did not miss the decisive one and the 'Finalissima' found its first champion. The British team won their second title in history after the European Championship they lifted in September 2022. Brazil showed their pedigree and emerged as a candidate to do battle at the World Cup.
Source images: UEFA.
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