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Sport stars, politicians and even the Queen have taken to Twitter to celebrate the England women’s team’s success in the final of the women’s Euros after a 2-1 victory over Germany in extra time.
Following a video posted to Twitter by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge showing Prince William and Princess Charlotte offering their support to the Lionesses before the match, the monarch heaped praise on the victors, saying their “success goes far beyond the trophy you have so deservedly earned”.
In a statement, the Queen said: “It is a significant achievement for the entire team, including your support staff.
“The championships and your performance in them have rightly won praise. However, your success goes far beyond the trophy you have so deservedly earned. You have all set an example that will be an inspiration for girls and women today, and for future generations,” she added.
“It is my hope that you will be as proud of the impact you have had on your sport as you are of the result today.”
Boris Johnson offered his “huge congratulations to Sarina, Leah and the whole team”, saying: “Football has come home! A stunning victory by the Lionesses.”
Congratulating the Lionesses for England “actually winning”, the former England men’s striker Gary Lineker offered an update to his famous football saying: “Football is a simple game: 22 women chase a ball for 90 minutes and, at the end, England actually win. Congratulations @lionesses. Fabulous.”
Football is a simple game. 22 women chase a ball for 90 minutes and, at the end, England actually win. Congratulations @lionesses. Fabulous.
— Gary Lineker 💙💛 (@GaryLineker) July 31, 2022
The comedian David Baddiel praised the Lionesses’ victory over Germany, commenting that he could finally say the lyric “it’s come home”, from the football anthem Three Lions. The comedian recorded the classic football song with Frank Skinner and rock band Lightning Seeds in 1996.
Baddiel tweeted: “Home. In fact it’s come home. A sentence I thought I’d never write. I’ve gone. Thank you, Lionesses,” while the chef Nigella Lawson tweeted a single word: “ROAR!!!!”
The Spice Girls praised the Lionesses for their “girl power”, while the multi-award-winning singer Adele described the achievement as a “game changer”.
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall joined in the congratulations, adding that the victorious England women’s team would “inspire a generation”.
Alongside four photographs from the match, a tweet by the Clarence House Twitter account read: “Congratulations to the victorious Lionesses! Your teamwork, determination and sportsmanship will inspire a generation. You have made us all proud.”
The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, used the opportunity to speak of the “generation of women and girls” that the Lionesses have inspired, Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, congratulated the team by saying: “London and the country couldn’t be more proud of the team today. You’ve made history, inspired the next generation & treated us to an amazing summer of sport.”
Across the political divide, the former sport minister Tracey Couch couldn’t resist aiming a little jibe at the men’s team, who lost their Euros final last year to Italy on penalties. “I’m in bits,” she said, “for every person who believed in women’s football long before it was trendy.”
“You want a job doing, ask a woman,” she added, with a wink emoji.
You want a job doing, ask a woman 😉
— Tracey Crouch (@tracey_crouch) July 31, 2022
The Tory leadership candidate Rishi Sunak said he would immediately launch the review of women’s football recommended in a fan-led review by Crouch if he becomes prime minister, in order to “grow the opportunities” of the women’s game.
Dame Joan Collins also shared her congratulations on Twitter, saying: “#BringItHome They did!”, while the TV presenter Les Dennis described the team as “amazing”.
Radio DJ Sara Cox praised the team’s stamina as she said in a tweet: “Incredible. I’m exhausted, so Lionesses must be done in.” The TV presenter and former sports pundit Dan Walker added: “Wonderful stuff from the Lionesses, What a performance over the last few weeks.”
But the magnitude of the accomplishment was summed up by the BBC presenter Gabby Logan, who used her sign-off from the live programme to call for people to take the opportunity to cement the popularity of the women’s game in England. “The Lionesses have brought football home. Now it’s down to the rest of us to make sure it stays here,” she said, paraphrasing the famous Kenneth Wolstenholme’s commentary in the dying moments of England men’s 1966 Fifa World Cup final victory. “You think it’s all over? It’s only just begun.”
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