England have won the European Championship.
Lisa Fallon has explained why England‘s European Championship win against Germany at Wembley Stadium on Sunday is good news for Ireland.
The Lionesses saw off the Germans after extra-time, with Chloe Kelly netting a dramatic winner in front of a record crowd in the English capital.
Over 87,000 packed into the historic London venue, which is a record attendance for a Uefa final, to see Sarina Wiegman’s side create their own slice of history on home soil.
“I think there is going to be a big knock-on effect here…”
England took a remarkable lead in normal time when Manchester United forward Ella Toone gave her side the advantage.
Germany however hit back when Lina Magull levelled matters in the 79th minute of the game. Kelly then struck in extra-time to send Wembley into raptures.
“They have waited such a long, long time for it come home, and they’ve finally brought it home,” Fallon said when speaking of the significanc of the win. “That 1966 victory is sat like a black and white photo for English football and what that looked like.
The RTE Sport panel give their reaction to England's victory over Germany to win Eurp 2022 – a result of a decade of dedication and investment in the women's game. pic.twitter.com/qA3TbR1dpq
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) July 31, 2022
“They finally brought it to life in full colour. I’m so happy for so many of those players, and what it means.
“I know what so many of those players have gone through to get to that point today. They have shown so much resilience, physicality and they showed cynicism today.
“There was creativity, and they just showed everything required by a great team to win a tournament against a great team. I think it’s momentous not just for women’s football in England, but I think there is going to be a big knock-on effect here.
“It shows that the investment that was put in in the game in England has transferred into success, real life success. I’m genuinely really happy for them.”
The RTE Sport panel give their reaction to England's victory over Germany to win Eurp 2022 – a result of a decade of dedication and investment in the women's game. pic.twitter.com/qA3TbR1dpq
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) July 31, 2022
Karen Duggan then added: “Looking at these scenes, you are happy to see it because it is so close to home. It could have such a positive impact over here.”
In recent months, Ireland have established themselves as genuine qualification contenders for the upcoming World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, but they will have to do it via complex play-off system.
#IRLFIN is now officially S͟O͟L͟D͟ ͟O͟U͟T͟
A huge thank you to our WNT 🇮🇪 supporters 👏
Can't wait to see you in @tallaghtstadium on September 1st for this key @FIFAWWC qualifier#COYGIG | #WeAreOne pic.twitter.com/faGGBNcIf1
— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) July 27, 2022
However, Vera Pauw’s side will be confident that they can etch their names into Irish sporting history by qualifying for the World Cup next year.
Read More About: England WNT, Ireland wnt, Women's Euro 2022
