England scored two late goals to beat Germany on home soil for the first time in their history and win the Arnold Clark Cup.
Chelsea’s Fran Kirby and Millie Bright scored in the last 10 minutes at Molineux to give England a victory that saw them move above Spain at the top of the four-team table.
It ended a run of 26 games without victory over Germany on English soil, with the Lionesses’ only previous win against their rivals coming in extra time of the 2015 World Cup third-place play-off.
It also ended a streak of nine matches without a win against opposition ranked inside the world’s top 10.
Germany, ranked third in the world, finish bottom of the table having suffered two defeats in their three matches.
Ellen White had given England a fine start after 15 minutes when Kirby’s pass kindly ricocheted into her path and she slotted the ball past the goalkeeper.
Germany captain Lina Magull equalised before the break with a stunning free-kick but England pushed for the winner and got the job done through composed finishes from Kirby and Bright late on.
It was a historic occasion in Wolverhampton as the England players celebrated in front of 13,463 fans at full-time and there were chants of ‘Sweet Caroline’.
England’s record goalscorer White sprinted along the touchline and clenched her fists to a huge roar from one side of the stadium, while her team-mates were applauded around the pitch.
Those celebratory scenes capped off a terrific tournament for England in which they extended their unbeaten run under manager Sarina Wiegman to nine games and was the perfect preparation for this summer’s home European Championship.
More to follow.
Line-ups
England
Formation 4-3-3
- 21Roebuck
- 12BronzeSubstituted forTooneat 82′minutes
- 6Bright
- 5GreenwoodBooked at 40mins
- 15CarterSubstituted forDalyat 34′minutes
- 8Williamson
- 14StanwaySubstituted forParrisat 61′minutes
- 4Walsh
- 7Kirby
- 9WhiteSubstituted forRussoat 82′minutes
- 11Hemp
Substitutes
- 1Earps
- 2Daly
- 3Stokes
- 10Toone
- 13Hampton
- 16Mead
- 17Parris
- 18Nobbs
- 19Charles
- 20Scott
- 22Russo
- 23Zelem
Germany
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Frohms
- 4Rall
- 2Kleinherne
- 8Feldkamp
- 15Gwinn
- 25DongusSubstituted forHagelat 72′minutes
- 13Däbritz
- 18AnyomiSubstituted forBrandat 45′minutesBooked at 79mins
- 20MagullSubstituted forDallmannat 72′minutes
- 19BühlSubstituted forCerciat 88′minutes
- 7Schüller
Substitutes
- 3Maier
- 11Freigang
- 12Tufekovic
- 14Kayikci
- 16Dallmann
- 17Rauch
- 21Berger
- 22Brand
- 23Doorsoun
- 24Cerci
- 26Hagel
- 27Petzelberger
Match Stats
Live Text
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Match ends, England 3, Germany 1.
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Second Half ends, England 3, Germany 1.
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Goal! England 3, Germany 1. Fran Kirby (England) left footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Lauren Hemp with a headed pass following a fast break.
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Alex Greenwood (England) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Selina Cerci (Germany).
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Offside, England. Alessia Russo tries a through ball, but Lauren Hemp is caught offside.
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Substitution, Germany. Selina Cerci replaces Klara Bühl.
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Fran Kirby (England) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Foul by Linda Dallmann (Germany).
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Goal! England 2, Germany 1. Millie Bright (England) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal.
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Attempt blocked. Lauren Hemp (England) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Fran Kirby.
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Attempt missed. Chantal Hagel (Germany) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the left. Assisted by Linda Dallmann.
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Attempt missed. Jule Brand (Germany) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Sara Däbritz with a cross.
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Foul by Alessia Russo (England).
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Sophia Kleinherne (Germany) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Substitution, England. Ella Toone replaces Lucy Bronze.
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Substitution, England. Alessia Russo replaces Ellen White.
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Attempt missed. Leah Williamson (England) right footed shot from outside the box is just a bit too high.
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Attempt missed. Millie Bright (England) header from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Fran Kirby following a set piece situation.
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Jule Brand (Germany) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
