Germany vs France LIVE: Euro 2022 result and final score as Alexandra Popp double sets up England final

“You asked: ‘Are you ready to write history?’ I think this is history,” Sarina Wiegman declared. She was right, too.

This was the biggest win in European Championship semi-final history, in fact, whether you consult the record books of the men’s or the women’s game.

Rarely does a team come this far into any tournament and go home with a nose as bloody as Sweden’s was by full time at Bramall Lane. Rarely does a team reach a major final with a display of the control, authority and outright domination demonstrated by England.

Rarely does an England team play that well full stop, in fact. Never mind the comparisons to the men’s national side, inevitable though they are, and their many, equally inevitable disappointments down the years.

England women boss Sarina Wiegman believes England’s 4-0 semi-final victory over Sweden will make the rest of football sit up and take notice.

Goals from Beth Mead, Lucy Bronze, Alessia Russo and Fran Kirby sent Wiegman’s side through to Sunday’s Euro 2022 final against either France or Germany.

And beating Sweden, the side who sit second in the rankings behind world champions the United States, sends a message to all the other countries, according to England’s boss.

After one of the most difficult nights in Sarina Wiegman’s tenure so far, came perhaps the most complete.

Only a round earlier, England almost faced an early exit, having to come from behind against Spain, eventually winning in extra time and only after having to really change their approach to combat a side who had prevented the Lionesses from playing their preferred gameplan.

But here, after an end-to-end and hold-your-breath first quarter of an hour or so, England managed to first control, then excel, then be utterly ruthless against one of the world’s best sides.

A 4-0 scoreline against Sweden to reach the final of Euro 2022 is more impressive by a huge stretch than putting 20 past Latvia in a qualifier, or even beating the holders – and Wiegman’s former side –Netherlands 5-1 in a warm-up.

This was a game which mattered, with everything riding on it, and England did a lot more than just win: they reminded themselves how good they can be, and reminded the watching world what happens when their best players are allowed to impose themselves.

And for that, perhaps Wiegman deserves an extra mention, an extra nod of approval.

In some ways France have already achieved their goal for Euro 2022 in reaching the semi-finals for the first time ever and in others they haven’t got started yet.

The team is full of star quality but lacks a clinical, ruthless edge in front of goal which could be a problem against the more difficult opponents like Germany.

On reaching the semi-finals head coach Corinne Diacre said: “I’m very proud because this team aimed at a big target; this team gives absolutely everything.

“This group is doing well; we have a semi-final to prepare for now, calmly. We will savour... getting through, and we are taking it step by step as always.”

Germany’s head coach, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, spoke about her expectations for tonight’s game and explained how her team will give everything they have to reach the Euro 2022 final.

“We know that France have tremendous quality in transition and fantastic individual players with a lot of pace.” she said, “We’ll give everything we have on Wednesday.

“I believe France also respect us after our performance [in the quarter-finals]. From that point of view, it’s going to be a game of equals.”

Germany will be forced to make a change due to Klara Buhl’s absence but France will probably name an unchanged team from their own quarter-final. Here’s out predicted line-ups for tonight’s semi-final:

Germany: Frohms; Gwinn, Hegering, Hendrich, Rauch; Oberdorf, Dabritz; Magull; Huth, Brand; Popp

France: Peyraud-Magnin; Perisset, Mbock Bathy, Renard, Karchaoui; Geyoro, Bilbault, Toletti; Diani, Malard, Cascarino

Our score prediction: France to edge a tight game and make their way through to the final, though this is another game where extra time could be needed to separate the sides.

Germany 0-1 France.

Former England international Alex Scott was full of praise for the women’s national team as they beat Sweden 4-0 at Bramall Lane on Tuesday night to seal a place in the Euro 2022 final.

The Lionesses emerged from a back-and-forth first half to totally dominate after the interval and cruise through their semi-final showdown, with the scenes at the end of the match seeing fans and players alike celebrating with songs and the latter dancing on the pitch.

Speaking after the final whistle, Scott also spoke of the enormity of the moment in reaching the biggest stage, while Ian Wright called for momentum to be kept to ensure the team’s successes so far could create a lasting “legacy”.

But in the present moment, it was the resilience and versatility of Sarina Wiegman’s side which should be hailed, Scott said, after they produced a very different type of performance to that needed to see off Spain in the last round.

For five-year-old England fan Milo Jones, there will, inevitably, be years of footballing heartbreak and torment to come. But not yesterday.

The youngster was one of 32,000 supporters packed into Bramall Lane, in Sheffield, to watch the Lionesses destroy Sweden 4-0 in the semi-finals of Euro 2022.

And, as fans poured out onto the Steel City’s streets afterwards, there was unbridled joy at the historic victory. Talk of football coming home could be heard everywhere.

“Amazing,” said Milo. “Amazing.”

It was, said dad Ryan, his first ever football match. “What a way to start off,” the 39-year-old university teacher beamed. “He absolutely loved it. I just hope he doesn’t think watching England is always this good.”

Last night wherever you looked, history was against England.

Take your pick: their record of only winning a handful of their many previous meetings with Sweden; the fact that their semi-final opponents were the highest-ranked team at this Women’s European Championship and unbeaten in 90 minutes since 2019; or, perhaps most pertinently of all, the Lionesses’ three consecutive semi-final defeats at their last three major international tournaments.

The record books provided little comfort.

Yet as Sarina Wiegman has insisted throughout this tournament, history counts for nothing. The Lionesses are one game away from winning their first major tournament, having booked their place in Sunday’s Wembley final in emphatic style.

Four unanswered goals –the third being a truly sensational backheel by Alessia Russo – put world-class opposition to the sword at Bramall Lane and ensured that the Lionesses progress to their biggest game in 13 years with all the momentum they need.

Tonight’s match is being played at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes and it will be the first game of Euro 2022 that France have played outside of Rotherham.

The New York Stadium was France’s base for the group stages and they played all three games there before topping the group to set up a home tie against the Netherlands.

France captain, Wendie Renard, spoke about her new surroundings saying: “It’s a lovely stadium. The pitch seems fine and a bit softer. That is a good thing for us.

“We’ll get our bearings later on, during training. The most important thing is the quality of the pitch. Here, in England, it’s something that we don’t really think about because all the pitches are amazing.”