Euphoria, arms thrust triumphantly in the air, and finally a major trophy. Monday’s front pages capture the mood of the nation after the Lionesses claimed the women’s European football championship trophy – the first major silverware England have won in 56 years.
All but one newspaper celebrated the historic 2-1 win over Germany in the final at Wembley on their front pages, after Chloe Kelly’s extra-time winner put paid to the eight-times winners’ hopes of adding another title to their honours list.
“History makers” is splashed across the Daily Mirror’s front page, which is solely dedicated to the triumph.
The paper’s back page reads “It’s Home”, a homage to the players chanting “It’s Coming Home!” as they barged into Sarina Wiegman’s post-match press conference.
On the Daily Mail’s front page, the headline proclaims “It wasn’t a dream … we DID beat Germany in a final”. Matchwinner Kelly is pictured waving her shirt above her head in celebration after she scored the deciding goal in the 111th minute.
The Times has an image of the Lionesses hoisting the trophy in triumph, with the lead article claiming the win “put the final touches to an incredible three and a half weeks, not just for women’s football but the women’s sport movement in England”.
The Guardian also focusses on what the win will mean for women’s sports moving forward with the headline “Game changers”.
The Sun has a picture that wraps around the front and back of the paper, showing the Lionesses celebrating their win, with the headline: “Move over fellas.. It’s home!”. The back page also features a quote from the Queen: “You have all set an example that will be an inspiration for girls and women today, and for future generations”.
The Daily Star’s headline “Roarsome” lays over a picture of confetti falling on the ecstatic team, capturing how it feels for England to end the 56-year-long wait for a major championship win.
The Daily Telegraph also celebrates the win with a picture of the Lionesses hoisting the trophy. It follows below with another battle also consuming the nation of who will triumph as England’s next leader, with headlines: “Sunak pledges 4pc income tax cut”.
Scotland’s Daily Record bucks the trend and instead of the Lionesses has a picture of Celtic players celebrating their Scottish Premiership win over Aberdeen. The paper leads with a story on the cost of living crisis plaguing the country, with the headline, “Nothing left to cut back on”.
The Daily Express dedicates its front page to the Lionesses with the headline “It’s Home”, while the headline of the Independent reads “History” with a closeup picture of the team holding their first major trophy.
The front page of the Financial Times shows Kelly running around the pitch in celebration, calling the win the “Stuff of dreams” in its headline. It shares the front page with two lead stories: “West eases Russian oil curbs as inflations and energy risks mount,” and “Property magnate Candy sells luxury Surrey estate for block buster £125mn”.
The Metro celebrates the win on its front page with the headline: “No more years of hurt”. Above the headline is a picture of the euphoric team with medals around their necks and the trophy held high.