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Euros: World Cup the next goal for the Lionesses

England's women made history on Sunday as they defeated Germany 2-1 at Wembley to win Euro 2022 and their next target is going for World Cup glory.

Substitute Chloe Kelly poked home a loose ball from a corner to send the 87,192 Wembley crowd into raptures, before the Lionesses saw out the final 10 minutes of extra-time to claim their first major trophy.

Ella Toone had earlier broken the deadlock after herself coming off the bench, only for Lina Magull's strike to force a further 30 minutes of tension.

However, Kelly's effort made the difference and coach Sarina Wiegman and her players will now surely have their sights set on next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Lionesses battle through

After Tuesday's 4-0 semi-final win over Sweden, it was always going to be tough for England to provide a repeat performance.

With Germany the only team to have won all of their Euros games within 90 minutes, it was therefore inevitable that the pair would cancel each other out.

Both sides had chances, with home captain Leah Williamson scrambling a corner off the line, before it was Toone who broke the deadlock after replacing Fran Kirby on 56 minutes, racing on to Keira Walsh's through ball before dinking a finish over goalkeeper Merle Frohms.

Magull then hit the upright, before levelling with a sharp finish at the front post to send the game into extra-time.

Kelly, who replaced Beth Mead just after the hour mark, then forced the winner, stabbing home from a poorly defended corner.

The Manchester City star faced an anxious moment as referee Kateryna Monzul and her assistants paused to consider a foul, before Wembley exploded at the sound of the Ukrainian official's whistle.

Wiegman marvels at Euros impact

The result means Wiegman has won back-to-back Women's Euros after guiding her homeland, the Netherlands, to glory in 2017.

After a nervous start in which they battled to a 1-0 win over Austria, England's performances have gripped the nation, with the 8-0 win over Norway followed up by a 5-0 success against Northern Ireland.

Their path to glory hasn't always been smooth, with the tension returning before Georgia Stanway fired home an extra-time winner in the quarter-finals against Spain, although the Lionesses demonstrated their class with that semi-final demolition of Sweden.

Sunday's victory at Wembley was played out in front of a record crowd and the excitement surrounding both the build-up and the match itself felt like a watershed moment.

Wiegman says she and her players will now take time to celebrate and reflect on the impact they have had.

"I don't think we've really realised what we've done," Wiegman said. "Over the whole tournament we've had so much support from our fans. We did an incredible job and I'm so proud of my team."

Next stop, global glory?

The Lionesses' success has been a gradual process, but it is unlikely that their popularity has peaked, with women's football only getting stronger around the globe.

England's next goal Wiegman is the 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

They have reached the semi-finals at each of the last two World Cups, finishing third in Canada in 2015, before taking fourth place four years later in France.

They find themselves in a strong position in qualifying, currently sitting top of Group D after winning all eight games so far and are assured of at least a play-off place.

A win or a draw in Austria next month will guarantee their qualification, while they also have the safety blanket of still having to face Luxembourg, who they beat 10-0 last September.

After Euros glory, the pressure will be on for the team to record a maiden global success, but the coach admits doing so Down Under is far from a formality.

"The development of this game has been so fast. It's not easy to win this tournament and it will be the same at the World Cup too. But now it's time to party, then we'll have some time off and then try to qualify for the World Cup."

It could be a big 12 months for English football, with the men's team 11/2 to win the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

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