By Philip O’Connor and Lori Ewing
OBERENTFELDEN, Switzerland (Reuters) -The Women’s Euros reach their climax with the final between holders England and Spain on Sunday, but before a ball is even kicked at the St. Jakob-Park stadium, records have been smashed at what has proved to be the most successful edition of the tournament.
Before their quarter-final defeat by Spain, Swiss fans held up a banner saying “Time to move mountains”, but by then the hosts already had, making the knockout stage for the first time as a fever for women’s football swept the country — and the continent.
“I hope it was just a very, very important step to show Switzerland that women can play football really well — not just Switzerland, but all the other teams as well,” Swiss captain Lia Waelti said after the hosts exited the tournament.
Fans at games in Switzerland have shattered attendance records, including the highest overall one ever, with the final still to be played.
A record 623,088 fans attended games through the end of the semi-finals, obliterating the previous total of 574,875 fans who watched the entire England 2022 tournament.
England’s dramatic semi-final win over Italy in extra time gave British broadcaster ITV its biggest audience of the year with 10.2 million linear viewers, and another 17.2 million following the game on streaming platform ITV X.
Fox Sports in the United States also reported a 176% increase in the number watching the semi-finals compared to 2022 as the tournament caught the imagination on the other side of the Atlantic.
It has not all, however, been plain sailing. The opening games were overshadowed by soaring temperatures that led to worries about player welfare and UEFA suspending rules around water bottles for fans.
JOYOUS CELEBRATION
There was also the death of Portugal international Diogo Jota and his brother in a car accident, which cast a pall over Portugal’s opening game against Spain. In the end, the game itself honoured his memory by turning into a joyous celebration of Portuguese football, despite the team’s defeat.
The 16 teams in the group stage provided plenty of excitement, with Switzerland’s late equaliser against Finland to snatch second place in their final Group A game stealing the plaudits as the most dramatic moment.
Fans did not have long to wait for the next twist in the tale, as England came back from two goals down to beat Sweden after a chaotic penalty shootout in their quarter-final.
Online critics hailed that shootout, with only five successful efforts out of 14, as one of the worst ever, ignoring Sweden keeper Jennifer Falk’s exceptional performance in which she made four saves from English spot-kicks, yet still ended up on the losing side.
England’s Michelle Agyemang is the break-out star of the tournament, netting two vital equalisers as they flirted with disaster in the knockout stage and playing a major role in getting them to the final.
Through it all, the Spaniards have ticked like a metronome, starting games slowly before gradually finding the solution to whatever opposition was in front of them and winning all five of their matches.
Another win for the Spaniards against England will give them the European crown to add to their world and Nations League victories, confirming them as the dominant team.
However, England’s never-say-die mentality stands between them and that goal.
No matter how that game turns out, the tournament has successfully sustained the momentum created at Euro 2022, and the trajectory for the women’s game continues to move sharply upwards.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor, editing by Ed Osmond)
