England vs Brazil LIVE: Result, final score and reaction as Lionesses win Finalissima via penalty shootout
England 1-1 Brazil (England win 4-2 on penalties): Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses triumph in first ever Women’s Finalissima
A tale of two halves created a wonderful showpiece at Wembley for the inaugural Women’s Finalissima. The champions of Europe and the champions of South America clashed in front of a packed house in a game that had excitement, goals and late drama before ultimately being decided via a penalty shootout.
England dominated the first half after Brazil set up with a low block to keep them quiet. The Lionesses controlled possession and set the tempo of the game. Lucy Bronze was exceptional on the right side and proved to be a vital part of England’s attacking play. She was fed the ball by Lauren James before setting up Ella Toone in the box to create the opening goal.
At half-time it seemed as though England would run away with the match but Brazil rallied perfectly. A change of shape and personnel gave the visitors more control in midfield and they came flying out of the blocks for the second half. An aggressive press put the Lionesses under intense pressure and Brazil were rewarded in stoppage time when Andressa Alves turned a dropped ball from Mary Earps into the back of the net.
That forced a penalty shootout but Earps redeemed herself by keeping Tamires’ effort wide of the post and tipping Rafaelle’s strike onto the crossbar. Chloe Kelly - England’s Euros hero - then stepped up for the deciding spot kick and powered it home to give England victory.
Relive all the action as England take on Brazil in the Women’s Finalissima:
England vs Brazil predicted line-ups
England XI: Earps; Bronze, , Williamson, Carter, Greenwood; Toone, Walsh, Stanway; James, Russo, Kelly
Brazil XI: Luciana; Bruninha, Lauren, Rafaelle, Tamires; Geyse, Ary Borges, Kerolin, Adriana; Bia Zaneratto, Nunes.
What is the early team news?
Sarina Wiegman named a largely settled squad ahead of the Finalissima, though Lucy Parker could press for an international debut after a recent return to fitness. Millie Bright was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury, with Lotte Wubben-Moy called up in the central defender’s stead. With Beth Mead unlikely to be fit for the World Cup, Wiegman will continue to assess her forward options.
Brazil, meanwhile, have suffered a major injury blow with Marta ruled out with a muscular issue. Palmeiras midfielder Duda Santos has been called up to replace the country’s all-time top scorer. Andressa Alves has also been added to Pia Sundhage’s squad, with Nycole another injury absentee.
How to watch the Finalissima
England vs Brazil is due to kick off at 7.45pm BST on Thursday 6 April at Wembley Stadium in London.
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV. Coverage begins on ITV4 at 7pm BST, before moving to the main ITV1 channel at 7.30pm.
Registered users can stream the action for free via ITVX.
England vs Brazil
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the Women’s Finalissima between England and Brazil at Wembley.
The champions of Europe take on the champions of South America for the first time in Women’s football after England defeated Germany 2-1 in extra-time of the Euro 2022 final while Brazil beat Colombia 1-0, securing their eighth Copa America success in nine attempts.
Both sides will be looking to make history by winning the inaugural edition of the competition, following in the footsteps of Argentina who won the men’s version in June 2022.
Sarina Wiegman will want to continue her unbeaten streak as head coach of the Lionesses but may tweak the personnel and tactics as she continues to experiment ahead of the Women’s World Cup this summer.
Kick off for this one is at 7.45pm and we’ll have all the build-up, team news and updates from this huge clash at Wembley.
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