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So, the Women’s Euro 2022 ended with England crowned as champions over Germany following a gripping final at Wembley on Sunday. And now it’s time to reflect on the tournament as a whole with our Best XIs, then compare and contrast with the XIs we were most excited about heading into the competition.
ESPN’s Kathleen McNamee, Sophie Lawson, Julien Laurens and Tom Hamilton have bravely chosen to reflect upon their pre-tournament choices and revise accordingly given how the results played out. (If you need a reminder of their early picks, look here.)
Which players lived up to expectations and who fell short? Which stars surprised us from nowhere to burst into Best XI consideration?
Kathleen McNamee: Oberdorf stars, as do England
(4-3-3): Daphne van Domselaar (Netherlands); Sakina Karchaoui (France), Mapi Leon (Spain), Millie Bright (England), Lucy Bronze (England); Keira Walsh (England), Lena Oberdorf (Germany), Lina Magull (Germany); Beth Mead (England), Alex Popp (Germany), Alessia Russo (England).
When I did my pre-tournament XI, I wrote that I would likely be eating my words after the tournament, and here I am doing exactly that with just two players retaining their places. In fairness, some are down to injuries, but others are purely for standout performances.
Few people knew Daphne van Domselaar’s name before the tournament, with the 22-year-old goalkeeper having just one national team cap before this summer. An injury to the prolific Sari van Veenendaal in the first game threw her into the spotlight, and she reacted with the confidence of someone much older. She wasn’t the only young player who announced herself on the big stage either, with Alessia Russo also pulling off some outrageous goals and competing with her England teammate Beth Mead for top scorer in…
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Source : espn
