Euro 2022: How England's Lionesses found the perfect blend to reach Sunday's final

It was the audaciousness of Alessia Russo's back-heeled goal that encapsulated so much about England's run to the European Championship final.

The confidence, the calmness and willingness to take risks - even when the stakes were so high.

Above all, there is joy seeping through a team that has been transformed by coach Sarina Wiegman.

And the 4-0 Euro 2022 semi-final win wasn't against an inferior team - of the like England has been crushing in qualifying for the 2023 Women's World Cup by scoring 68 goals without conceding in eight games.

Read more:
Meet the Lionesses aiming for glory at the Euro 2022 final

England overwhelmed a Sweden team that is second in FIFA's world rankings. Just like in the quarter-finals when England also beat the higher-ranked Spanish side.

Now, after three consecutive semi-final defeats, England have a first women's final since 2009.

Here are the reasons why:

Home advantage

Don't discount the power of being able to play in front of home crowds.

Wiegman enjoyed that in 2017 when she won the Women's European Championship with the Netherlands.

The tournament in England has broken records throughout. The 28,624 fans at Bramall Lane for the win over Sweden was the biggest crowd ever for a women's Euros semi-final.

The vibe from the Sweet Caroline-singing crowd has surely energised the team - just as Gareth Southgate's team secured a first final for England's men since 1966 by playing all but one game at Wembley last year at the Euros.

But home and away, England have thrived in the 10 months under Wiegman.

Going a 20th match unbeaten would win England's first major trophy since the men at the 1966 World Cup and the first major women's honour.

Bold calls

When it came to appointing Phil Neville's successor, England waited a year to land their chosen manager.

It's now clear why they waited for Wiegman to finish with the Netherlands before the 2017 Women's European Championship winner could take charge of England in September 2021.

Whereas the England job was Neville's first permanent role as a manager, Wiegman brought vast experience. That shows when it comes to taking bold decisions - particularly in the quarter-final against Spain.

Trailing 1-0, England's all-time top scorer Ellen White was taken off as was Euro 2022 leading scorer Beth Mead. It was super-sub Ella Toone who grabbed the 84th-minute equaliser to rescue England and send the game into extra time.

It was created by Russo who also came off the bench against Sweden.

Wiegman's style

To understand the impact Wiegman has made on the mood in the camp just listen to Mead.

The striker said: "Under Phil it was very much about hard work but now everyone just feels free."

A key message from Wiegman has been to enjoy playing. It's a message that carries more weight from a coach with not only her Euros title but a track-record of trophy success in Dutch club football as a coach.

England had won only four of their last 13 games before Wiegman's tenure began, with an unforgettable period with Hege Riise as interim boss and leading GB at the Olympics.

Mead bounces back

With six goals, Mead has the joint-most goals for a player in a women's Euros.

The stand-out moment was the hat-trick in the group stage in an 8-0 rout against a Norway side once tipped to be contending for the trophy.

Mead had to overcome the setback of being dropped for the Olympics last year before Wiegman began with England.

The Arsenal star has more than shown what quality she has - and what was missing for Team GB last summer in Japan.

FA's investment

It took the FA investing to launch the Women's Super League in 2011 to turbo-charge the domestic game.

But it was only four years ago that the league became fully professional with spending criteria that teams had to meet to compete.

When considering the FA's need to invest in the WSL and subsidise the growth, don't forget how the same governing body banned women's football for 50 years until 1971.

Professionalising the clubs means better coaching and more pathways into the professional game, increasing the talent pool and quality of players available to the national team.

The depth of options of Wiegman's bench shows that.

The FA will hope England's success at the Euros attracts more investment that allows it to no longer run the WSL - and encourage more girls to take up the game.

Winning on Sunday at Wembley could produce more than silverware.