‘Nasty, rotten smell’ – German press fume at Lionesses’ win after being denied VAR handball shout, as Women’s Euro final labelled ‘the new Wembley fraud’

The German press have slammed England’s victory in the 2022 Women’s Euro final as ‘the new Wembley fraud’.

Describing the Lionesses’ victory as having a ‘nasty, rotten smell’, some of those covering their country’s defeat have expressed their anger through the headlines.

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England snatched the win in extra-time with just ten minutes to go, as the tie sat at 1-1, with substitute Chloe Kelly being at the right place at the right time to poke the ball home and put the Lionesses back in front.

And German’s most popular tabloid, Bild, explained the bitter taste the country had in its mouth following an incident that happened as the game was deadlocked at 0-0 in the 25th minute of the game.

Bild‘s front page on Monday morning led on Germany’s defeat reflecting the injustice the men’s side felt after Geoff Hurst’s controversial strike against West Germany in the 1966 World Cup final.

The publication claimed that their country had once again been wronged at Wembley on Sunday, as Germany’s shouts for a handball against England captain Leah Williamson in the box and a possible penalty weren’t checked by VAR.

“This mustn’t be true! This simply cannot be true!” the tabloid wrote.

“56 years after the wrongly given Wembley goal in the 1966 Wembley final, our women are again suffering a fraud in a final against England.

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“This time despite video footage! The 1-2 after extra time has a nasty, rotten smell.

“You lost. But those who lose through fraud are in fact the winners.”

Williamson had her arm raised above her head when the ball struck it, but the VAR may have ruled that the fact the ball had cannoned off fellow England defender Millie Bright from short range was enough of a mitigating factor.

Die Nationalelf were humble in defeat as the Lionesses lifted their first European Championship trophy, but were left reeling that the waved away handball shout that wasn’t checked.

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And Germany manager Martina Voss-Tecklenburg spoke her mind about the situation after the final whistle blew, as her side missed out on winning their ninth European Champion in thirteen attempts.

“Let’s differentiate between football and feelings and let’s start with the footballing things. In the first half the ball possession was a bit more on the English side,” she said.

“We managed to have some attacks, but what I’m thinking about now is there was a situation at 0-0 where there was a clear handball in the box and VAR looked at it and didn’t award the penalty.

“In such a big game, it’s difficult to cope with that. I’m asking, why didn’t the referee look at it? That would have given us more safety if we’d scored.”

The German manager went on to congratulate the Lionesses and stated they were ‘deserved champions’.