Great Britain made history at home on Sunday by becoming champions for the first time at the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 Championship. The soccer battle between the two rivals also proved to be a highlight with bettors, with several sportsbooks seeing a lot of action leading up to the game.
At the iconic Wembley Stadium, the UK team beat Germany 2-1 in a match with a record attendance (87,192 people) for a women’s national team match held in Europe. It took overtime to get it done, but the Lionesses still took home the victory.
It should be noted that England reached the final after winning all six matches of the championship, something that no other team had achieved. Moreover, with the victory, it became part of the list of the teams that have lifted the crown in previous editions, including Germany, Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands.
Entain, Flutter Report Flurry of Activity
Entain and its subsidiaries stayed busy for this event. Its Ladbrokes and Coral brands saw a 300% increase in the number of bets compared to five years ago, according to a company statement.
The British squad was the favorite heading into the tournament, and didn’t disappoint. More than 72% of the bets Ladbrokes’ digital channel received went to the Lionesses. However, most also thought they would secure the victory in regulation play.
There were more than 1.5 million bets across Entain’s brands. The company states that 14% of those were placed by women. In the UK, both Ladbrokes and Coral saw a six-fold increase in the number of wagers females placed on the game.
Of all the online bets, 46% came from the UK. Germany followed with 22%, and Brazil was third with 16%. Showing national pride, most of the British bets were on the Lionesses, while most of the German bets were on Germany.
In the Flutter house, a similar situation arose. Paddy Power saw a 26% increase in the betting volume compared to three years ago. In addition, Sky Betting reported a 17% increase in stakes.
Patriotism was important with Flutter customers as well. For example, 74% of the Paddy Power bets were for the home team, as were 67% of Betfair’s in its UK and Ireland operations.
Heading into the final contest, Paddy Power and Entain saw similar numbers. Their handles were roughly $8 million each.
The number of online bets on the 2021-22 UEFA Women’s Champions League was 61% higher than the equivalent figure for the 2019-20 tournament. In addition, the 2021-22 Women’s FA Cup recorded 130% more online betting than its 2019-20 equivalent. The two tournaments also saw increases in women’s betting of 79% and 212%, respectively.
Defeating the Best
After going scoreless in the first period, England forward Ella Toone opened the scoring in the 62nd minute. However, Germany’s Lina Magull fired back to tie the match in the 79th minute.
Regulation time ended 1-1 to take the contest to extra time. The winning goal came in the 110th minute, when England forward Chloe Kelly found the net. It marked the first victory for the English squad after two failed appearances in 1984 and 2009. The team took down one of the best, with the German side having won eight times since 1989.
Germany proudly received the title of European runners-up of its women’s team. However, the press cried out against the “second robbery” suffered now at Wembley, which follows that of the 1966 men’s World Cup in that same stadium.
Early in the game, with Germany about to score, the ball popped up and, according to some, hit the hand of Leah Williamson, England’s captain. Play didn’t stop, though and amid continued screams of foul play, the VAR judge went to work.
Reviewing the issue, the final ruling was that there was no contact. As a result, there would be no opportunity for Germany to get a free pass. England continued to fight harder and ultimately took home the title.
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