Wednesday 20th July
After a nightmare journey home from Chesterfield the day before (took me 10 hours due to train/track issues due to the heat), I was hoping for an easier journey to Brighton for the first quarter-final between England and Spain. Everything was okay until I got to London Bridge station! There all the trains to Brighton had been cancelled/delayed due to cattle on the lines and I was told to go to Victoria station. It was the same there but there were some trains running to Lewes so I got on that and made my way south. I got to Brighton eventually after changing at Haywards Heath for a train that was delayed due to the driver not turning up!
I was staying in the centre of Brighton this time and had a view (from a distance) of the sea from my hotel room. I went and had a drink at the Free Lionesses fan embassy on the sea front at the Tempest Inn, and then went to the fan park in Victoria Gardens which was busy. It seemed a bit more organised at the station this time as to where to queue. I got a train and got to the stadium fairly quickly though the conductor kept saying the UEFA Women’s final when advising people to get off at Falmer for the football. Before going in, I waited near the players entrance and saw the Lionesses coach arrive.
I was sat in the top tier of the west stand again so had to climb up a lot of steps to get there! My seat was more in the centre this time near the media positions, and even though it was high up it does allow a very good view of the pitch.
There were no goals in the first half and I thought Spain were the better side, though both defended well. There was a new half time competition for the knock-out stages and also a singalong song with the words on the big screen. Spain did take the lead after the break when Esther Gonzalez scored. Mary Earps made a great save to keep the score at 1-0. Just after Millie Bright (my player of the match) had moved into attack for the last 10 minutes, England did equalise when Ella Toone finished from close range. With the scores level the match went to extra-time and during the first half of this Georgia Stanway scored a stunner to put England ahead. I was nervous for the rest of extra-time with Spain looking for an equaliser but that did not come as England won 2-1 and reached the semi-finals. A great atmosphere again with the Mexican wave attempts not lasting long! The attendance of 28,994 was the biggest ever for a Women’s Euros quarter-final.
There were long queues for the trains after the match but it seemed better organised than after the Norway match with a few more signs and barriers in place. I didn’t have to wait that long for a train and was back in Brighton by midnight. Having a look on Twitter when I got back to my hotel, it was nice to see so many things trending to do with this match including 4 of the top 6.
Thursday 21st July
The train back to London was slightly delayed at Brighton, but I thought I had got away with any major travel issues until the train got near to Finsbury Park station when it stopped and the driver announced that the police were chasing someone around the station. It was delayed about 20 minutes but I got home for a few hours before going to the second quarter-final between Germany and Austria at Brentford. On my way across London on the tube, I saw a copy of the Evening Standard with a picture of the Lionesses on the front page and also 3 pages with coverage inside. I love seeing things like this!
Being a bit later than planned, I went straight into the stadium. I was sat behind one of the goals this time but quite a way up in the stand, not that far from the TV presentation area! It was nice going to this match as a neutral after the night before! It was also nice seeing the Georgia Stanway goal on the big screen before that match when they showed highlights from the previous night’s game.
Austria had already hit the post before Lina Magull opened the scoring for Germany in the 25th minute. In the second half, Germany hit the post then Austria hit the crossbar and a bit later the post again. Germany then hit the top of the crossbar meaning the woodwork had been hit five times during the match. Germany should have scored a second but put a chance wide from in front of goal. Alexandra Popp did make it 2-0 in the 90th minute to send Germany, and their flag waving fans, into the semi-finals. There were 16,025 fans there which was a record attendance for a quarter-final not involving a host nation.
It finished up being another long journey back from west London, as even though I walked to Acton Town this time, I had to wait five minutes for a train and then it was slow going through London. I got home again after midnight!
Friday 22nd July
A day off going to matches for me with the third quarter-final taking place in Leigh between Sweden and Belgium. Sweden were the better side. They had a goal ruled out after a VAR check and were denied by some fantastic saves by Nicky Evrard in goal for Belgium. Just as it looked like we were going to get the first 0-0 after 90 minutes in these Euro’s, Linda Sembrant scored for Sweden in the second minute of injury time to win it for them and set up a semi-final against England.
Saturday 23rd July
Another trip up north for the final quarter-final. France v Netherlands was being played in Rotherham so for me it meant another night in Chesterfield! I had a seat reserved on the train, but because there were only 5 carriages instead of 10 that it was meant to have, my seat and carriage didn’t exist! I found a seat anyway. I had lunch in Chesterfield before going to the hotel. Then I got the train to Rotherham via Sheffield. Thankfully it was a lot cooler than the last time I was there on Monday.
The fan park was spread around the town centre. The main stage was in All Saints Square with Rotherham Minster providing a nice backdrop to it! There was already a DJ playing when I got there just after 5pm, and it was full of mainly Netherlands fans in their orange shirts though there were a few France fans and neutrals about. There was an amazing atmosphere again and we even got a bit of “Sweet Caroline” Dutch style! The fan walk left for the stadium just under two hours before kick-off. Led by the orange bus and moving at a slow pace, it didn’t take long for the first play of “Links Rechts’ and the fans moving side to side across the road (we got a second rendition close to the stadium too). Another brilliant and unforgettable experience to be part of!
I was sat at the same end as last time at the New York Stadium but was a bit further back and towards the corner flag then before. I was sat below the TV presentation areas this time. They played “Links Rechts” in the stadium before the match!
France somehow weren’t ahead at half time after hitting the post, having a couple of efforts blocked on the line and Daphne van Domselaar making some really good saves (as she did throughout the whole match). The second half was a bit more even but neither side could find the net for the first time in 90 minutes during these Euro’s. In extra-time, France were awarded a penalty after a VAR check in the 102nd minute which Eve Perisset scored. The Netherlands didn’t really look like equalising during the rest of the match. France won 1-0 to go through to the semi-finals where they will play Germany.
The last bus from Sheffield to Chesterfield was at 11:20pm, so with the match finishing at nearly 10:30 it meant I had to leave as soon as the final whistle was blown and walk quickly to the station to get the train 15 minutes later. I successfully manged this and was back in Sheffield with some time to spare. The bus was packed but I was back in Chesterfield just before midnight. I think I am getting old as most of the places I walked past on the way back to the hotel seemed to be blasting music out way to loudly!
Written by Paul Donegan (@PaulDonegan1980 on Twitter and Instagram)
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