Fran Kirby has stressed the importance of England continuing to build ahead of this summer’s Euros following their “special” Arnold Clark Cup triumph.
The Lionesses were crowned winners of the new four-team invitational tournament they were hosting after following up draws with Canada (1-1) and Spain (0-0) with Wednesday’s 3-1 victory over Germany at Molineux.
That victory was a seventh in England’s nine-game unbeaten start under boss Sarina Wiegman, and only the second time they have beaten Germany in 27 meetings.
The first ever @ArnoldClarkCup WINNERS! 🎉— Lionesses (@Lionesses) February 23, 2022
Kirby, who teed up Ellen White’s opener before netting England’s third goal herself in stoppage time, said: “Over the three games we’ve played well in some patches. I think (against Germany) we were a little bit loose in possession of the ball in some cases.
“But obviously the end goal is to make sure we’re in the best possible place going into the Euros.
“For us now, we’ve won this tournament, but we know we still have to build. We still have to progress as a team and we still need to work on certain things – but right now we’re in a really good place, and to win this tournament is special.
“Overall we’re happy. We’ve played some top-quality opposition and we’ve learned a lot about ourselves in moments, and how we can improve and move forward.”
Kirby played in record scorer White to flick in her 49th Lionesses goal on the quarter-hour mark before Germany equalised via an excellent Lina Magull free-kick just prior to the interval.
Millie Bright subsequently put England back in front with an 84th-minute finish, and Chelsea team-mate Kirby wrapped things up by surging forward and sending the ball in off goalkeeper Merle Frohms in the fourth minute of time added on at the end.
England begin their home home Euros campaign on July 6 when they face Austria at Old Trafford.
And playmaker Kirby said: “Hopefully winning this can help encourage more and more people to come out and watch us in the Euros and really get behind us, and show the support they have shown the men during the last Euros. It would be great to kind of feel that buzz around the place.”
Wednesday’s match was played in front of a crowd of 13,463 – the figure was 14,284 for the Spain game at Carrow Road three days earlier, while it was 8,769 for the Canada contest at the Riverside Stadium last Thursday.
Manchester City forward Lauren Hemp, who provided the assist for Kirby’s goal against Germany and was named player of the match, said: “I’ve loved every second of this tournament.
“We’ve had a lot of fans around and it’s been fantastic. Hopefully we’ll have attracted lots of fans ready for the Euros. It’s great being in different places in the country because that helps create so much support, and hopefully they’ll follow us throughout our summer.”
Take a bow, Hempo!— Lionesses (@Lionesses) February 24, 2022
When Wiegman was asked if she felt like her team had put on a show for the fans in the tournament, she said: “I think so, I hope – at least we have tried really hard to do it. I hope the fans agree with me because that’s the most important for them.
“The enthusiasm of the fans and how they cheered for us was really nice to see, and that helps the team too. I hope they will come back to our other games too.”
