Euro 2022: Four England players make team of the tournament after Euros triumph

Millie Bright, Keira Walsh, Alessia Russo and golden boot winner Beth Mead all got the nod following a fantastic tournament that saw the Lionesses claim their first major tournament trophy.

Stars of the future and unlikely heroes emerged during Euro 2022, while others cemented themselves as the best on the continent.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the team of the tournament, with finalists England and Germany providing seven of the 11 players.

Daphne van Domselaar (Netherlands)

Netherlands keeper Van Domselaar produced a tournament-topping 23 saves before her side bowed out to France in the quarter-finals.

Mapi Leon (Spain)

Leon made 39 ball recoveries, while the Barcelona star also took a tournament-leading 22 corners.

Millie Bright (England)

The Lionesses did not just score the most goals in the tournament, they also conceded just two. Much of this had to do with the impressive performance put in by centre-back Bright, who anchored England’s back line and provided steady assurance when her teammates relinquished possession in dangerous areas.

Sakina Karchaoui (France)

Karchaoui was instrumental in earning France a trip to the semi-finals, her 42 balls recovered ranking as the best outside of the finalists and just ahead of Leon.

Keira Walsh (England)

Walsh’s skill and patience in midfield were critical in the build-up to England’s tournament-leading 24 goals – and that ability was never more evident than with her pinpoint pass to set up Ella Toone’s opener in the final, Walsh’s third assist of the tournament.

Lena Oberdorf (Germany)

Having made history in 2019 as the youngest World Cup player for her country, Oberdorf was a stand-out performer in her second major tournament.

Lina Magull (Germany)

Oberdorf is not the only anchoring German force in midfield, with Magull also adding a composed and intimidating presence for Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s side.

Beth Mead (England)

The Golden Boot winner with six goals, helped by a brilliant hat-trick in England’s 8-0 group stage win over Norway. The Arsenal forward, who used her omission from Team GB’s Tokyo Olympics squad last summer to fuel her brilliant Euros, added five assists along the way.

Kosovare Asllani (Sweden)

Asllani converted from the spot in her country’s 5-0 group stage win over Portugal, but it was her ability to set up others that proved most vital in sending her side through to their meeting with England in the semi-finals.

Alexandra Popp (Germany)

Mead’s Golden Boot rival netted both goals in Germany’s 2-1 semi-final with France, setting a record in the process. The skipper scored at least once in all five of the eight-time European champions’ matches up to the final, with no other player in the competition’s history netting in as many contests in a single Euros.

Alessia Russo (England)

A few England attackers could claim a spot here, but this tournament has firmly established the 23-year-old as one of the country’s brightest lights of the future. The super-sub scored four times in the lead-up to the final, landing her behind just Mead and Popp on the tournament table despite never starting.