England vs Brazil LIVE: Result, final score and reaction as Lionesses win Finalissima via penalty shootout

England host Brazil at Wembley as the champions of Europe meet the champions of South America in the first ever women’s edition of the Finalissima.

The inaugural meeting of continental champions follows on from the revival of the men’s fixture at the same venue last summer and provides Sarina Wiegman’s side another opportunity to test themselves against a strong opponent ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

The Lionesses are yet to be beaten under Wiegman and will be hoping for another famous night at the home of English football where they lifted the European Championship trophy and defeated the current world champions, the United States, back in October.

Brazil, winners of an eighth Copa America Femenina last year, now take on the Lionesses for the first time since Wiegman’s appointment as head coach and will be hopeful of ending England’s unbeaten run.

Follow all the action as England take on Brazil in the Women’s Finalissima:

England vs Brazil

• England host Brazil in the first ever edition of the Women’s Finalissima, live on ITV 1

• 90+3’ GOAL! - Alves taps home after a mistake from Earps (ENG 1-1 BRA)

• 67’ SAVE! - Leticia denies Stanway from range (ENG 1-0 BRA)

• 60’ CROSSBAR! - Geyse’s effort is tipped onto the bar by Mary Earps (ENG 1-0 BRA)

• 57’ CHANCE! - Ary misses a good chance on the volley (ENG 1-0 BRA)

• 29’ DISALLOWED! - James’ powerful effort is ruled out (ENG 1-0 BRA)

• 23’ GOAL! - Toone finishes off a lovely move to send Lionesses ahead (ENG 1-0 BRA)

• 15’ SAVE! - Bronze’s effort from range forcing a leaping stop out of Leticia (ENG 0-0 BRA)

FT England 1-1 Brazil (England win 4-2 on penalties)

21:53 , Mike Jones

A really wonderful match at Wembley ends in more success for Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses. They triumph over Brazil via a penalty shootout and it’s Chloe Kelly who scores yet another trophy winning goal at Wembley!

Penalties: England 4-2 Brazil

21:50 , Mike Jones

Who else but Chloe Kelly to take the final penalty for England. Can she win the Finalissima for the Lionesses?

Yes she can! Kelly scores and England win the penalty shootout and the game!

Penalties: England 3-2 Brazil

21:49 , Mike Jones

Brazil must score. Kerolin is the player to take the next penalty.

Mary Earps is focused but Kerolin guides her penalty into the bottom corner!

Penalties: England 3-1 Brazil

21:48 , Mike Jones

Alex Greenwood can put England on the verge of victory... she scores!

One more goal is all it will take for the Lionesses to win.

Penalties: England 2-1 Brazil

21:47 , Mike Jones

Brazil’s captain, Rafaelle, is next up.

She misses! The defender goes for power and rattles her spot kick onto the crossbar!

Advantage England.

Penalties: England 2-1 Brazil

21:46 , Mike Jones

Daly scores! She powers it past Leticia who has no chance to stop it.

Penalties: England 1-1 Brazil

21:46 , Mike Jones

Saved! Mary Earps comes to the rescue. She leaps across to the left and pushes Tamires’ effort wide of the post!

Rachel Daly is up next...

Penalties: England 1-1 Brazil

21:45 , Mike Jones

Saved! Ella Toone tries to guide one into the bottom corner but Leticia leaps across and palms it away!

England blink first.

Penalties: England 1-1 Brazil

21:44 , Mike Jones

Adriana steps up for Brazil...

... she scores too! Mary Earps also gets a hand to the ball but it bounces into the back of the net!

Penalties: England 1-0 Brazil

21:43 , Mike Jones

England are up first and Georgia Stanway will take the penalty.

She scores! Leticia gets a hand to the ball but can’t keep it out.

FT England 1-1 Brazil

21:42 , Mike Jones

That Brazil equaliser always seemed likely. The second half belonged to the visitors and for the majority of it England were trying to hold on to their lead.

The Lionesses face another test now, they need to win this penalty shootout.

Full-time: England 1-1 Brazil

21:38 , Mike Jones

90+5 mins: Late drama sees Brazil force the match into a penalty shootout! The Finalissima will be decided by penalties, can England bounce back to win the trophy?

GOAL! England 1-1 Brazil (90+3’, Alves)⚽️

21:36 , Mike Jones

90+2 mins: Equaliser! Jess Carter is beaten on England’s left side and the ball is curled into the six-yard box. Mary Earps drops low to smother it but spills the ball and Andressa Alves is on hand to turn the ball home!

Late drama at Wembley!

England 1-0 Brazil

21:33 , Mike Jones

90 mins: There’s five minutes of added time to play! That’s plenty of time for either team to score. If Brazil find an equaliser the match will be decided by a penalty shootout.

England 1-0 Brazil

21:30 , Mike Jones

87 mins: 83,132 packed into Wembley to watch this Finalissima. England have a slender lead with three minutes plus stoppage time to play.

Lauren Hemp has been forced off the pitch due to her injury with Katie Robinson replacing her for the final stages.

England 1-0 Brazil

21:28 , Mike Jones

84 mins: Chloe Kelly swings a cross into the box from the right and Lauren Hemp takes a whack on the nose from Antonia who defends and heads the ball clear.

Hemp’s nose begins to bleed and she needs some treatment from the medics.

England 1-0 Brazil

21:25 , Mike Jones

81 mins: Antonia is hit by a strong tackle from Lauren Hemp who desperately lunges towards the ball in the middle of the pitch. Hemp collects a yellow card.

Brazil then work the ball to Geyse who dispossesses Walsh inside England’s box before getting tackled by Jess Carter.

England 1-0 Brazil

21:22 , Mike Jones

78 mins: Lauren Hemp times her run down the left wing expertly as the ball is chipped over the top. She brings it under control and drives into the box.

The opportunity to cross early was there but Hemp decides to hold onto the ball and play the cutback which then gets cleared away.

England 1-0 Brazil

21:18 , Mike Jones

75 mins: Just quarter of an hour to play and England continue to struggle with the intensity of Brazil. The hosts haven’t been able to translate their possession into an equaliser.

Mary Earps gets booked for delaying a restart and time-wasting.

England 1-0 Brazil

21:16 , Mike Jones

72 mins: Brazil make their third sub as Duda Francelino replaces Luana.

Lauren James and Alessia Russo are taken off by Sarina Wiegman with Rachel Daly and Chloe Kelly brought on to replace them.

England 1-0 Brazil

21:10 , Mike Jones

69 mins: Save! Lauren Hemp brings the ball down the left before slipping it inside to Ella Toone. Toone rolls the ball along to Georgia Stanway who sees some space open up in front of her just outside the box.

Stanway shoots and forces another decent stop out of Leticia who falls to the right and palms the ball away.

England 1-0 Brazil

21:08 , Mike Jones

66 mins: That’s better from England. They earn themselves a period of possession and slickly work the ball up the pitch. Twice Ella Toone gets into the box but the Lionesses only win a corner as Jess Carter’s cross is pushed out of play.

England 1-0 Brazil

21:05 , Mike Jones

63 mins: Kerolin and Ary are dominating England in midfield now. Both players are utilising their strength and speed to push up and put the Lionesses under pressure.

A ranged effort from Kerolin is deflected behind but the visitors make a hash out of the corner and stray offside from a short pass.

England 1-0 Brazil

21:02 , Mike Jones

60 mins: Save! Ella Toone dallies on the ball in the centre of the pitch and Brazil poke it forward to Geyse. She turns the ball towards goal and smokes a lovely shot at the target.

It’s swerving around and Mary Earps can only push it up onto the top of the crossbar as Geyse looks to the sky in disbelief.

England 1-0 Brazil

20:59 , Mike Jones

57 mins: Chance! That was the moment Brazil should have equalised. Geyse - who has been exceptional since the restart - drifts out to the right side of the pitch and collects the ball.

She weaves into the box and lifts the ball over to Ary. The midfielder is wide open and goes for the volley but she misses the ball and England scramble to clear the danger!

England 1-0 Brazil

20:57 , Mike Jones

54 mins: Geyse collects the ball and carries it into the left side of the box. She takes on Leah Williamson and skips past the England captain before pulling the ball back into the middle.

Keira Walsh gets back to intercept but Brazil are growing in confidence.

England 1-0 Brazil

20:52 , Mike Jones

51 mins: Brazil’s change of shape has had an immediate effect. They’re now able to get more bodies up the pitch and challenge England’s attempt to play out from the back.

Kerolin is given the ball and moves it quickly out wide on the turn. She plays it into Tamires whose cross into the box is controlled and cleared by Leah Williamson.

England 1-0 Brazil

20:49 , Mike Jones

48 mins: Alves is into the action immediately! Brazil press high and win the ball before slipping a pass into the penalty area from the right.

Alves receives and shoots but her effort sails straight into the waiting arms of Mary Earps.

Second half: England 1-0 Brazil

20:48 , Mike Jones

Brazil have made a at half-time. Andressa Alves comes on to replace Lauren and that will also mean a change in formation with the visitors moving to a back four.

HT England 1-0 Brazil

20:44 , Mike Jones

It’s been a one-sided affair so far at Wembley, England have been in complete control. Here;s the ebst of the stats at half-time:

Shots: 9 - 1

Shots on goal: 4 - 0

Saves: 0 - 3

Possession: 81% - 19%

Offsides: 3 - 1

Corners: 3 - 1

Fouls: 3 - 5

Yellow cards: 0 - 1

HT England 1-0 Brazil

20:40 , Mike Jones

Check out Ella Toone’s opener which put England in front in the first half:

HT England 1-0 Brazil

20:36 , Mike Jones

Half-time: England 1-0 Brazil

20:32 , Mike Jones

45 mins: No minutes are added on and the first half comes to a close with England taking a slender lead into the break. So far so good for the Lionesses.

England 1-0 Brazil

20:29 , Mike Jones

41 mins: Chance! England work the ball wonderfully through midfield and out to Lauren James on the left wing. James has her first run at Antonia and shimmies past the right-back before floating a decent cross into the box.

There’s not much pace on the ball as it drops to Lauren Hemp which results in her headed effort softly looping up into the hands of goalkeeper Leticia.

England 1-0 Brazil

20:26 , Mike Jones

38 mins: Rafaelle earns herself the first booking of the match after lunging in on Georgia Stanway from behind.

England switch the resultant free kick over to the left wing where Jess Carter wins a throw in. Lauren Hemp and Lauren James have switched sides too.

England 1-0 Brazil

20:22 , Mike Jones

35 mins: Lauren Hemp wins a corner after Antonia deflects her cross out of play.

Alex Greenwood comes forward to take the set piece and drills a cross over towards Lucy Bronze. Bronze goes for a header but her effort is blocked.

The ball pinballs around the edge of the box before Brazil recover possession and transition beautifully into a counter-attack.

Kerolin takes the ball all the way to the edge of England’s box but there are too many bodies for her to get through and the Lionesses eventually regain possession.

England 1-0 Brazil

20:19 , Mike Jones

32 mins: A cheap turnover from England puts them on the back foot as Brazil sweeps down the left side. Tamires gets forward on the overlap and is played into the box.

She lifts a cross into the six-yard area that Mary Earps palms away just as the offside flag is raised against the Brazilian left-back.

England 1-0 Brazil

20:17 , Mike Jones

29 mins: Disallowed goal! Oh this is lovely from Lauren James.

Alex Greenwood floats a beautiful diagonal pass over to the right wing where Lucy Bronze has pushed high once again. Bronze volleys it across the middle and picks out James who guides the ball into the penalty area then lifts a powerful strike over Leticia and rattles the roof of the net.

The offside flag then goes and the replays show she just drifted too far forward.

Her finish deserved a goal.

England 1-0 Brazil

20:14 , Mike Jones

26 mins: Sarina Wiegman was chuffed to bits when that goal went in. She would have been interested to see if her charges could break through this Brazilian defence and they’ve proven that they can.

The visitors need to adapt now, they’re chasing the game.

GOAL! England 1-0 Brazil (Toone, 23’)⚽️

20:09 , Mike Jones

23 mins: What a goal this is! England take the lead.

Lauren James receives the ball on the inside right channel and works it over to Lucy Bronze driving down the wing. Bronze plays a one-two with Georgia Stanway as she sweeps into the box.

Ella Toone is waiting in space for the cutback and Bronze picks her out perfectly. Toone then guides a first time effort over to the far bottom corner and the Lionesses open the scoring.

England 0-0 Brazil

20:07 , Mike Jones

20 mins: Chance! As England push up to win the ball high, Brazil beat the press and carry it into space in midfield. A pass over the top comes to Geyse who shoulders past Jess Carter and gets into the box.

She cuts back onto her left foot then shoots but miscues the effort and pushes it well wide of the far post!

England 0-0 Brazil

20:05 , Mike Jones

18 mins: England’s defensive capabilities are seriously impressive. Brazil hardly have time to control the ball before one of the Lionesses is on top of them.

They’re also defending in pairs and trying to limit the space Brazil have on the ball.

England 0-0 Brazil

20:01 , Mike Jones

15 mins: England’s free kick is floated over to the far side of the box but the hosts can’t make use of it and Leah Williamson’s return pass it nodded clear.

Save! The Lionesses come again and find Lauren Hemp high up the pitch. She cuts inside from the left and squares a pass over to Lucy Bronze in space.

Bronze then drills one at goal and forces Leticia into a leaping save to her right!

England 0-0 Brazil

19:59 , Mike Jones

12 mins: A quick counter-attack sees Georgia Stanway send the ball down the right wing as Alessia Russo sprints into space. She collects the ball and holds it up before shifting to the right and bombing around Rafaelle.

The experienced defender can’t keep up with Russo’s pace and brings her down just outside the penalty area. Big chance coming up for England.

England 0-0 Brazil

19:56 , Mike Jones

9 mins: It’s been a strong start from England. They managed to control possession and force Brazil into a low block. The Lionesses are going to have to be patient though, Brazil are compact and solid in defence.

England 0-0 Brazil

19:54 , Mike Jones

6 mins: There first dangerous move from England sees them switch the ball over to Lucy Bronze on the right hand side. She dinks one over the top as Alessia Russo makes her run in behind.

The forward takes over possession and drives into the box before getting nudged in the back and going to ground. She’s looking for a penalty but the assistant referee raises the flag for offside.

England 0-0 Brazil

19:49 , Mike Jones

3 mins: Brazil have set up with a back five just showing how much of a threat Sarina Wiegman has turned the Lionesses into.

Lauren Hemp makes a couple of decent early runs down the left side, the first ends in a cleared cross and her second drive sees the ball come over the top and skip out of play before she can reach it.

Kick off: England 0-0 Brazil

19:47 , Mike Jones

After a tribute to remember Brazilian footballing legend, Pele, England get the match started. They knock it back to Leah Williamson who sends it across to centre-back partner Alex Greenwood.

Jess Carter makes a run down the line and is given the ball as England’s first attack comes down the left wing.

England vs Brazil

19:39 , Mike Jones

Wembley is rocking. It’s a sold out crowd to watch this big clash.

The players head out onto the pitch and the national anthems are played.

Kick off is up next.

England vs Brazil

19:38 , Mike Jones

Rachel Daly, who scored both of England’s goals in their 2-1 win over Italy in February, has been involved in seven goals in her last eight international appearances (five goals, two assists), as many as in her previous 45 games for the Lionesses (six goals, one assist).

England vs Brazil

19:35 , Mike Jones

England haven’t conceded more than a single goal in a game since Hege Riise’s final match in charge against Canada in April 2021 (0-2).

They’ve kept 20 clean sheets in their 29 games under Sarina Wiegman and across these 29 games the Lionesses have had 547 more shots than their opponents with 240 more attempts on target.

Pre-match thoughts from Sarina Wiegman

19:33 , Mike Jones

England vs Brazil

19:30 , Mike Jones

Following a run of ten successive wins between July – October 2022, in which they conceded just a single goal, Brazil have since lost three of their five games including each of their last two.

They last endured a longer losing run between August 2018 – April 2019 (nine in a row).

Williamson to wear One Love armband

19:28 , Mike Jones

England’s captain Leah Williamson will be wearing the One Love armband tonight.

The German women’s national team was reportedly told by Fifa that they would not be allowed to wear the rainbow armband during this summer’s World Cup.

Fifa also banned it from the men’s World Cup last year, prompting a protest from the German men’s national team before their first match.

The armband is meant to promote diversity and inclusion and should be something Fifa actively wants to promote but it seems they still see the rainbow colours as controversial.

England vs Brazil

19:25 , Mike Jones

Brazil will become the 19th different nation England have faced under Sarina Wiegman.

The Lionesses have beaten all but two of the 18 sides they have faced under her management (Canada and Czech Republic the only exceptions – a draw a piece).

England remain unbeaten under the Dutchwomen with 25 wins and four draws - scoring 137 goals and conceding just nine.

Vision behind Lionesses shines light on need to fill football’s leadership void

19:20 , Mike Jones

With less than five months to go until the Women’s World Cup, Fifa was facing a growing crisis. Three of the teams hoping to go into the tournament as contenders were instead in disarray. The France captain Wendie Renard, recognised by Fifa as one of the best players in the world, was out, withdrawing from her national team to “preserve her mental health”. Olympic champions Canada were at war with their governing body over equal pay. Spain, too, were still split following a fissure last September, with 15 of their players banished from selection.

But Gianni Infantino had an exciting announcement: Fifa was ready to unveil its first ever global fan ambassador ahead of this summer’s World Cup. “She lives and breathes futebol,” Infantino beamed. “When you get to meet Adriana, you feel right away her warmth, kindness and how approachable and passionate she is about our game.” It was, of course, Adriana Lima, the Brazilian supermodel, ready to “develop, promote and participate in global initiatives”, among other vague but supposedly real responsibilities.

In response, Fifa and Infantino were called “tone deaf” and “out of touch” with the women’s game. The most stinging criticism came from the former Australia international Maya Dodd, who before becoming one of the first women to sit on Fifa’s executive committee had to first campaign for women to be allowed a seat at the table. As Dodd pointed out, Fifa as an orgnanisation says it wants to empower girls and women, yet seemed to be attempting to sell the biggest World Cup in history towards some sort of male gaze. “Where a supermodel fits into this is truly baffling,” she said.

Vision behind Lionesses shines light on need to fill football’s leadership void

England vs Brazil

19:18 , Mike Jones

The fans are arriving at Wembley ahead of kick off. This should be an exciting match, can England win it?

England vs Brazil

19:15 , Mike Jones

England and Brazil will go head-to-head for a fourth time, with the Lionesses winning the first two encounters (1-0 in October 2018 and 2-1 in February 2019), before losing the most recent meeting in October 2019 (1-2). The Lionesses have won five of their six games against South American opposition, although they did lose their most recent such encounter - that match against Brazil in 2019.

England vs Brazil

19:10 , Mike Jones

This will be the third meeting between England and Brazil on English soil, with all three encounters coming at a different stadium.

A 1-0 win for the Lionesses at Meadow Lane in 2018, a 2-1 win for Brazil at the Riverside Stadium in 2019 and Thursday’s game being played at Wembley.

England’s World Cup squad: Who’s on the plane, and who’s got work to do?

19:05 , Mike Jones

England are into the final months of their preparations for this summer’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where the Lionesses will look to add to their Euros triumph with the game’s biggest prize.

Sarina Wiegman’s side will be among the favourites as England aim to win the World Cup for the first time. The core of the team that won England their first major international trophy for 56 years remains, but Wiegman has also looked to evolve her squad ahead of her second major tournament in charge.

The England manager made history by becoming the first coach to name the same starting team in all six games and win the European championships last summer but the Euros also proved how important depth throughout the squad can be.

And with just weeks to go until the end of the season, time is running out for players on the fringes of Wiegman’s plans to stake their claim. So ahead of the World Cup, who’s on the plane to Australia and New Zealand, and who’s got work to do to make the squad?

Predicting England’s World Cup squad: Who’s on the plane?

England vs Brazil

19:00 , Mike Jones

Brazil have lost two of their three meetings with England, a 1-0 friendly defeat at Nottingham’s Meadow Lane in October 2018, and a 2-1 SheBelieves Cup loss in the USA in February 2019.

Their only victory over the Lionesses did happen on English soil however, a 2-1 friendly win at Middlesbrough in October 2019 in the teams’s most recent meeting.

Head coaches addresses Brazil youth development

18:55 , Mike Jones

England manager Sarina Wiegman says she is “surprised and disappointed” with Brazil’s support of the women’s game in regard to youth national teams.

“I hope they get as soon as possible, U15, U16, U20, U23 teams, because Brazil needs that.” she said, “I’ve been there, I’ve seen lots of girls, I’m just a little bit surprised and disappointed too, it would be good for them.”

Brazil manager Pia Sundhage added: “Right now, if we have World Cup 2027 in Brazil it is not just the weeks or month of the World Cup, but it is about taking care of what comes before and after,”

“In order to do that it’s time that Brazil steps up. Because right now we have no U15 national team, or U16, we maybe have U17 and right now the U20 aren’t playing.

“Girls, or boys, that want to watch the game want to represent Brazil … If you’re 15 years old you can do that in England, you can do that in Sweden, but you can’t do that in Brazil,

“You have to do the right thing, you have to put in the structure and organisation.”

Brazil line-up

18:52 , Mike Jones

Brazil XI: Leticia; Lauren, Kathellen, Rafaelle, Tamires; Antonia, Ary, Luana, Kerolin; Zaneratto, Geyse

White backs James to shine

18:51 , Mike Jones

The Lionesses’ record goalscorer, Ellen White, retired following England’s victory at the European Championship and says she is looking forward to watching the young players come through the ranks.

"It’s been really exciting to watch those youngsters coming in and expressing themselves in an England shirt," White told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Lauren James this season has burst on to the scene. I just think that she’s got something different which none of the other players in that team have. She’s a really exciting talent."

England team changes

18:46 , Mike Jones

Sarina Wiegman makes a whole heap of changes to her starting XI and brings back many of her first choice players.

Alex Greenwood, Keira Walsh, Ella Toone and Lauren James are the only players who remain in the team that drew 1-1 with Norway last time out.

Mary Earps starts in goal and Lionesses captain Leah Williamson returns too.

England line-up

18:40 , Mike Jones

England XI: Earps; Bronze, Carter, Williamson, Greenwood; Walsh, Stanway, Toone; James, Russo, Hemp

England vs Brazil

18:40 , Mike Jones

England will start the game tonight as favourites at Wembley.

Ranked fourth in the world, Sarina Wiegman’s side are unbeaten since April 2021 - a run of 29 fixtures - and have not suffered defeat under their Dutch coach. This includes victory at Euro 2022 and a win over world champions United States at Wembley last October.

In contrast Brazil come into the game on the back of consecutive defeats, having lost to the United States and Canada at the SheBelieves Cup in February.

A Finalissima to show England how far they’ve come

18:35 , Mike Jones

A sold out Wembley and silverware on the line: England have been here before. So, ahead of the inaugural Women’s Finalissima, it came down to Pia Sundhage, the experienced head coach of Brazil, to provide some context. A legendary striker for Sweden, Sundhage is credited with scoring the first goal in a women’s match at Wembley in what was a 2-0 win against England in 1989. Things, though, were a little different then.

“We didn’t have crowds,” Sundhage chuckled, as the 63-year-old returned to the new Wembley, where tonight the Lionesses will play in front of almost 90,000 for the third time in under a year. “It’s a fantastic journey for women’s football, the time of my life,” said Sundhage, a little struck by what the Lionesses have built under Wiegman, who she called the “best coach in the world”.

It is England’s victory at the European Championships which has led to this match against Brazil, the champions of South America. The Finalissma, a symbol of the political and strategic partnership between Uefa and Conmebol, is a welcomed test for England to have at this stage of their World Cup preparations, with kick off in Australia and New Zealand a little more than three months away.

A Finalissima to show England how far they’ve come

‘We will experiment’ says Wiegman

18:30 , Mike Jones

England play two matches during this international call-up and will face Australia after taking on Brazil tonight. Sarina Wiegman says she will use both games to experiment with different players and tactics ahead of the World Cup this summer.

"We will experiment a little less because we have two games and are at a different stage but loads on players are high so we will try to manage that too," she said.

"We will play to win but also to develop. Then we will see what we still want to see and how players come out of the game."

‘It’s going to be a special night’ says Souza

18:25 , Mike Jones

Brazil defender Rafaelle Souza, who plays for Arsenal and is the only England-based player in Brazil’s squad, spoke about her excitement for tonight’s Finalissima.

She said: "It is going to be a special night with all these people here. I feel special to have this opportunity. I played in the Olympics with 70,000 people and it was amazing.

"This game will be important not just for women’s football but for me as a player. I will tell my child I played at Wembley in front of 90,000 and it will be special for me."

‘This is the time of my life’ says Sundhage

18:20 , Mike Jones

Pia Sundhage was the first women to score an international goal at the old Wembley Stadium, having scoreed for Sweden against England in 1989.

The head coach of Brazil women’s team then led the USA to the 2012 Olympic title in front of 80,203 supporters at Wembley, in a tournament which was widely considered a watershed moment for women’s football in this country.

Sundhage has journeyed a long road to get to this stage and is excited for tonight’s 90,000 sell out at Wembley.

“I am feeling old and young at the same time! Can you imagine?” Sundhage said, “Back then we didn’t have any crowds at all. Press conferences? Nada. And here we are.

“It is a fantastic journey women’s football has taken and I just want to emphasise how important it is because we have spoken about having women in positions [of power] – when I was young, we didn’t even have women’s players to look up to. It was Cruyff, Pele and Beckenbauer.

“Now today you can mention a lot of great [women’s] players and role models and also great coaches. So this is the time of my life.”

Lauren Hemp praises decision to remove white shorts from England kit

18:15 , Mike Jones

Lauren Hemp praised the decision to change England’s new kit from white to blue shorts as a “massive step in the right direction".

“I really like it,” said the Manchester City forward, “It’s a nice change. I like different kits with bright colours which is obviously what we’ve got. I’m excited to play in it.

“It’s really important to us as players. It’s been in discussions for years and it’s important we feel confident when we’re playing.

“This is a massive step in the right direction and Nike have taken a lot from our discussions in the past to make it real now and now we can feel comfortable when sometimes we might not have been if it was your time of the month.

“It’s great to move away from the white shorts, not having that worry and focusing on the game in hand.”

Lionesses switch to blue shorts for Women’s World Cup after players voice period concerns

18:10 , Mike Jones

The Lionesses will wear blue shorts at the Women’s World Cup this summer after players voiced concerns over the impracticalities of wearing white shorts when they are on their period.

England wore all-white as they won the European Championships on home soil last year but Nike have unveiled significant changes to the kit’s design for the World Cup. The home kit features dark blue shorts, mirroring the trim on the white shirt, while the away kit is based around a lighter blue shade with patterned design.

England players revealed during the Euros last summer that discussions had taken place with Nike around changing the colour of home kit’s shorts, with forward Beth Mead saying that the squad were “hopeful for change” ahead of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Lionesses switch to blue shorts after players voice period concerns

What is the Finalissima?

18:05 , Mike Jones

Finalissima is a newly re-introduced competition played between the winners of the Copa America and the Euros.

The men’s game has been held on three occasions, 1985 and 1993 under the name of the ‘Intercontinental Cup’ before being relaunched in 2022 under the ‘Finalissima’ name.

Argentina were victorious in the tournament last year winning 3-0 against Italy thanks to goals from Lautaro Martinez, Angel Di Maria and Paolo Dybala at Wembley.

Today’s fixture is the first time that a women’s version of the fixture will take place. Wembley once again hosts the match and it’s another sell out crowd to see the Lionesses play.

England vs Brazil prediction

18:00 , Mike Jones

Sarina Wiegman’s unbeaten England should be strong enought to take victory in the first edition of the Women’s Finalissima as they continue their preparations for the World Cup.

England 2-1 Brazil

England vs Brazil predicted line-ups

17:55 , Mike Jones

England XI: Earps; Bronze, , Williamson, Carter, Greenwood; Toone, Walsh, Stanway; James, Russo, Kelly

Brazil XI: Luciana; Bruninha, Lauren, Rafaelle, Tamires; Geyse, Ary Borges, Kerolin, Adriana; Bia Zaneratto, Nunes.

What is the early team news?

17:50 , Mike Jones

Sarina Wiegman named a largely settled squad ahead of the Finalissima, though Lucy Parker could press for an international debut after a recent return to fitness. Millie Bright was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury, with Lotte Wubben-Moy called up in the central defender’s stead. With Beth Mead unlikely to be fit for the World Cup, Wiegman will continue to assess her forward options.

Brazil, meanwhile, have suffered a major injury blow with Marta ruled out with a muscular issue. Palmeiras midfielder Duda Santos has been called up to replace the country’s all-time top scorer. Andressa Alves has also been added to Pia Sundhage’s squad, with Nycole another injury absentee.

How to watch the Finalissima

17:45 , Mike Jones

England vs Brazil is due to kick off at 7.45pm BST on Thursday 6 April at Wembley Stadium in London.

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV. Coverage begins on ITV4 at 7pm BST, before moving to the main ITV1 channel at 7.30pm.

Registered users can stream the action for free via ITVX.

England vs Brazil

17:05 , Mike Jones

Hello and welcome to The Independent’s coverage of the Women’s Finalissima between England and Brazil at Wembley.

The champions of Europe take on the champions of South America for the first time in Women’s football after England defeated Germany 2-1 in extra-time of the Euro 2022 final while Brazil beat Colombia 1-0, securing their eighth Copa America success in nine attempts.

Both sides will be looking to make history by winning the inaugural edition of the competition, following in the footsteps of Argentina who won the men’s version in June 2022.

Sarina Wiegman will want to continue her unbeaten streak as head coach of the Lionesses but may tweak the personnel and tactics as she continues to experiment ahead of the Women’s World Cup this summer.

Kick off for this one is at 7.45pm and we’ll have all the build-up, team news and updates from this huge clash at Wembley.