Franz Beckenbauer tips ‘physically, mentally better’ Germany to beat England in Euro 2022 final — on penalties – The Athletic

Franz Beckenbauer has backed a Germany side he believes are “physically and mentally” better than England to win the Euro 2022 final — on penalties.

Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses face Martina Voss-Tecklenburg’s European heavyweights in Sunday’s showpiece game at Wembley, where a tournament-record crowd of almost 90,000 is expected.

England are aiming to win their first major women’s tournament title on the site where the men’s national team beat West Germany to win its only major trophy to date, the 1966 World Cup — a match Beckenbauer played in.

The Lionesses have won just two of their last 12 fixtures in the head-to-head stakes and Bayern and Germany legend Beckenbauer reckons the eight-time European champions will prevail again in a match he predicts will go the distance.

“My tip: Our women win the Wembley title,” Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup with West Germany as a player in 1974 and a manager in 1990, told BILD.

“But it won’t be easy against the strong English team. Draw after 90 minutes. In extra time, both teams score one goal each. Penalty shoot-out.