England’s Chloe Kelly has scored the winning spot-kick to settle the inaugural women’s Finalissima after a dramatic game against Brazil watched by more than 83,000 fans at Wembley ended in a 4-2 penalty shootout victory.

Manchester City's Sam Mewis celebrates after scoring her side's first goal during the Women's FA Cup final soccer match between Everton and Manchester City at Wembley stadium in London, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020. (Adam Davy/Pool via AP)LONDON – Just when it really mattered, the routine Sam Mewis worked on at Manchester City with teammate Alex Greenwood in the days before the FA Cup final finally came off. “There are girls who played in the FA Cup last year to get us to this point." This was City’s third Women’s FA Cup triumph in four seasons — a winning streak that began with another American, Carli Lloyd, netting in the 2017 victory over Birmingham. Mewis wasn’t the first American to score in a pandemic-delayed FA Cup final at Wembley in 2020.

After a pandemic-induced end to last season, women's soccer in England seems reborn with the arrival of World Cup-winning Americans, a slew of Australians and robust enthusiasm about the league's potential. Women's teams could only watch as the Premier League restarted and finished its season following a coronavirus stoppage. Their six-month wait is nearly over, and optimism abounds in the Womens Super League. The Football Association, which runs the WSL, says the twin bill is designed to boost visibility of the womens game. Before the pandemic, attendance was rising, likely boosted by England reaching back-to-back Womens World Cup semifinals.