(CNN) It just couldn’t have gone much better than that.
For England, Tuesday night was like a fairytale after it thumped Sweden 4-0 to advance to the Women’s Euro 2022 final.
Following two recent semifinal heartbreaks, goals from Beth Mead, Lucy Bronze, Alessia Russo and Fran Kirby helped ease fears of more pain.
But the main talking point was Russo’s creative and brilliant back-heel in the second half which squeaked through goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl’s legs, sparking scenes of wild celebration.
And just like the England players on the pitch who couldn’t believe what they’d just seen, social media and fans alike were also gobsmacked by the moment of genius from the English forward.
Some called it “sublime” and some called it “outrageous.” US Women’s legend Abby Wambach — scorer of 184 international goals — couldn’t help praising Russo.
“I dreamt of scoring a goal like that my whole life. Never happened. Alessia Russo take a bow. Go on England,” she tweeted.
Chelsea and Australia star Sam Kerr also was on hand to show her appreciation: “Not gonna lie, that was lit from Russo.”
The Wednesday morning newspapers in the UK took the opportunity to pay homage to Russo’s finish, with the Daily Mirror saying: “Heel’s on fire.”
