Sweden wins Eurovision, but UK is second from last

Sweden's Loreen has won the Eurovision Song Contest for the 2nd time, with her soaring popular anthem Tattoo.

The star, who past won the contention successful 2012, saw disconnected contention from Italy and Israel successful a nail-biting vote.

The UK's Mae Muller failed to replicate Sam Ryder's occurrence past year, coming successful 25th spot - 1 supra bottom.

And the Princess of Wales made a astonishment cameo, playing the soft with past year's winners Kalush Orchestra.

Loreen is the lone the 2nd idiosyncratic - and the archetypal pistillate - to triumph Eurovision twice, aft Ireland's Johnny Logan.

"This is truthful overwhelming," she said arsenic she collected the trophy. "I'm truthful grateful. I'm truthful thankful."

Sweden's triumph means it volition big adjacent year's contention - connected what volition beryllium the 50th day of Abba's historical triumph with Waterloo successful 1974.

It present ties with Ireland arsenic the state with the astir Eurovision wins of each time: They person 7 each.

But Ireland crashed retired of this year's contention astatine the semi-final signifier for the 5th twelvemonth successful a row.

"It feels similar an yearly Groundhog Day", the caput of Ireland's delegation, Michael Kealy told RTÉ News aft the result.

"It's a batch of affectional superior connected our Eurovision effort each year. It's devastating we don't get done to the final."

Liverpool hosted this year's contention connected behalf of war-torn Ukraine, which won successful 2022.

Appropriately, the amusement began with past year's winners, Kalush Orchestra, playing an extended mentation of their opus Stefania successful a pre-taped conception from war-torn Kyiv.

Stars including Joss Stone, Sam Ryder and Andrew Lloyd Webber added a British flavour to the song, arsenic the set boarded a bid from the iconic Maidan Nezalezhnosti metro presumption and arrived connected the signifier of the Liverpool Arena.

Princess Kate accompanied connected piano, successful a little conception recorded successful the crimson drafting country of Windsor Castle earlier this month.

Back successful the arena, Kalush performed their caller azygous Changes, delivering a connection of defiance to Russia: "Give my each down to the ligament / Set maine free."

It was the archetypal of galore references to the war, successful a amusement that took a much governmental code than astir editions of Eurovision.

Croatia's Let 3! performed a opus that referred to Russia's Vladimir Putin arsenic a "crocodile psychopath", portion the Czech set Vesna sang successful Ukrainian, "We're with you successful our hearts".

Ukraine's ain entry, Tvorchi, whose rehearsals astatine location were interrupted by aerial raid sirens, played a almighty opus inspired by the siege of Mariupol.

Russia has been suspended from the contention owed to the invasion, but organisers refused to let a code from Ukraine's President Volodomyr Zelensky during the show.

Elsewhere, Eurovision was Eurovision. There were 80s-inspired tributes to Miami Vice, a shade communicative astir Edgar Allen Poe and, naturally, a tear-away dress.

But the philharmonic constituent of the contention continues to improve.

Spain's Blanca Paloma combined accepted flamenco rhythms with a throbbing electro pulse connected the vibrant, urgent EAEA; and France's La Zarra tied unneurotic decades of Gallic euphony past successful the Piaf-meets-Daft-Punk Évidemment.

Acts from Armenia, Poland and Israel - particularly Israel - threw slick creation breaks into their performances; portion Italy's Marco Mengoni was accompanied by 2 gymnasts connected trampolines.

There was besides the accustomed surfeit of tortured ballads, some bully (Lithuania) and drab (Albania); and a never-ending parade of lyrics astir coming unneurotic and being bully to your neighbours (Belgium, Switzerland, Australia).

In a post-modern twist, the contention was bookended by 2 songs astir the process of songwriting.

Austrian duo Teya & Salena kicked disconnected the amusement with the quirky popular anthem Who The Hell Is Edgar, successful which they are possessed by the tone of US writer Edgar Allen Poe, who compels them to constitute a song.

An hour-and-a-half later, Mae Muller closed the contention with I Wrote A Song - successful which she gets revenge connected her ex-boyfriend by penning a opus that catalogues his misdemeanours.

It meant the contention opened with the lyric,"Oh my God, you're specified a bully writer", and ended with Muller singing, "Instead, I wrote a song".

And if that's not synchronicity, I don't cognize what is.

The contention was presented by Alesha Dixon, Hannah Waddingham and Ukrainian vocalist Julia Sanina, with Graham Norton joining them during the voting stage.

The interval showcased the "Liverpool songbook" with tracks by John Lennon, Melanie C and Gerry and the Pacemakers performed by erstwhile Eurovision contestants.

And Sam Ryder, who came 2nd for the UK past year, performed an affectional mentation of his caller single, Mountains, with Queen's Roger Taylor connected drums.

Ryder, whose opus is astir overcoming adversity, was accompanied connected signifier by dancers who had mislaid limbs.

Loreen easy won the assemblage vote, picking up the maximum 12 points from Ireland, Estonia, Spain, Albania, Cyprus and Ukraine, amongst others.

She ended the assemblage series with a people of 340, giving her a comfy 163-point pb implicit Italy's Marco Mengoni.

But the nationalist preferred Finnish rapper Käärijä, giving him 526 points, temporarily putting him successful the lead.

Loreen reclaimed the crown astatine the past minute, with the nationalist people of 243 putting her backmost connected top.

The UK languished astatine the bottommost of the table, picking up conscionable 9 points from the nationalist and 15 from the juries.

Only Germany fared worse. Their glam-rock opus Blood And Glitter gained a specified 18 points.