Heartbreak for Lionesses as England lose Women’s World Cup Final

Often, it is fleeting and singular moments which define competitions. If there is one from England’s World Cup campaign, it was definitely Mary Earps’s penalty save late on in the final.

So recurrently during England’s exciting summer in Australia, it was the defence which got the nation out of trouble time and time again. This was, after all, an England team bereft of the attacking talent of Fran Kirby and Beth Mead.

Firstly, Earps was a deserved winner of the tournament’s Best Goalkeeper award. Being between the sticks for an international side is a tough ask, so frequent are the challenges of penalty shootouts and crucial moments. But the 30-year-old embodied the part, fierce in her resistance to Jennifer Hermoso’s penalty in the final and clinical in her saving abilities.

Looking beyond that, Millie Bright and Alex Greenwood particularly impressed.

Bright had only recently returned from a knee surgery lay-off, caused by an injury she suffered for Chelsea in their Champions League quarter-final with Lyon in March.

Her interim captaincy, taken up in light of Leah Williamson’s absence, looked potentially in peril.

But Bright was an assuring and commanding figure from the back, showing no signs of tentativeness or fatigue on her return to fitness.

It may have taken her a bit of time to regain her full capacity, but, once she did, she helped keep England’s defence watertight and a key base to build on.

This Lionesses World Cup campaign may well have become forever associated with one young star, Lauren James, were it not for her untimely red card against Nigeria.

As for Greenwood, she was perhaps the unspoken hero of England’s campaign. Her passing abilities in the competition were a class above the rest, a highly significant cog in the Lionesses’s attacking machine.

This was also after a Euros campaign last year which she observed mostly from the bench, as well as an omission from the Great Britain Olympic squad in 2021. Kudos to her for making herself a shoo-in for England going forward.

Chelsea’s (Warwick-born!) Jess Carter is another who warrants a mention. Despite perhaps being a lesser part in that crucial back three matching, she did not let her inexperience in an England shirt affect her. There was perhaps no interception more significant than her goal-denying stoppage of Australia’s Emily van Egmond in the semi-finals, thus cementing a fantastic campaign from another player who had previously spent time on the fringes of selection.

This Lionesses World Cup campaign may well have become forever associated with one young star, Lauren James, were it not for her untimely red card against Nigeria.

The dismissal, undoubtedly frustrating though fair, put her out of England’s quarter-final and semi-final. James had helped to set a somewhat tame start to the group stage alight for the nation; impressive performances against Denmark and particularly China carried England into the last 16.

Her subsequent red card proved a cruel blow, reminiscent of the sendings off experienced by David Beckham and Wayne Rooney in recent international tournaments. A brief cameo in the final as things started to slip away for England was a bittersweet reminder of what the Lionesses had lost.

The absences of Leah Williamson, Fran Kirby and Beth Mead, as well as the retirements of Jill Scott and Ellen White, had led some to believe England would be up against it as the tournament progressed. But if this was a weakened England side, one dreads to think what a fuller strength team could have looked like.

So much of the success of this England side is owed to the work of manager Sarina Wiegman who boasts a superb competition record both during her time at St. George’s Park and with the Dutch national side.

Alessia Russo has all the natural poise and confidence of a leading striker and seems to have no difficulty in transferring the talent she has demonstrated in the Women’s Super League onto the international stage.

The 24-year-old has quickly developed a very effective partnership with Lauren Hemp, as well as Ella Toone in the number 10 role, which was perhaps on no finer display than in the semi-final against Australia.

Defensive midfielder Keira Walsh caused significant alarm when she went down injured against Denmark – thankfully the damage proved less severe than first feared.

Returning in an amended role given the subsequent tactical tweaks, she still proved an effective presence in the middle of the park.

Georgia Stanway also met the high bar set by her series of top performances at last summer’s European Championships. The Manchester City player looks set to remain one of the top talents in world football.

So much of the success of this England side is owed to the work of manager Sarina Wiegman who boasts a superb competition record both during her time at St. George’s Park and with the Dutch national side.

It is perhaps no surprise that she has been eyed up for other jobs in management, including a potential shot at the United States job.

Runners-up it was to be for England in the end this campaign, eventually losing out to winners Spain 1-0.

Ahead of the World Cup final, the Dutchwoman seemed keen to dismiss any links, but keeping hold of the 53-year-old will be an important priority for the FA going forward.

Runners-up it was to be for England in the end this campaign, eventually losing out to winners Spain 1-0.

Notably tighter than the more expansive Australia semi-final, the Lionesses ultimately came a cropper in midfield, struggling to create any space given Spain’s strength there.

It ultimately came down to one goal, a sloppy loss of possession by an under-par Lucy Bronze.

Her move to cut inside, which forged the Spanish opportunity, left the flanks wide open for a clean-cut attack on goal.

It was an unfortunate mistake by Bronze, who has been a mainstay through England’s evolution in recent years and had long coveted the chance to play a World Cup final.

Featuring in England’s 2015 and then 2019 World Cup campaigns, she had tasted two semi-final defeats before – making the final in Australia was clearly a defining achievement.

Now at 31, she is one of a small handful of players who may well be slowly edging their way out of the Lionesses setup.

Sarina Wiegman has already demonstrated in her omission of Steph Houghton from selection this competition that she favours developing players over those with far more minutes in an England shirt.

It would therefore not be a surprise to see a new face in that position soon for the Lionesses.

And with women’s football continuing to transform at an enormous pace, change might well be in order for England more widely.

The next World Cup is likely to see that gap narrow much further still, particularly with the 32-team-strong draw now established.

As Martin Samuel pointed out in The Times, the game may well be heading far more definitively in the direction of technique-centred players, evident in Spain’s line-up.

Their quality of passing marked them out from England’s at times sluggish and error-ridden play in the middle third, and could well be the marginal difference which defines the evolution of the game.

Moreover, it will not simply start and end with Spain. England’s opponents Colombia and Haiti both showed a keenness for creativity and the ability to create overloads on the pitch.

While England may well be moving forward quicker than ever, they can feel an increasing number of smaller and newer footballing nations at their heels.

The players to watch in future campaigns are likely to be younger and more creative players like Haiti’s Melchie Dumornay, now with Lyon and much admired across the game.

It may not be time to press the panic button for England. They remain one of the top nations in women’s football, with an entirely professional and expanding domestic league packed with talent.

It may well have been a disappointing ending to England’s four-weeks down under, but its impact on fostering future growth will surely be huge.

But while the gulf between well-established nations like the USA and Germany (who both suffered early exits this tournament) and those further down the rankings used to be huge, it is now far less noticeable.

The next World Cup is likely to see that gap narrow much further still, particularly with the 32-team-strong draw now established.

Hopes for further silverware may well still be high, but the Lionesses now have far greater competition to contend with.

Nonetheless, for a second successive summer, England’s Lionesses have given the whole nation a brilliant team to get behind.

Even with its early kick off times, the World Cup still managed to capture the imagination of fans across the country. England’s leading stars are fast becoming established names, and it is hard to imagine another major tournament ever passing fans by again.

It may well have been a disappointing ending to England’s four-weeks down under, but its impact on fostering future growth will surely be huge.

You only have to look to Australia to see how quickly interest can be generated, with the host nation becoming football-mad overnight.

It all points to exciting times ahead for the game. For England, Australia and indeed the wider world, long may it continue.