Women’s World Cup LIVE: England reach first final and latest reaction to brilliant win

According to Opta, Ella Toone is the first England player, male or female, to score in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of a major international tournament.

• QF – against Spain at Euro 2022
• SF – against Australia at the 2023 World Cup
• Final – against Germany at Euro 2022

Ella Toone scored a superb opener for England against Australia in the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup.

The Manchester United star threw the ball high into the top corner before enthusiastically rolling away with her team-mates.

The 23-year-old, who took her chance in place of the suspended Lauren James, explained her celebrations ahead of time.

Lauren Hemp didn’t have to look; She already had the image in her head. After playing everywhere for England for 86 minutes, Hemp again managed to veer away from Katrina Gorry and slide into space, sliding left to make room on the right. As Australia pulled away, Hemp opened up the angle and played the ball back to Alessia Russo – her goal all along. Then came the ending, deep and controlled, a clinical conclusion to a merciless performance on a brave evening. Cool, calm and composed, it secured England a place in the World Cup final and summarized how they beat Australia.

“Incredible finish, incredible pass,” said Sarina Wiegman. For the second year in a row their top two players were both on the scoresheet, Hemp and Russo scoring in the semis, as they did in the quarters, just as Wiegman had planned. Except, of course, that nobody expected it in a tournament where things seldom went according to plan for England and they were forced to adapt. The Lionesses went into the World Championship with seven forwards and will likely start Sunday’s finals with just two in attacking positions; Hemp and Russo are their unlikely combination.

Alex Greenwood claimed she “couldn’t put it into words,” so she just kept repeating the words that made her feel that way. “We’re in the World Cup final.”

“I just have to keep saying it,” she laughed.

It’s a glorious fact that’s worth actually pondering, although thoughts quickly turned to Sunday, what’s next, who’s starting and whether Lauren James will come in.

If winning the World Cup is the big goal of any career, the final itself is the big stage. Those who step onto the pitch leave their own mark on history, in the very line-ups that are part of the record that makes football so rich.

“We wanted to take England and women’s football to a new level and we’ve certainly done that over the last 12 months,” said Ella Toone. They took everything to the highest level for the first time.

It’s worth celebrating as Sarina Wiegman and the players insisted they would.

By Miguel Delaney in Sydney

Lauren James could be back in the World Cup final after her England team-mates secured their place in Sunday’s final in Sydney with a 3-1 win over hosts Australia.

James has been banned for two games by Fifa after being sent off in their round of 16 win over Nigeria for punching defender Michelle Alozie in the knockout game that England won on penalties.

The Chelsea star missed both England’s 2-1 win over Colombia in the quarter-finals and the semi-final win over Australia, where Ella Toone’s first-half piledriver, Lauren Hemp’s second-half finish and Alessia Russo’s late strike eliminated the hosts from a final set up with Spain.

James was automatically handed a one-game ban and feared being ruled out of the tournament altogether, with FIFA typically escalating cases of “violent conduct” to up to a three-game ban. However, the world governing body’s disciplinary committee showed leniency and James was now able to return to the World Cup final.

Whether she is in the starting XI depends on whether manager Sarina Wiegman wants to change a winning team. The same starting XI beat Colombia and Australia to reach the final and Toone – James’s number 10 substitute in those two games – scored a brilliant goal in the semi-finals.

England stormed into their first ever Women’s World Cup final after beating Australia 3-1.

Goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo were enough to knock out the Matildas in Sydney.

Australia was gripped by World Cup fever after the Matildas’ dramatic penalty shoot-out win over France in the quarter-finals became the country’s most-watched sporting event since the 2000 Olympics, but Sarina Wiegman’s side had too much to offer in the semi-finals. Final.

But on Sunday the European champions meet Spain in Sydney after La Roja defeated Sweden 2-1 in the other semi-final.

Get the latest offers from soccer betting sites and the latest soccer match odds here. Here’s everything you need to know about the Lionesses Run Down Under:

Lucy Bronze was visibly touched after the Lionesses’ commanding semi-final win over Australia. Bronze was interviewed on the pitch by the BBC and asked how she was feeling. She had trouble finding words.

She said: “I don’t know. That’s the only thing I’ve always wanted: to reach the final of the World Championship. Having experienced such disappointment twice, I can’t believe it.”

When asked what coach Sarina Wiegman had to say after the scrum win, Bronze said: “We just played the game the way we wanted it to. We were resilient and determined.”

A certain hurdle has long been considered insurmountable in English football. Whether it’s the men’s or women’s game, reaching a final was a step too far for even the most talented teams; The so-called ‘golden generations’ tried their luck, but no matter how hard England tried or how much they reinvented their game, it didn’t work.

That was until Sarina Wiegman showed up. A manager who is considered “phenomenal”, a “genius” and undoubtedly one of the greats.

Sydney’s Adam Millington on the Lionesses’ exceptional coach:

Harry Kane and the Prince of Wales led the congratulations after England beat co-hosts Australia 3-1 to reach their first World Cup final.

The Lionesses edged past the Matildas in front of a crowd of 75,784 thanks to second-half goals from Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo.

Ella Toone had put England ahead in the first half but Sam Kerr struck a mighty equalizer before Hemp and Russo helped Sarina Wiegman’s side end their run of eliminations in their last four games at the World Cup.

Kane, England’s record men’s goalscorer, was able to react immediately in an interview with Sky Sports: “Congratulations to the Lionesses.” That sounds like a great game and I congratulate you very much. We’re all behind them and we hope they make it to the final.”

The prince tweeted his best wishes to the lionesses for the final and offered his condolences to Australia.

“What a phenomenal performance by the Lionesses – all the way to the final,” he said. “Many thanks to the Matildas, you played brilliantly and were fantastic co-hosts of this World Cup.”

But that wasn’t the EM final. That wasn’t Wembley. This time England was the enemy, deep in the land of Matildas fever. This time they faced the crowd, the noise, the taunts and boos, the helicopters hovering over their training session and doling out photos of their plans in the morning papers. They faced Australia’s biggest night in a generation. They experienced the spirit of Cathy Freeman and a moment that would unite the country. They faced Sam Kerr and heard the outburst that greeted the World Cup star finally having his moment.

Complete history of Jamie Braidwood in Sydney.