England celebrates Alessia Russo's winning goal and reaching the Women's World Cup final. Photo: Getty Images/Steve Christo
This is a spectacle that three out of every four people in the country have never had the honor of witnessing. Yes, England in the World Cup final. Enjoy this reality for a moment. Let the full resonance be absorbed. «1966 and all» Geoff Hurst titled his memoir, referring to the most memorable achievement in English sport and all the mythology it spawned. This happened 33 years before the birth of Ella Toon, Alessia Russo or Lauren Hemp, three heroines of a fitful night in Sydney. But now the 2023 release has forever entered folklore. Immortality can still wait.
Glory is no longer sepia. Surprisingly, it belongs today thanks to Sarina Wigman and her team of intrepid pioneers. There are moments when Wigman, in his charmingly literal Dutch fashion, struggles to figure out the intense hysteria the game is causing in her adopted country. But even she could not help but be seized by the ardor of the stage. — Am I in a fairy tale? she asked.
Only this time it's not fantasy. The dreams of every young footballer on all football fields in the country have finally come true. Rousseau, speaking on behalf of the nation, said: «We've been dreaming about this since we were little girls.» The achievement of any major final can hardly be overestimated. The British have achieved this only twice in their history, both on home soil. Now, in 13 months, the Lionesses have grown to two.
Mary Earps leads the dressing room celebration. Photo: Getty Images/Naomi Baker
Unlike Wembley last summer, there was no home advantage against Australia. England marched into the Sydney cauldron, faced with 75,000 fans who really went crazy because of Matilda's march. The Daily Tillygraph is the name given to the Sydney-based Daily Telegraph, which was already reveling in sending a helicopter to spy on training in England. Brisbane's Courier-Mail has become Kerr-ier Mail in honor of Sam Kerr, the Chelsea striker whose stunning second-half shot has gone straight into World Cup canon. But even amid the green and gold whirlwind, England retained her composure.
“We stuck to the plan and it worked,” Wigman said. «Again.» She is the inspiration not only for capturing the greatest trophies, but also for learning to repeat the pattern. After leading Holland into the thin air of two finals, she became the first coach in the sport to reach a World Cup final with two different countries. This achievement deserves the most sincere respect. The same goes for the Lionesses, who break down barriers in a manner English football is unfamiliar with.
They could so easily shudder when faced with the host nation's rapturous love for Kerr. They could buckle under the weight of the match: England and Australia are a spicy sports match at the best of times, but even more so in the shadow of the hectic Ashes series. Instead, they prevailed without a shadow of self-doubt. Once Kerr equalized, Hemp regained the lead. And with Kerr still agonizing over a golden 2-2 chance, Russo stole third from England. These hallmarks of resilience are ones that English national teams have spent decades trying to perfect. Now, under the stoic captaincy of Millie Bright, they have done it.
England players enjoy the moment. Photo: Getty Images/Naomi Baker
Bright thought she had never known such thinking. “It comes through Sarina and the faith she gives us,” she said. “We can play differently. That's the beauty of this squad. Whatever the opponent throws at us, we adapt and find a way to win.” This is an invaluable quality. And this was reflected in each of the three goals scored, and the dexterity of execution corresponded to the patience of building up.
There's an old adage in sports that the more you keep knocking on a door, the more likely it will eventually open. The Lionesses are living proof of this: after the agony of 2015 and 2019, when they lost in the semi-finals against Japan and the USA, in Australia they exude the air of a team that knows how to step over the line. Encouraged by their triumph at the European Championships last year, they knew that anything less than one more performance in the final could be taken as a step back. They didn't let danger stop them for a second, rushing past Australia as if it were divine destiny.
Once all the chaos subsides, they will learn that the Rubicon has yet to be crossed. The reason why 1966 is so memorable in the collective mind is not because England made it to the final, but because they won the sport's top prize. This is the message that Wigman will try to convey. Unlike her players, she knows what it's like to be in the World Cup final, having been there four years ago with the Dutch national team. This match against the United States remains the only major tournament clash she lost. It was a rare experience of pain, but she is desperately trying to get rid of it.
What's so nice about the wave that England rides on is that they never seem to dwell on the past, instead always looking for new lands to conquer. There was a possibility that the joy of beating Germany at Wembley might have ended. But this turned out to be just a punctuation mark in their quest to create a dynasty. The US was once unbeatable, winning two World Cups in the 1990s and two more in the 2010s. England don't have the same pedigree to draw on, but they exude the conviction of a team that knows it's their time. First stop in Europe, then stop in the world.
Crying fans celebrate England's progress to the World Cup final at a screening in London. Photo: PA/Victoria Jones
The effect is visible everywhere you look. Just as the Lionesses were a favorite in Trafalgar Square last July, they brought bars and town squares together in rapturous amazement at Wednesday's quiet lunchtime. The striking thing about these viewers is how young they are: the girls have already gotten down to business in their Toone and Russo t-shirts. Thanks to the last workshop in Sydney, they are devotees for life.
You want to tell them that it didn't always work out that way. You want to remind them of all the suffering they went through along the way, all the times when it seemed that the pinnacle of England's aspirations was a place in the bottom four. But it is better, of course, to bask in the rays of a side that refuses to be limited by what was before. There is no trace of an inferiority complex, no sense of expectation that they cannot justify. After so many years of watching an England almost physically collapse under the weight of public expectation, how refreshing it is to watch the players use it as rocket fuel.
At one time, much of this would have seemed unbelievable. When English women reached the first Euro final in 1984, the match lasted 35 minutes each way and was played on a quagmire field in Luton that would have put Hackney Marches to shame. The old grey-haired prejudices about female weakness proved stubborn, pushing the female game to the periphery. But a team focused on the World Cup firmly brought him to the fore. The crowd at Wembley is no longer an aberration, but the norm. Advertisers go out of their way to make themselves known. And most importantly, the Lionesses continue to deliver great results.
Lauren Hemp celebrates England's 2-1 win Ahead. Photo: Getty Images/Zhizhao Wu
The attractiveness of investing in women's football was already evident. As the adventure at the Euro showed, it was possible to enjoy a big final without becoming the hell of cocaine and broken glass that marked the male equivalent 12 months ago. Children can enjoy the match without seeing or hearing anything unspeakable.
Of course, any temptation to overdo it with virtue should be resisted. As Lauren James showed at this World Championship, with her spikes in the butt of Michelle Alozi of Nigeria, the Lionesses are not perfect. But what they are undoubtedly are natural winners, refusing to acknowledge any limits to their ambitions. On Sunday, the last ceiling is to be broken. Only a fool would bet against them. These whispers that he will return home are getting louder by the minute. This is a team that is not horrified but happy to be billed as a history maker.
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