It was not to be. The Lionesses experienced the agony of losing in the Women’s World Cup final as they succumbed to Spain 1-0. The 57-year wait for a senior England side to once again become world champions goes on.
Sarina Wiegman had led the Lionesses to a second tournament final in a row — and, remarkably, her fourth consecutive final taking her time as head coach of the Netherlands into account. After England triumphed at last year’s home Euros, confidence was high going into this final.
The off-field issues affecting the Spanish team were well-documented, with 15 players having withdrawn themselves from international selection less than a year ago in objection to manager Jorge Vilda’s methods, with only three returning for this World Cup amid rumours that the rift has not entirely healed.
As expected, Spain dominated the ball and pressed England high in the first half, forcing the Lionesses to go more direct to forwards Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo. After a fairly open start where both sides went close to an opener — Hemp hitting the bar for England — Spain’s dominance began to tell.
They took the lead through Olga Carmona’s angled shot into the corner after exploiting the space vacated by Lucy Bronze, who was dispossessed after carrying the ball into a congested midfield. England survived several other first-half scares, with Salma Paralluelo going close.
That prompted Wiegman to make bold half-time changes, bringing on Lauren James and Chloe Kelly for Russo and Rachel Daly, changing system to try to wrestle back more control. Yet the Lionesses were indebted to goalkeeper Mary Earps, who saved Jenni Hermoso’s 69th-minute penalty as a VAR check adjudged Keira Walsh had handled in the area.
Despite 13 minutes being added on, Spain held fast and England could not build enough momentum to find an equaliser.
The Athletic’s Jacob Whitehead is joined by Junior Spain Editor Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero and data analyst Mark Carey to analyse a tense final at Stadium Australia.
Wiegman’s tactical gamble
Going into the final, Wiegman’s main tactical decision was whether to start Ella Toone or Lauren James at No 10.
James starred in her three starts — scoring three goals and providing three assists — but was sent off for a stamp in a high-pressure scenario against Nigeria, and was banned until the final. Toone is only 23, but still has more top-level experience than James — and despite showing indifferent form over the last year, repaid Wiegman’s trust with the opening goal against Australia in the semi-final.
Toone started the final quietly, but that was not necessarily a surprise — her trademark is to press relentlessly and burst into the box late. When England do not dominate possession, she can often seem peripheral in attack.
(Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
That said, she missed a chance towards the end of the first half — and though she was later ruled offside, it did show a lack of sharpness. She was also slightly culpable for Lucy Bronze being dispossessed for Spain’s opening goal, sitting on her heels rather than offering an option.
Wiegman had a reputation for resisting changes — until this World Cup, where she has made more tactical tweaks than her previous three major tournaments put together. In the final, she made one of her most significant.
Rather than replace Toone at half-time, she chose to bring on James for Alessia Russo, also swapping Rachel Daly with Chloe Kelly. It led to a system change — 4-2-3-1. This is the same formation which England started the game against Denmark with, before Walsh’s injury, with James on the left and Toone central.
England’s width was now more unrestrained by defensive duties, with Chloe Kelly finding space on the right to whip crosses in. It was perhaps surprising that converted winger Lauren Hemp stayed as the spearhead rather than Russo — but after 50 minutes, the Manchester City forward had taken all four of England’s shots.
Ultimately, however, the change was not enough to force an equaliser.
Jacob Whitehead
Carmona comes up trumps again
Olga Carmona has only scored three goals for Spain — but two of those have come on the biggest stage of all.
Carmona’s 89th-minute effort against Sweden sent her side through to their first-ever Women’s World Cup final, but this one was even better. It started with a fine cross-field pass from Teresa Abelleira to Mariona Caldentey, before the Barcelona forward laid off expertly for Carmona. Spain’s left-back and captain slotted home with a perfect finish that left Mary Earps with no chance.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
The Real Madrid defender was a constant threat down the left-hand side and her link-up play with Caldentey proved difficult for England to handle. Her goal also meant she became the second-youngest player to score in the semi-final and final of a single Women’s World Cup, behind Alex Morgan of the U.S.
23 – Aged 23 years and 69 days, Olga Carmona is the second-youngest player to score in both the semi-final and final of a single edition of a FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament, behind only Alex Morgan in 2011 (22y 15d). Example. pic.twitter.com/62tVwa4z34
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 20, 2023
At just 23 years old, she has ensured her name will go down in Spanish football history.
Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero
England going long
Realistically, we all knew how the game would pan out in Sydney.
Spain would dominate possession and England would go long periods without the ball — but it was what Sarina Wiegman’s side did with it when they did regain possession.
Given Spain’s approach, England’s share of passes that went long — which are passes of 35 yards or more — was unsurprisingly their highest of the tournament, with 16 per cent across the game. This was either through counter-attacking play after recovering the ball or from bypassing the midfield where Spain’s key strength lay.
However, the difficulty of going more direct is that there can often be a gap between the forward players and their supporting team-mates to catch up behind them. England did have some good counter-attacking opportunities that were snuffed out by Spain’s defence in the first half, as Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo were outnumbered in advanced areas.
Mark Carey
Bronze key in penalty miss
It would have been the cruelest way to concede in a World Cup final.
As Mariona Caldentey drove past Keira Walsh in the penalty area, Walsh’s outstretched arm — used in order to stop Caldentey accelerating past her — made contact with the ball as it flicked past her.
We can debate the award of the penalty and the long VAR discussion to reach their conclusion, but penalty was the decision.
England were helpless to change the outcome, but Lucy Bronze ensured that she did as much as she could to influence proceedings as Jennifer Hermoso stepped up.
Bronze stayed near the penalty spot to query Hermoso’s positioning of the ball on it, forcing the Spanish midfielder to re-spot the ball before taking her kick.
(Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
It was excellent mind games from Bronze — just as she has done earlier in the tournament during England’s penalty shootout against Nigeria.
“(Lucy) will do whatever she wants, whatever it takes to win,” Earps told The Athletic earlier this year. “We’re both not shy. If we can get an edge in any way then we’ll definitely do it.”
Research has shown there is a temporal link between a penalty being awarded and being subsequently taken — a longer duration between the two means the taker is less likely to score.
Mary Earps guessed correctly and kept England in the game after Hermoso’s well-struck penalty went low to the goalkeeper’s left — but Bronze must also be given credit for her role in the chaotic five minutes.
Mark Carey
Spain’s success has everything to do with their youth setup
For Spain to have made it to the World Cup final was remarkable given the off-the-pitch issues they have had to contend with over the last year.
To win it seemed more like a miracle — but this Spain side’s victory is down to continued success at youth level. While under-pressure head coach Jorge Vilda proved his mettle in guiding his team to victory, it also speaks to the talent coming through at all age levels for La Roja.
They are the reigning champions in the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups, both of which they won last year. Salma Paralluelo scored twice in the U20 final against Japan and has been a revelation at this tournament, even if she was slightly subdued in this match.
(Photo by Richard Callis/MB Media/Getty Images)
Spain did it the hard way — overcoming protest, their heaviest defeat since 2011 against Japan and, finally, a stubborn England team to emerge victorious. But spare a thought for world-class players such as Sandra Panos, Mapi Leon and Patri Guijarro — all of whom were part of the 15 players who called for change in the national setup and none of whom were present for this crowning win.
Tomas Hill Lopez-Menchero
What next for England?
In a way, it is striking that England made the final with such a transitional side. This team made the showpiece despite the retirement of top-scorer Ellen White after the Euros, and after injuries to Leah Williamson, Beth Mead, and Fran Kirby.
The majority of the starting XI will be available to play at the next European Championships in Switzerland in 2025. The main question-marks are over the full-backs.
Rachel Daly and Lucy Bronze will both be 33 at that tournament, playing in a position where athleticism is so vital. Though Daly is a striker by trade, Russo appears to have stamped her name on the starting jersey.
Those two aside, England’s starting XI in the final were all under 30. With 11 of England’s squad 24 years old or younger, this side has every chance of making three consecutive appearances in major tournament finals.
Wiegman’s contract does not expire until after 2025, and though there will be undoubted interest in her assistant Arjan Veurink, both are set to stay in charge.
“I’m with England, I’m really happy with England and I have a contract until 2025,” she said on Friday.
The Lionesses will come again.
Jacob Whitehead
(Top photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
