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The Women’s World Cup has concluded. After more than four weeks of dramatic action in Australia, Spain defeated England in the final on Sunday to reach the highest of peaks and, with it, footballing immortality. It’s not over the top to suggest it as such, either; some of the sport’s most iconic and memorable images down the years have come from this very tournament and that very match, both in the women’s and men’s games: Birgit Prinz’s joy in 2007, Lionel Messi lifting the trophy adorned in a bisht in Qatar, Brandi Chastain’s shirt-off shootout celebration, Pele carried off the Azteca pitch in 1970. Those images are as much a part of football history as the games and players themselves – yet the people who bring those moments, those stories to life are, by the very nature of being behind the camera, rarely as prominent. Over in Australia and New Zealand, Getty Images is one of the most prominent global photography organisations providing such reproductions and reflections of what’s going on in the 2023 edition, which makes Lead Photographer Catherine Ivill perhaps better-placed – literally as well as figuratively – than most to detail just how the emotions of the occasion can be captured for those not fortunate enough to have a watching brief. “What I like most about it is telling the story for people who aren’t in the stadium. What we see and hear is only one thing; if you’re not there you need it describing. It’s about the atmosphere, in the game but also until long after the final whistle,” she told The Independent. “A tournament like this has its challenges but these opportunities only come along every few years. The process doesn’t change, just the scale. We send a really strong, experienced team: we have 27 photographers and eight editors on the ground and we provide images across the world, just the same as at the men’s World Cup.” And so to the action, the images, the moments which live on. The 2023 tournament started back on 20 July and it’s fair to say the magic started then, too, as co-hosts New Zealand won their first-ever game at any World Cup, ever. “I was at the fan fest in Wellington during the opening game and the atmopshere was incredible,” Ivill explained. “That one goal changed everything for New Zealand football and people’s respect for it: that one goal has created a legacy for it in the country. It’s such an important moment, you see the subs, the smiling faces – it was a good day.” And yet, football has two sides to every coin. And when there is utter jubilation and euphoria at success on the biggest stage, so too must there be devastation, desperation, despair – as evidenced by Ivill capturing Italy crashing out at the group stage in heartbreaking, last-minute fashion. “Italy gave it away. The utter devastation they were feeling is clear. If [celebratory] stuff is going on at the other end then it’s not always a good photo – you always initially think about the celebration being the good photo but Italy were near me so I focused on how they were feeling, it tells the same story but from a different side.” Even in hard moments can come a softer side in sport though, a moment where rivals know what their beaten opponents are going through. “What I like most about the women’s game is the empathy,” Ivill says. “A lot of these players play together and it’s not always about the celebration at the final whistle. Nobody wants to feel that rubbish at the final whistle and they’re always very willing to go over and help the other team. “It was a hard-fought game and they’re picking her up off the floor – I really like the empathy and the strength that this type of picture gives you.” Sometimes the picture everyone wants to see isn’t necessarily a defining moment, but the players who matter most. One of the world’s finest players and one of the game’s most exciting young talents coming together briefly, for example. “It’s a bit of both luck and planning. Most is luck but of course you have the players in mind. Linda Caicedo has been one of the standouts of the tournament so she’d be someone I would be focusing on – and it just so happens Lucy Bronze comes along at the same time. One’s Real Madrid, one is Barcelona – on paper the rivalry is there too.” No matter how much planning and knowledge goes into proceedings, though, the surprising nature of football is what keeps people coming back – Japan thrashing Spain 4-0 in the group stage being a good example, as Ivill found out. “That game I was on my own and I was waiting to see if Alexia Putellas was starting. She was, so I thought it would be all Spain attack and took up my position behind the goal they’d be heading to...then it’s 3-0 to Japan at half-time and I’m sat at the other end, head in hands! Japan ran riot that game and all I can remember is sitting at the wrong end!” One interesting side note is the concept of taking photos she cannot actually see at the time – with England’s semi-final goal, scored by Lauren Hemp, providing a spectacular and unusual viewing angle. “We have a net cam and before the match we attach it to the goal. I’m firing the camera from a remote in my seat; it doesn’t work all the time as if the net gets hit it can swing or point the wrong way but it’s a great angle and only a few agencies do this, so it’s more of an exclusive image. “We don’t have a view of it in-game – I just have to hope it’s still in the place I left it! We set it up and then it either happens or it doesn’t.” As noted, Ivill remains in place long after the final whistle, long after fans have departed. Or most of them, anyway: the Japanese supporters have become much-admired for lingering later and tidying stadiums behind themselves and others. “They’re so well-known for cleaning up after matches. The players make origami figures and write thank you on the board in the changing rooms; the fans here have continued their tradition of going around after the game. “It doesn’t finish for me when the whistle blows and this shows that. I don’t finish until ages after everyone else has left the stadium.” The go-to, the standard, the expectations of match photos are the action shots: the goals, the saves, the moments people remember. But being in place for such a shot is more than luck and finger-on-the-trigger reflexes. There’s plenty of planning which goes into such an event, Ivill explains, whether from ensuring a team of three are focused on different groups or individuals in a penalty shoot-out, or to making sure potential occurrences are on their radar – such as Marta’s exit from her final World Cup appearance for Brazil. Meanwhile, there are in-the-moment issues and challenges to deal with, particularly around VAR in the modern game. Referees traipsing across the pitch to watch a monitor perhaps 40 yards away from the incident and the group of players can make a photo with context a “difficult” image to capture, with the digital screens a further complication as the LEDs are tricky to focus. Ultimately, though, everyone is at the football for one thing: winning. The celebrations which ensue – whether in the stands, in gatherings outside or right in the midst of the players themselves, are the ones which can linger longest in the memory. Naturally, the emotions which can explode at that point are in large part down to the circumstances of the match: the “unusual” moment of Sweden’s goalline technology-confirmed penalty shootout triumph over USA led to an incredibly up-close and intimate moment, where jubilation in the extreme was clear to see. Of course, Sweden’s adventure ended with a bronze medal as England reached the final with victory over the hosts. But the final chapter of this story saw Spain grasp their moment in the final. A moment which wasn’t the dream scenario for Ivill. one more chapter in this story to come, one more photo in particular to capture. And it’s fair to leave the final word on that to the person who’ll be taking it – and how pertinent that as football continues to catch up, a woman at the top of her profession will deservedly be in place to immortalise those who are celebrating. “I know I’m on the pitch and I’ll be bench-side for the final, so for the trophy lift, the longest-lasting photo, we’ll stand next to each other and have different lenses to capture different images,” she said before Sunday’s final. “My perfect one will be the Lionesses picking it up. That’s the picture for me.” Sometimes, the fairytale ending isn’t fulfilled. Read More Women’s World Cup 2023 LIVE: England head home after final heartbreak Women’s World Cup prize money: How much do the winners get? Lionesses receive surprise reception as they start journey back to England Mary Earps’ Golden Glove award isn’t enough to convince Nike to sell her shirt The two sides of the Women’s World Cup — and the truth about where power still lies England’s impact will last far longer than pain of World Cup final defeat

Former England international Ben Foster has retired from football for a second time. Ex-Watford and Manchester United goalkeeper Forster walked away from the game last September, but was convinced to end his retirement and sign for Wrexham in March. Foster saved a stoppage-time penalty against title-rivals Notts County the following month before Wrexham sealed promotion to Sky Bet League Two later in April, but he has now called time on his career following a difficult start to the new campaign. He earned cult status during his second spell with the Welsh club for his spot-kick heroics in the 3-2 win over Notts County and agreed to remain part of co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney’s ambitions plans to haul Wrexham up the divisions when he signed a one-year contract in June. Foster has found life tough in League Two though, conceding five goals in Wrexham’s opening-day loss to MK Dons and he shipped five again in a 5-5 draw with Swindon on Saturday. The 40-year-old has now confirmed his retirement and told the official club website: “The honest truth is that my performances this season haven’t reached the level I demand of myself and I feel that now is the right time to retire. “At the forefront of my mind when making this decision was not only what was best for me but also the club, and making the decision now gives the club every opportunity to assess their options before the window closes. “Wrexham will always have a special place in my heart.” Reynolds said on Twitter: “He built memories I’ll never let go of for as long as I live. I love this guy. Thank you for everything, Ben.” Foster started his career at non-league outfit Racing Club Warwick in 2000 before representing Stoke, Manchester United, Birmingham, West Brom and Watford across more than two decades in the game. He made 390 appearances in the Premier League and played eight times for England, featuring in the 2014 World Cup under Roy Hodgson. Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson added: “Ben has been the model professional while at Wrexham and has done everything we have asked of him. “I am sure I speak for everyone, when thanking him for his contribution that went far beyond that one magnificent penalty save against Notts County to help us gain promotion last season. “Wrexham AFC was a better place for having Ben Foster around the club.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live England will learn fate of Billy Vunipola and Owen Farrell on Tuesday Football rumours: Manchester United consider move for Marco Verratti The thrills, shocks and many brilliant moments of the World Cup in pictures

England heartbreakingly lost 1-0 to Spain in their first Women’s World Cup final as Olga Carmona’s first-half goal proved enough to break the Lionesses’s hearts. Sarina Wiegman and her players were looking to bring the game’s biggest prize home from Sydney but Carmona drilled a finish into the far corner on 29 minutes and, although Mary Earps brilliantly saved Jennifer Hermoso’s penalty with 20 minutes remaining, England couldn’t fashion an equaliser. It was the first time the England men’s or women’s team have reached a football World Cup final since 1966 and the nation came to a halt for the historic occasion – which was briefly interrupted by an anti-Putin protester invading the pitch in the first half – but were left bereft as Spain saw out the victory. Lauren Hemp came closest to scoring for the Lionesses when her curling effort struck the bar in the 16th minute but Spain were good value for the win as they became just the fifth nation to lift the Women’s World Cup, following in the footsteps of USA (4), Germany (2), Norway (1) and Japan (1). Follow the latest updates as the Lionesses fly home: Read More The two sides of the Women’s World Cup — and the truth about where power still lies England’s impact will last far longer than pain of World Cup final defeat How not to win a World Cup: Spain, Jorge Vilda and the story of a complicated victory

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England’s World Cup finalists received a warm welcome as they started their long journey back to the United Kingdom on Monday morning. The Lionesses, who reached the final of the Women’s World Cup, were agonisingly beaten by Spain 1-0 on Sunday. It was the first time any England team had reached the World Cup final in 57 years, but it was not to be and Olga Carmona’s goal secured a first trophy for Spain’s women’s team. Starting their journey home, the Lionesses were applauded through Sydney Airport by passengers in a heartwarming moment. https://twitter.com/Shaimaakhalil/status/1693467798708924701?s=20 https://twitter.com/TomJGarry/status/1693481744777822257?s=20 They walked through in their light blue England tracksuits as members of the public clapped them onto their plane, a fitting tribute to the team who had overcome adversity to reach the final. https://twitter.com/SuzyWrack/status/1693461973445288025?s=20 While it remains to be seen if there will be any events once the team arrive back to celebrate their achievement, it might have to wait until the heartbreak of the defeat has subsided. Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader has already led the calls for the Lionesses to be given honours after their journey to the final. It would be a worthy recognition of Sarina Wiegman’s side’s achievement, after just four members of the Euro 2022-winning squad were named in the New Year Honours list, with the rest of the team overlooked. Read More Mary Earps’ Golden Glove award isn’t enough to convince Nike to sell her shirt England’s impact will last far longer than pain of World Cup final defeat The thrills, shocks and many brilliant moments of the World Cup in pictures

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Fans of the Lionesses will still not be able to buy a replica of Mary Earps’ goalkeeper kit despite an ongoing campaign throughout the Women’s World Cup to convince kit suppliers Nike to put one on sale. Nike decided last month that it wouldn’t be making Earps’ goalkeeper kit available to purchase and the decision drew criticism from fans, celebrities, and even Earps herself who called the decision ‘hugely hurtful’. A petition was launched to persuade Nike into a U-turn and that momentum was boosted by England’s No. 1 during yesterday’s World Cup final as she saved a penalty before keeping England in a contest they ultimately lost 1-0. Earps was rewarded for her tournament performances with the World Cup Golden Glove award, the latest accolade added to her growing collection following the Best Fifa Women’s Goalkeeper award last year. Nike issued an update on their decision after fresh calls to produce Earps’ England shirt came flooding in following the 30-year-old’s incredible performance in the World Cup showpiece. In their statement released on Sunday, Nike promised to address the matter in ‘future tournaments’. It read: “Nike is committed to women’s football and we’re excited by the passion around this year’s tournament and the incredible win by the Lionesses to make it into the final. “We are proudly offering the best of Nike innovation and services to our federation partners and hundreds of athletes. “We hear and understand the desire for a retail version of a goalkeeper jersey and we are working towards solutions for future tournaments, in partnership with Fifa and the federations. “The fact that there’s a conversation on this topic is testament to the continued passion and energy around the women’s game and we believe that’s encouraging.” Speaking about Nike’s initial decision last month Earps was doing all she could to get them to change their minds saying: “I can’t really sugarcoat this any way so I’m not going to try, it’s hugely disappointing and very hurtful. “For my own family, friends and loved ones not to be able to buy my shirt, they’re just going to come out and wear normal clothes. All my team-mates, they’ve ordered a lot of shirts for their friends and family, they’re talking at the dinner table “I wasn’t able to get this” and I’m saying “I wasn’t able to get it at all”. “I know there’s a lot of people who have spent a tremendous amount of money on outfield shirts and then put ‘1 Earps’ on the back, which doesn’t sit well with me either. “It’s a very scary message that’s being sent to goalkeepers worldwide that “you’re not important”. It’s something that I’ve been fighting behind closed doors. I’ve been desperately trying to find a solution with the FA and with Nike.” FA Chief Mark Bullingham also had his say on the controversy earlier this week and claimed that the governing body had plans to find a positive resolution for all involved. He said: “Mary is incredibly passionate about growing goalkeeping, as are we. “We’ve got several schemes to get the next generation of goalkeepers coming through. We have got a plan for addressing that issue and it’s something we’ll get to after the tournament.” Read More Fans demand Nike sell Mary Earps’ shirt after keeper’s World Cup final heroics Lionesses have ‘inspired millions’ despite falling short in first World Cup final The anguish, emotion and the story of the Women’s World Cup in photos The thrills, shocks and many brilliant moments of the World Cup in pictures The sporting weekend in pictures We won’t stop – Georgia Stanway vows England will ‘continue to break barriers’

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Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) President Luis Rubiales is facing criticism for giving Spain midfielder Jennifer Hermoso a surprise kiss on the lips after the 33-year-old received her gold medal following the team's Women's World Cup final victory over England on Sunday.

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There remains a space above England’s crest, where that star could have been. It was what Lucy Bronze had dreamt of, ever since the moment where she first played for her country and realised England’s men’s and women’s teams don’t share the same badge. The Lionesses had the chance to change that, the opportunity to add their first star, the moment to capture their 1966. But the wait will now go on. After a historic tournament where the Lionesses again made their mark back home and demonstrated the immense power of what they have created, Sarina Wiegman’s side were left with a devastatingly simple conclusion. As a first Women’s World Cup slipped out of reach, the deflating reality was that, on the day, Spain were just better. And as England’s World Cup came to a close, there was no disgrace in that – certainly not against a side as talented as Spain’s, even with their issues. At full time, as the Spanish players celebrated at one end of the pitch, head coach Jorge Vilda and his staff at the other, Wiegman and her team were a picture of unity in the centre. Even in that moment, they realised they had already managed to achieve something far greater. Wiegman told them they could still be proud, that they had given everything not just in the final but on their journey to reach it. The England manager reminded them of the challenges they had been forced to overcome and the togetherness they had shown to grow through the tournament, right until that final moment. There was pride, too, that the team had given its nation reason to love them even more. “We’re the Lionesses,” Georgia Stanway said afterwards, and that term of itself has become synonymous with their ability to inspire and transcend, to bring a country to a halt and take millions along with them. “We’re not done yet,” Stanway continued. “We’ll continue to break barriers, we’ll continue to push on." This isn’t a team who stands still. The Lionesses have created an identity and image that represents the immense change and progress, and whose performances at the World Cup will result in more. If the impact of last summer’s Euros win is anything to go by, then when the WSL returns there will be bigger attendances, more investment, more growth. Eventually, Mary Earps will get her shirt and when she does it will be another moment to symbolise the power of what the Lionesses have done. And, of course, winning the World Cup would have galvanised that further, but when a team and a manager have a purpose like the Lionesses do then it only becomes a step on the journey. “This group of players are so eager to be successful. We want to grab every moment to be better,” Wiegman said. The World Cup turned out to be the ultimate test of just that, an examination of England’s strength, not that it was ever in doubt. England won fans in a different way to last summer. From the dizzying buzz of the Euros, the Lionesses had to grind it out far away from home in Australia. Wiegman said she had “never faced so many problems” during the World Cup, an admission she made after the Lionesses scraped past Nigeria on penalties in the last-16. From the clarity and continuity of last summer’s Euros, England had anything but at the World Cup and at times were vulnerable to an early exit. Amid the shocks and unpredictability of the group stages, enough teams were succumbing to that particular theme of the World Cup to suggest that England could have quite easily become its latest victim. England’s players had set the bare minimum of the semi-finals yet the way the Lionesses played in their first two matches against Haiti and Denmark suggested even that was a stretch. Yet England managed to overturn it – they didn’t accept their fate and instead found something new, creating a new formation that breathed new life into their campaign. In the knockout stages, they showed resilience and mentality, and in the semi-finals against Australia they produced the performance of their campaign, a gutsy win in the back garden of a traditional sporting enemy, and the sort of performance that the nation back home could be proud of. The regret was they were unable to replicate it in the final, even though Wiegman insisted she had none from a final where Spain ultimately showed their class. It spared the grand inquest into England’s World Cup that would have inevitably followed a defeat to Nigeria in the last-16 or Colombia in the quarter-finals. Even without Beth Mead, Leah Williamson and Fran Kirby, England showed where they stand in the power rankings to reach the final. Defeat there is not the end of anything, rather a continuation of a journey. As for what is next, the answer is invariably more football, yet more opportunities. England will need to perform well in the inaugural Women’s Nations League and reach the final in order to guarantee qualification to next summer’s Olympics in Paris, a competition Wiegman is determined to be at after a miserable experience with the Netherlands at the ‘Covid Games’ in Tokyo in 2021. Then it’s 2025, and the defence of the Euros. As England pick themselves to go again, it will be a priority for the FA that Wiegman is there for the next World Cup. Wiegman’s contract is until 2025 and while she has made it clear that she is happy with England and the support of the team, the Dutch coach will undoubtedly attract interest from elsewhere. The FA would be wise to act swiftly. Certainly, when Wiegman is paid an annual salary of £400,000 to Gareth Southgate’s £5m, it is clear where the FA could make a statement of how much they value Wiegman and the job she has done for English football and the exponential growth of the Lionesses. In the aftermath of another World Cup final defeat, after also losing at that point with the Netherlands in 2019, Wiegman admitted that thinking four years ahead was too far away. But the reality is some players may have already had their last opportunity, particularly Bronze. The right-back had reached the semi-finals in 2015 and 2019, then had the historic high of breaking the barrier and reaching England’s first World Cup final, only for it to be followed by the crushing low of losing the ball in the build-up to Olga Carmona’s goal. It’s the cold reality of World Cup finals, where the opportunity to be champions only comes along every four years. It is exactly why it is the game’s greatest stage and why defeat on it, of being so close but remaining so far away, is the most heartbreaking of all. For Bronze and England the chance to claim the World Cup was right there, and, while the Lionesses may bask in the seismic impact of their achievements back home, it is the thought of that missing star that will remain with them for at least another four years. Read More England suffer World Cup heartache as brilliant Spain show Lionesses what’s missing A change too far? England’s last roll of the dice comes up short How not to win a World Cup: Spain, Jorge Vilda and the story of a complicated victory How not to win a World Cup: Spain, Jorge Vilda and the story of a complicated victory The vital lesson England must take to ‘continue breaking barriers’ England players ‘heartbroken’ after World Cup final defeat to Spain