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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

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’

What the papers say Manchester United are interested in Paris St Germain’s Marco Verratti to bolster the Devils’ midfield, the Mirror reports. Saudi Pro League team Al-Ahli are also reported to be interested in the 30-year-old alongside a number of European clubs. After losing their first two games of the Premier League season Everton are hoping they will land the signature of Scottish forward Che Adams. The 27-year-old could move to the club from Southampton for a fee worth around £15million, the Telegraph says. The Sun says Nottingham Forest are willing to pay the same amount for Brazilian Matheus Nascimento from Botafogo, but he may stay with the club with the goal to help them win the Brazilian Serie A. Social media round-up Players to watch Pablo Fornals: Sevilla are interested in signing the West Ham midfielder who is in the final year of his contract, according to Spanish outlet AS. Jeremy Doku: French outlet Foot Mercato says Rennes have rejected a bid from Manchester City for the 21-year-old.

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

Captain Millie Bright is confident England will emerge a stronger side after processing the gut-wrenching reality of finishing as World Cup runners-up. The Lionesses overcame obstacles and disproved doubters over the expanded month-long competition, which for the first time saw 32 teams whittled down to two, Spain and England, who were both making their debuts in the showpiece final. Olga Carmona’s first-half strike in Sydney proved enough to send La Roja home with the trophy, while England were reminded that football can be a game of cruel inches after Lauren Hemp’s near-opener pinged off the crossbar. Bright said: “The mentality has always been there. The character has been there, too. We show that, day in, day out, and in every game. We’ve just played in a World Cup final, it’s hard to see it like that at the moment. I’m proud of the girls. “We’ve played on the highest stage. We’ve had a shot at competing for the trophy we have always wanted but this isn’t the end of the journey and we will definitely bounce back. For now, though, we’ll let it settle.” While each of Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses will rue and process the loss differently, their skipper is the sole member of the squad for whom the morning after also happens to be a birthday. Bright, who turns 30 today, inherited the captain’s armband before the World Cup from Euro 2022-winning skipper Leah Williamson, who was forced to miss the tournament after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in April. Beth Mead, last summer’s Golden Boot winner, was also unavailable for selection after she was unable to recover in time from the same problem, while Chelsea midfielder Fran Kirby missed out with a separate knee issue. Perhaps some inside the England camp are now wondering what might have been had those European champions been available, or perhaps not, but the only regrets Bright was willing to share after coming so close to bringing the World Cup home to England were the minor moments that made the difference. “There are probably one million different feelings,” said Bright. “Pride, disappointment, heartbroken that we didn’t win. “We came off the pitch holding our heads high, knowing that we have given absolutely everything in the game. In the second half especially we left it all out there. “We didn’t take our chances today and those are the small margins that decide football in a final against a top, top team. “You get those chances and hit the crossbar, the keeper makes saves. They get theirs and put it in the net.” Bright, whose club boss Emma Hayes was an ITV pundit for the World Cup, will soon return to Chelsea where she looks a shoo-in to replace departed captain Magda Eriksson. But before the Blues kick-off their campaign in search of a fifth straight Women’s Super League (WSL) title against Tottenham on October 1, Bright and the Lionesses will face Scotland then the Netherlands in the new UEFA Women’s Nations League in late September. That competition will decide which two European teams will join co-hosts France at the Paris Olympics, which begin in just 340 days. Perhaps next year’s birthday will come accompanied with a fresh gold medal from those Games, but for now Bright is feeling grateful for the support that helped secure her World Cup silver. She added: “It’s been incredible. It’s surreal. Thank you for believing in us. I hope you have enjoyed the ride. It’s been amazing. It’s hard to see it like that. It’s been incredible. We’ve had an opportunity and we’ve gained a medal that not many other players have got.”

Spain's Olga Carmona's World Cup Celebrations have been marred by tragedy after she found that her father died just minutes after the game. The 23-year-old Real Madrid star secured a 1-0 win over England today in Sydney in the final. Carmona found out that her father died following the full-time whistle. Spanish FA said her father died just before the final got underway. Carmona posted an emotional tribute to her father after she helped her country to their first Women’s World Cup triumph. “Without knowing it, I had my star before the game started,” Carmona wrote. “I know that you have given me the strength to achieve something unique. “I know that you have been watching me tonight and that you are proud of me. Rest in peace dad.” The 23-year-old had celebrated her goal on Sunday with a tribute to a friend who recently lost her mother. “I think all of us, we felt that this team had something special,” the defender said after Spain won the title. Writing on Twitter, the Spanish FA said: "We deeply regret to announce the death of Olga Carmona's father. "The footballer learnt the sad news after the World Cup final. We love you, Olga, you are part of Spanish football history. "We send out most sincere hugs to Olga and her family in a moment of deep pain. "We love you, Olga, you are the history of Spanish football." A statement from Real Madrid read: “Real Madrid, our president and our board of directors are deeply saddened by the death of the father of our player Olga Carmona. “Real Madrid want to express our condolences and our love to Olga, her family and all her loved ones.” Carmona was named as player of the match in the final, after also scored a late winner in Spain's semi-final against Sweden. Read More Lionesses have ‘inspired millions’ despite falling short in first World Cup final Lionesses ‘won the hearts’ of fans despite World Cup defeat: ‘This is just the beginning’ Lionesses deserve honours after World Cup final run, says Labour leader Declan Rice is type of player everyone is looking for – Palace boss Roy Hodgson I’ll be there for him – Dele Alli always has friend in Spurs star Son Heung-min We won’t stop – Georgia Stanway vows England will ‘continue to break barriers’

Roy Hodgson admits every Premier League manager is looking for a player like Declan Rice to anchor their team as he prepares his Crystal Palace side to come up against the England midfielder on Monday. The 24-year-old’s £105million move to Arsenal from West Ham last month made him one of four players in his position to have been bought for a nine-figure fee by European clubs during the last eight months, as the value placed by top sides on central midfielders has rocketed. Rice is part of an elite group that includes World Cup-winner Enzo Fernandez and his new Chelsea team-mate Moises Caicedo – both signed by the Blues for British record fees – and England’s Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in July, with each having been signed for fees that could exceed £100m. Hodgson’s Palace began the Premier League season with a 1-0 win at promoted Sheffield United but face a stern test when last year’s runners-up arrive at Selhurst Park, with Mikel Arteta’s side buoyed by the arrival of Rice to add steel to their midfield ahead of their return to the Champions League. Experienced manager Hodgson said that, whilst it remains the game’s great goalscorers that command the highest fees, the importance of a deeper-lying central midfielder has been proven by English football’s most successful sides. “I think it (central midfield) has always been big,” said Hodgson. “I don’t think it’s anything new. You will never be able to align it to centre forward because centre forwards will always be right up there as really big ones. “It’s still Neymar and (Kylian) Mbappe that go beyond our hundred million pounds here. Harry Kane, yes he cost just over a hundred million (when he signed for Bayern Munich), but only because he was in the last year of his contract. If he’d have had a three-year contract, Tottenham would have been asking for a lot more money. They score the goals. The game is about goals. “But I think the midfield area is an area where people within football have always understood the importance of it and the importance of getting good players in, none more so than Sir Alex (Ferguson) at Manchester United because he always had really, really top-class players in that centre of midfield, all of whom brought him trophies. “(Rice) has got strength, he’s got energy, he understands the game very well. He gets from box to box, and when he’s in each of the boxes, he does a really good job. He knows how to defend and he also has an eye for goal, so really he’s the type of player that every person is looking for.” Hodgson enjoyed the boost of winger Michael Olise turning down the chance to join Chelsea last week after Mauricio Pochettino’s side activated a £35m release clause. The France Under-21 international, who Palace signed from Reading for a relatively modest £8m two years ago and has since flourished into an accomplished Premier League performer, instead opted to agree a new four-year deal to continue his development in south London. He will be missing from Hodgson’s team to face Arsenal as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury. Yet it is Arsenal’s transfer business that occupied Hodgson’s attention ahead of Monday’s game, with Rice set to make his second Premier League start as the Gunners look to go one better and take the crown from champions Manchester City. He knows how to defend and he also has an eye for goal, so really he's the type of player that every person is looking for. Roy Hodgson on Declan Rice “It’s been an interesting development for him,” said the manager. “I’ve followed him a little bit myself through (James) Tomkins (who) told me about him many years ago. He said there’s a very good young player at West Ham, and I’ve seen that as he’s gone along. “He’s done his apprenticeship really, coming through the ranks. He’s done his years at West Ham, each year getting better, and in the end becomes an international and clubs are (thinking) ‘who can I get who’s the best at his particular job for this role?’ “Declan Rice’s name is always going to be right up there on the top of the list, as was Bellingham of course at Real Madrid.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Pep Guardiola ‘amazed’ by Manchester City hunger at start of new season I’ll be there for him – Dele Alli always has friend in Spurs star Son Heung-min Mauricio Pochettino confident of rapid Chelsea improvement after West Ham defeat

Son Heung-min says Dele Alli will always be part of the family and hopes his former Tottenham team-mate will not “have tough times anymore” as he looks to kick-start his career. Things have gone awry for the 27-year-old since he helped Spurs reach the 2019 Champions League final, with the England international failing to make an impact at Everton after moving there in January 2022. Alli recently revealed he had considered hanging up his boots in an emotional interview that saw him talk about how he was “molested” as a six-year-old and dealing drugs aged eight. The attacking midfielder also spoke about alcohol problems, sleeping-pill addiction and addressing his mental-health issues by spending six weeks in a rehab clinic – situations he kept away from many of his nearest and dearest. The football world has thrown its support behind Alli and he was warmly greeted at Tottenham on Saturday as he watched their 2-0 win against Manchester United, where the former Spur caught up with many of his former team-mates afterwards. “Dele was always close, as a friend with me,” the recently appointed Tottenham skipper said. “It was a really tough moment for him and obviously I’m always there to support him because he’s one of my closest friends. “Christian (Eriksen), as well today. Yeah, it’s just old team-mates but I think this relationship (with Dele) is very special. “He helped me a lot settling down in the UK when I was struggling. He was helping me a lot and is still a good friend of mine. “It’s always good to see him and any time if he needs anything, any second, I will be always there for him. I don’t want him to have tough times anymore.” Put to Son that it would be great if Alli could get his career back on track, he said: “We will always support him. “Obviously it’s up to him now because he has to recover well, get fit and play well because his quality is not in doubt because he has been showing in the Premier League what he can do. “Look, I’m always supporting him, like a member of family.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Pep Guardiola ‘amazed’ by Manchester City hunger at start of new season Mauricio Pochettino confident of rapid Chelsea improvement after West Ham defeat Zharnel Hughes inspired to historic Budapest bronze by Olympic heartbreak

With the Pac-12 on its last legs, Washington State has been evaluating its options. What does the future hold for Cougars?As told in a conversation with Enrique Cerna, Washington State has three options when it comes to conference realignment. Per Brett McMurphy, the Cougars could ...

Either Tyler Buchner, Jalen Milroe or Ty Simpson could be the one to help Alabama overtake Georgia in contention for a national title this season and beyond.By the start of the Texas game, Alabama needs to figure out who will be the Crimson Tide's starting quarterback between Tyler Buchner,...

Carson Beck will lead the Georgia football team out of the tunnel, while Brock Vandagriff and Gunner Stockton will have to serve as Bulldog backup quarterbacks for yet another season.With Carson Beck being named the starting quarterback for this year's Georgia football team, promising backu...

Mauricio Pochettino is confident Chelsea will improve quickly despite an alarming 3-1 defeat at 10-man West Ham. The Blues were the better side but James Ward-Prowse, making his Hammers debut, created goals for Nayef Aguerd and Michail Antonio, either side of Carney Chukwuemeka’s equaliser. Enzo Fernandez had a penalty saved by Alphonse Areola and West Ham had to play the final 25 minutes a player down after Aguerd saw red. Yet not only did David Moyes’ side cling on for a first win of the season, they wrapped it up in stoppage time. While Chelsea’s £105million player missed a spot-kick, their £115million signing gave one away with Moises Caicedo, on as a substitute, sending Emerson Palmieri tumbling and Lucas Paqueta converting the spot-kick. “I think today the result doesn’t reflect the performance but in football these situations happen,” said Pochettino. “I am disappointed in the way we conceded the first goal. We know West Ham are good at set-pieces. That is a little bit disappointing and we need to work hard on that. If we score the penalty we miss you are talking about a different game. We are going to perform better in the next games. Mauricio Pochettino “Then I think also did really well in the first half and we should have been winning at half-time. “But that is the process. We need to accept the defeat and keep on working. “If we score the penalty we miss you are talking about a different game. We are going to perform better in the next games.” Ward-Prowse was brought in to replace Declan Rice in West Ham’s midfield but he offers plenty more in attack. His seventh-minute corner found Aguerd at the far post, and his clever ball over the top sent Antonio through on goal. “His character is, in lots of ways, similar to Declan Rice,” said manager Moyes. “He’s a really good boy. His delivery, his assists, that’s what he’s capable of and I thought he did a great job today. His corner gave us a great start.” Paqueta was in the West Ham line-up despite being reportedly investigated by the Football Association for potential betting rule breaches. The Brazil midfielder is said to be shocked by the probe, which is believed to centre around bets placed in his homeland on yellow cards awarded against him. A move to Manchester City may have fallen through so the 25-year-old celebrated his goal with the ‘crossed Hammers’ sign. “I thought 65,000 people stood to their feet and applauded him,” added Moyes. “He played as well as anybody, he showed character and his performance was very good, especially in the second half. “There was never any doubt (he would play). He’s a solid and tough character so no problems. He’s a very good player.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Zharnel Hughes inspired to historic Budapest bronze by Olympic heartbreak Katarina Johnson-Thompson describes heptathlon victory as ‘best day of my life’ Unai Emery hails ‘amazing’ Aston Villa captain John McGinn after Everton rout