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Some England soccer fans watching the Women’s World Cup back home were already starting to prepare for the final as soon as the eruption of excitement dissipated and the dancing died down

English football has long found one specific hurdle to be insurmountable. Whether it’s the men’s or women’s game, reaching a final has been a step too far for even the most talented of teams; so-called ‘golden generations’ tried their luck yet no matter how hard England tried or how much they reinvented their game, it couldn’t be done. That was the case until Sarina Wiegman came along, that is. A manager who is regarded as “phenomenal”, a “genius”, and undoubtedly one of the all-time greats. The Lionesses had a precise problem, so they looked to someone with the exact talents they needed and the tournament record to back it up. She won a European Championship on home soil and then guided the Netherlands to a World Cup final: that’s the perfect CV when you’re looking to recruit someone to replicate those exact jobs. England’s moment of jubilation was yet another milestone to add to her career’s record. A semi-final of the tallest order lay in her wake – a 75,000-strong home crowd up against an injury-hit team who were yet to find their World Cup sparkle and now had to face the ruthlessness of Sam Kerr – but the challenge tumbled in front of her. Wiegman is famed for her stoic attitude, her ability to remain unmoved by anything that would elicit even the faintest sense of emotion in most human beings; it is little wonder that Georgia Stanway felt the need to clarify that her coach is not, in fact, a robot, in a press conference earlier this tournament. That’s why Wiegman’s reaction to those who praise her achievements is unsurprising. “I really appreciate it,” she responded when her record was brought up after success against Australia. “We made the first final in 2017 and thought this is really special, it might not ever happen again. Then you make the second, the third and the fourth and still think: ‘This might never happen again, because there is so much competition.’ “I know it is special, but then tomorrow I will wake up and will just want to prepare for Spain, because we want to win!” She may not be the sort to play up the magnitude of her own achievements but that doesn’t matter one bit for England. It is in laser-sharp focus, her tournament experience and ability to picture the perfect tactics to find a path through the tournament that they have unearthed the keys to their full potential. “She’s not bad is she?” said defender Lucy Bronze. “To have done it with her home nation must be something she’s incredibly proud of; to win the Euros back-to-back was astonishing. “This tournament, she’s shown a different side to her, had to make changes, been the last woman standing. For a couple of rounds now, she’s had to roll her sleeves up a little bit, adapt the team. Previously people were like, ‘She keeps the same team and she doesn’t change.’ She's put in a lot of work this tournament to get us to the final, and her experience has really shown through.” Identifying just what has changed to transform this England team into a relentless winning machine is a difficult task, though what is certain is that this new journey carries few parallels to sides of old. There are now two distinct eras either side of Wiegman’s arrival and the former has faded into insignificance. She has been successful in getting this team to a stage they had never reached before, and this time around it hasn’t been as plain sailing as at the Euros. England’s path has been tiresome, their football less refined, but they’ve found a way to slog to a World Cup final. Things were better on Wednesday – maybe even nearing the level of performance seen last summer – but it still required Wiegman to make the most of a bad situation to get the job done. And the crux of the Lionesses’ success has been belief in Wiegman’s ideas, a faith that she will find the needed ingredients, said Chloe Kelly. “I think we just believe, we believe in the backroom staff and what they’re training us to do every day. We’re on the pitch and we just enjoy ourselves. You can see that we’re having fun out there, and when we’re having fun, look at what we do.” Against Australia, Wiegman opted to retain the newfound shape her side have employed at the World Cup, their back three with wing backs, even in the face of their opponents’ potent attacking line. The hosts found ways through, they even managed to score through a Kerr moment of magic, but Wiegman’s refusal to move from her set-up paid dividends. England had the numbers to go forwards, the players in the positions to produce intricate triangles, the forward two of Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo to deal the needed blows. Wiegman was stubborn in her refusal to make early substitutions, even if they had been so crucial to their Euros success. She held off, waited to deploy Kelly at the right moment, and made sure she had the firepower on the bench for if the hosts mounted a comeback. Wiegman hasn’t proved her mettle at this World Cup; she’d done that long ago. But she is the thread that binds this team together, and it may be slightly too easy for her prowess to be outshone by her players’ individual brilliance. “She’s a phenomenal coach, she’s a genius. She doesn’t get enough credit, she’s great to play for,” said Rachel Daly. “She’s great to work under, she’s so honest, and her knowledge about the game is a joke as is everybody on the staff. “They work so hard behind the scenes to make us be the best prepared we can, and I think you can see that.” Read More How England deployed dark arts and cool heads to silence Australian noise When do England play the Women’s World Cup final? Sarina Wiegman asks if she’s in ‘a fairytale’ as England reach World Cup final Massive congratulations – Harry Kane lauds Lionesses after win over Australia ‘Am I in a fairytale?’: Wiegman reacts after leading England to World Cup final England book place in World Cup final – The Sydney victory in pictures

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England walked out and for a moment it might have felt like they had been there before. A crowd of over 75,000, millions elsewhere turning in. An expectant nation inspired by the power and momentum of a team who represent something greater than themselves. But this wasn’t the Euros final. This wasn’t Wembley. This time England were the enemy, deep in the land of Matildas fever. This time they faced the crowd, the noise, the jeers and boos, the helicopters hovering over their training session and splashing photos of their plans across the morning newspapers. They faced Australia’s biggest night in a generation. They faced the spirit of Cathy Freeman, and a moment that would unify the country. They faced Sam Kerr, and they heard the eruption that greeted the star of the World Cup finally having her moment. The Lionesses faced all that but did not shake. Instead, they turned it into a first World Cup final, in a tournament that has been defined by the problems and challenges that have blocked their every turn. For England, this was the anti-Euros final, as the Lionesses got one game away from their World Cup dream while denying the hosts a shot at theirs. As England tamed the atmosphere in Sydney, and Sweet Caroline rang around the quickly emptying Stadium Australia, they did so with the coldest and most clinical performance of Sarina Wiegman’s reign. The Lionesses fouled, the Lionesses wasted time, the Lionesses picked up cheap yellow cards and took away Australia’s momentum. But they also played, they controlled, and they were the better team for large spells. And when Kerr burst forward and struck an unstoppable shot past Mary Earps, England managed to overturn the story of the World Cup and produce something from nothing all over again. It helps, then, that they could turn to a player who at this World Cup has lifted England by doing that. Lauren Hemp has turned into England’s match-winner, a devastating central forward transformed from a player who was as true a winger as you could possibly find. The Euros last summer were supposed to be her tournament and the 23-year-old was tipped to be its breakout star. In response, opponents double-marked her and in turn, it created space for Beth Mead to be England’s player of the tournament on the opposite flank. In another world, Hemp’s World Cup could have been over when England switched formation and landed on a system that wouldn’t use wingers at all. Kept in the team but as a second forward, Hemp has been released by it, becoming the pinball in England’s attack. Against Australia she was everywhere once again, bouncing off the challenges, pinging around the frontline and doing the work of two positions. Hemp is so involved because she chases everything, winning a throw-in, taking the ball and driving, not towards goal but just to get England up the pitch. In England’s gruelling progress through the knockout stages, she has grafted endlessly, turning hopeful punts into clever, targeted balls downfield. And then she got her reward, not once but twice: the first to put England towards the final, the second to seal it. Chasing down Ellie Carpenter, Hemp burst in behind, took a ball that was not hers to win, and finished past Mackenzie Arnold. Then, moments after Kerr blazed a golden chance over the bar, Hemp created Alessia Russo’s goal from a position that was not even a fraction as threatening. Hemp latched onto a loose ball in midfield, she turned, accelerated, delayed the pass and created the angle for her strike partner. The finish was ruthless too. At the end of it all, England somehow managed to get away with it while also being utterly deserving of their place in Sunday’s final. This was a night where England needed to be perfect and there were large spells where they simply weren’t. The Lionesses rode their luck until it looked like they had run out of it. Australia waited for a moment, a loose England pass, or a break downfield, and the Lionesses gave them both; Russo was dispossessed and Kerr raced away. As England should have known, with Kerr, a moment like that was all Australia required. But on the whole, England were just cooler than Australia. In the first half, the pressure England were facing came from themselves, but it almost seemed that as soon as Wiegman’s side realised that, they immediately relaxed and the picture they were facing became clearer. Slowly, gradually, England figured it out. For the first time, Keira Walsh was able to turn on the ball and England were able to put a move together, playing through midfield, finding the space out. They looked a level above, but this was an occasion where their dark arts were needed as well. There were a trio of fouls on Kerr within the opening 25 minutes of the Australia captain’s first start of the World Cup. As the Lionesses closed it out, Earps took her time from every goal-kick, Jess Carter with every throw-in down England’s right. Lucy Bronze stayed down, then so did Georgia Stanway. Hemp kept the ball in the corner, Chloe Kelly refused to throw it back. But England had been here before; this was the experience of European champions, and now there is an even bigger prize to win. Read More Sensational England capitalise on Sam Kerr’s missed moment to make World Cup history When do England play the Women’s World Cup final? Will Lauren James play in the Women’s World Cup final? Lionesses react after beating Australia in Women’s World Cup semis Sensational England capitalise on Sam Kerr’s missed moment to make World Cup history Will Lauren James play in the Women’s World Cup final?

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Ella Toone struck a magnificent opener for England against Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-final. The Manchester United star smashed the ball high into the top corner before wheeling away in delight with her teammates. The 23-year-old, who has grabbed her opportunity in place of the suspended Lauren James, explained her celebration ahead of time. FOLLOW LIVE - Australia vs England LIVE: Women’s World Cup semi-final score and updates "Yeah, I'd do an absolute madness,” Toone told BBC 5 Live. “I definitely do think about that and in tournament football, moments fall to different people, and if you take them moments, and we've definitely had a lot of them throughout the tournament. “I'm sure if it falls to me in the box then I'd be buzzing to put it away. Well, usually anything happens! “But I'm on strict orders that my mates, we all got matching tattoos before I came out. They want me to kiss it and do a little love heart. so I promised them I'd do that.” BBC pundit Alex Scott praised Toone’s impact, saying: “She lost her place to Lauren James, she’s saying, ‘don’t forget about me,’ what a goal it was.” While Ellen White added: There’s a bit of bite behind that, I’m still here, I’m here for a show, I’m not going anywhere and I’m taking this team to a World Cup final.” Read More Australia vs England LIVE: Women’s World Cup semi-final score and updates after stunning Ella Toone goal Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today How many games will Lauren James miss at Women’s World Cup after red card?