Rise of European superclubs raised the bar to undreamed level with Spain’s devastating show of strength and the US in declineLucy Bronze and Ona Batlle held each other. One in defeat and one in victory, one with a medal she wanted and one with a medal she did not. But in that moment they were not rivals or adversaries, just Lucy and Ona: friends, soulmates, former Manchester residents, and in very short order teammates at Barcelona.And as both sets of players embraced after Sunday’s draining final, there was more than a degree of familiarity between them. Bronze has been joined by Keira Walsh at Barcelona, who provided eight of Spain’s finalists. Hannah Hampton grew up in Spain and spent part...
Tournament was more revolution than evolution for its co-hosts and signalled a step change in the reordering of Australia’s priorities for football and women’s sport“Please have your tickets ready, and have a good night,” said the usher through his megaphone outside Sydney’s Stadium Australia before the final. “And go Spain.”For that volunteer, and many millions of Australians, the 2023 World Cup was close to perfect. Perfect, for many, would have been the Australia captain, Sam Kerr – and not Spain’s Olga Carmona – lifting the trophy. But in this country football has been associated with failure, blunder or – worst of all – being ignored. This tournament was something else entirely. Continue reading...
The Lionesses lose the battle of ideas but good things can come of this defeat: new strategies, fresh blood, realistic expectationsWe still love you; come home. Like all good travel romances, perhaps England’s 2023 World Cup was always destined to end in cold tears and bittersweet fragments of memories, the smell of reality wafting through the curtains. There will be no shame in losing to a superior Spain side, no recriminations or burning effigies for a group of players who left every piece of themselves on the Sydney pitch.But regrets? They’ll have a few. Moments that broke the other way, decisions they wish they could take back, and above all the opportunity to create something beautiful and monumental together, for...
Sarina Wiegman’s 3-4-1-2 system carried them to the final but was undone by one moment of miscommunicationOne instance. One rush of over-enthusiasm. One split second of miscommunication. That was enough to see England’s World Cup dreams lie in tatters. It was a moment that caused the holes to appear in the Lionesses’ new-found tactical formation, a system that had been a huge key to their success in Australia but also, on this occasion, led to their downfall.It all happened in a flash with little under half an hour on the clock. Lucy Bronze, a forward-thinking wing-back, surged ahead on an inverted run. Whether she needed to go at that particular moment is a separate debate, with the game firmly in...
Country that also holds the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups triumphed in spite of Jorge Vilda and could dominate for yearsHow Spain managed to win the World Cup amid so many layers of complexity surely must be the subject of a documentary. On the field, their triumph is an enormous win for youth football and a celebration of the country’s enviable depth of talent. In addition to this magnificent World Cup title, Spain are also the holders of the Under-20 Women’s World Cup and last year retained the Under-17 equivalent.One player has won all of those trophies – the young player of the tournament, Salma Paralluelo. In a sense, that makes the 19-year-old sensation the embodiment of Spain’s success at...