ENGLAND have been left heartbroken after losing out on a chance to win a first World Cup since 1966.
The Lionesses roared through every stage of the competition, but fell at the final hurdle, losing 1-0 to a confident Spain team.
England had a chance to take the lead early in the first half, but were denied by the crossbar from a Lauren Hemp effort.
Olga Carmona scored the game’s only goal in the 29th minute as she tucked it away into the bottom corner.
The end result will be tough to take for the ladies who left everything out on the pitch.
But they can leave Australia with their heads held high after making fans up and down the country proud with their valiant efforts.
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Here SunSport take a look at the each of the Lionesses’ individual performances during their gut-wrenching defeat.
Mary Earps – 9
The shot-stopper was England’s hero with a HUGE penalty save from Jennifer Hermoso.
Not only that, but she also made a crucial save in 17th minute to deny Alba Redondo before making another to stop England from going two behind in the 50th minute.
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There was nothing she could’ve done about Olga Carmona’s inch-perfect finish and she will be dissapointed her team-mates couldn’t do the business up the other end.
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Lucy Bronze – 7
The experienced full-back left a big gap behind her for Olga’s goal, but improved massively afterwards.
She is a leader in this England team and her solid performance showed why.
Jess Carter – 7
Carter had a tough job covering for Lucy Bronze in the first half, but was able to settle into the game better after Sarina Weigman changed the formation at half-time.
Millie Bright – 7
Bright also looked more confident in the second half and was important in stopping Spain from adding to their lead in the frantic 13 minutes of added time.
Alex Greenwood – 6
England’s backline was caught out a few times with overlapping runs and there wasn’t much Greenwood could do about the balls across the face of goal.
Showed her bravery by seeing out the game despite getting a nasty knock to the head.
Rachel Daly – 6
Caught out a couple times down the flanks when Spain were coming forward, but looked comfortable in one-on-one situations.
The Aston Villa star was replaced at half time as Weigman looked to try to get back into the game.
Georgia Stanway – 7
The Bayern Munich midfielder was important for England in the middle of the park, she helped both break up play and carry the ball forward.
But despite her best efforts, there was little she could do when Spain were at their free-flowing best.
Keira Walsh – 5
Walsh made a silly mistake by moving her arm towards the ball and giving away the penalty that gave Spain the chance to go two up in the final.
But she was able to breathe a sigh of relief after Mary Earps pulled off a wonderful save to deny Hermoso.
Ella Toone – 6
Toone had her blushes spared by the offside flag when she missed a golden opportunity to put the Lionesses level in the first half.
Alessia Russo – 6
Wasn’t able to get into the game in the first half with Spain dominating the possession, taken off at half-time.
Lauren Hemp – 6
Hemp clattered the crossbar in the 16th minute in what would have been a dream start for the Lionesses.
England weren’t able to reach their top level going forward and the Man City striker struggled as a result.
England Substitutes
Lauren James (for Alessia Russo) – 7
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Chloe Kelly (for Rachel Daly) – 6
Bethany England (for Ella Toone) – 6
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
