THE Women’s World Cup reached a thrilling climax on Sunday when Spain clinched the title with a 1-0 win over England.
The tournament produced some stunning shocks, including the USA and Germany succumbing to surprise exits.
Although Spain were the team to seal the title, a number of players from other nations impressed throughout the month.
Here is a list of the players who have made SunSport’s team of the tournament as well as rankings of stars who have featured for England.
Mary Earps (England)
The England number one’s performances in goal throughout the tournament have been one of the bedrocks for the team’s progress to their first-ever final.
The shot-stopper made a number of stunning saves across the tournament.
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Among her most impressive was an outstretched foot to deny Roseline Eloissant the chance of snatching a point for Haiti in England’s opening game of the tournament.
She also made an incredible penalty stop to keep the score at 1-0 during the World Cup final.
In their six games up to the final, the Lionesses conceded just three goals from open play.
That impressive record saw Earps claim the Golden Glove after the final.
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Ona Batlle (Spain)
The former Man United full-back’s performances have underlined why Barcelona were eager to sign her this summer.
She topped the tournament’s charts for passes and crosses into the penalty box and recorded the most tackles of any player in this year’s contest.
Amanda Ilestedt (Sweden)
Arsenal fans will certainly be in for a treat when the Sweden centre-back and Gunners newbie takes to the field for the team next season.
Ilestedt’s aerial threat from set-pieces proved to be a huge bonus for Sweden who won a third-place play-off duel with Australia.
She netted four times for Peter Gerhardsson’s side during an impressive run that saw them knock the USA out in the tournament’s last-16 stage.
Millie Bright (England)
Bright swiftly overcame some early tournament rustiness and established herself among the best centre-backs of this World Cup.
Her composed displays helped England quell the threats of some of the most dangerous forward amongst England’s rivals.
Her long ball to Lauren Hemp helped England regain the lead against Australia in the semi-final.
Olga Carmona (Spain)
Carmona is the definition of a big game player.
She scored the winning goal for Spain during their semi-final against Sweden in spectacular fashion.
And she scored the decisive goal in the World Cup final against England.
Halimatu Ayinde (Nigeria)
Ayinde did a solid job marking Lauren James during Nigeria’s last-16 duel with England which the Super Falcons lost on penalties.
The Chelsea starlet’s attacking efforts were neutralised at various points of the game due to tight marking by the Rosengard defensive midfielder.
Keira Walsh (England)
Walsh made a fast recovery from a knee injury scare and impressed with her performances against Colombia and Australia in the quarter and semi-finals.
Her shift in midfield helped give England the edge in possession as they battled their way to a 3-1 victory.
Aitana Bonmati (Spain)
Bonmati is the lynchpin in Spain’s attack, scoring once against Costa Rica and twice against Switzerland in the group stages.
Her trickery and vision was key to her side’s play on the counter.
The midfielder picked up the Golden Ball award at the end of the tournament.
Lauren Hemp (England)
Was among the players of the tournament for England with three crucial goals including the finish that saw them take the lead against Australia in the semi-finals.
Her tenacity and pace on the wing made her a handful for her markers.
Hemp’s no-look assist for Alessia Russo’s strike against Australia was world-class.
Lauren James (England)
One of England’s most promising young forwards and shone for the Lionesses during the group stage, bagging three goals for Sarina Wiegman’s side.
Such a shame she missed a few games through suspension.
Hinata Miyazawa (Japan)
Miyazawa won the tournament’s Golden Boot with five goals.
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The midfielder shone for Japan prior to their quarter-final loss to Sweden.
She also caused mayhem for Spain’s defence in the group stage bagging a brace in her side’s 4-0 thrashing of the World Cup finalists.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
