ENGLAND’S Lionesses wept after narrowly losing the World Cup final 1-0 to Spain in emotional scenes at the final whistle.
The Lionesses appeared set to enter the history books after reaching the World Cup final for the first time since 1966.
But they fell to defeat after Olga Carmona opened the scoring for Spain in the 29th minute.
The full-time scenes provoked emotional reactions for the England squad after they missed their opportunity to win their first ever World Cup.
Wiegman did her best to console her players after the whistle, keeping them in a circle on the pitch and giving them a rousing speech.
Alessia Russo was seen in tears as it set in that the Lionesses would not be taking the World Cup trophy home.
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Captain Millie Bright likewise struggled to contain her emotion at the full-time whistle but managed to find it within herself to gee up her fellow players.
Mary Earps, who saved a penalty as she tried everything to bring her side victory had to be consoled by her team-mates at the final whistle.
England went closest to scoring with the score still tied at 0-0 in the first half when Lauren Hemp rattled a shot off the bar.
La Roja dominated the second half in particular, where their possession based style allowed them to slowly wear down their English opponents.
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Spain looked set to put the tie to bed in the 69th minute when VAR intervened to award a penalty after a Keira Walsh handball.
But Mary Earps proved to be a monumental presence in the England goal again as she saved Jennifer Hermoso’s spot-kick.
Sarina Wiegman tried everything to find a solution for her England side to get back into the game, bringing on Chloe Kelly and Lauren James on at half-time.
She also stuck centre-back Millie Bright up front to operate as a target woman and paired her with substitute Bethany England.
But it ultimately was not to be, with England’s inability to hold on to posession throughout the game meaning the side struggled to build any sustained attacks.
It is unclear exactly what the future holds for Wiegman, with her contract coming to an end in 2025.
The American FA have expressed an interest in the Dutch coach, after they parted ways with manager Vlatko Andonovski.
FA chief Mark Bullingham said the FA would work on a new deal for Wiegman to fend off American interest in the manager.
Bullingham also said Wiegman would be considered for the England men’s job if Gareth Southgate was to leave.
He said: “Do I think Sarina could do any job in football? Yes, I do.
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“I’m really happy with the job she’s doing and I hope she stays doing that job for a long time.
“If at some point in the future she decides she wants to move into the men’s game, that would be a really interesting discussion but that’s for her, right?”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
