England beat Australia 3-1 in the Women's World Cup semi-finals; Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo were on target for the Lionesses; Sarina Wiegman has guided a team to another major tournament final; England will face Spain in the final
After leading the Lionesses through Australia, Sarina Weigman, the manager of England, said that making it to the Women's World Cup final was like "living in a fairy tale".
England won 3-1 at Stadium Australia thanks to goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp, and Alessia Russo, advancing to a second major final in as many summers.
Individually, it represents a fourth successive tournament final for Wiegman. She led the Netherlands to the Euro 2017 title and 2019 World Cup final, as well as last summer's Euro 2022 victory.
We made it to the final! Wiegman exclaimed to BBC Sport following an exciting semifinal. It's wonderful; it feels as though we won [the tournament], which we didn't; we simply won this match - in a fantastic stadium, an away match, and with the manner we played; it was a tough match, but we managed to prevail once more.
"I recently told [assistant manager] Arjan that the opportunity to reach two finals as a coach or a player is incredibly special. Although I never take anything for granted, it sometimes feels as though I'm in a storybook.
After a rough start, England has improved and defeated Australia with a professional performance. They displayed a vicious streak that had been missing in some of their earlier games, which the Lionesses manager had not seen.
"We've seen that we're able to adapt to circumstances we've never encountered before, and players are able to effectively communicate what we want to do to the pitch. That requires wisdom and a lot of experience.
However, the Lionesses did see their defences breached by a sensational strike from Sam Kerr, who returned to the Matildas XI after much speculation following an injury.
"Ruthlessness has been talked about constantly, and this team exhibits it both up front and in defence," Wiegman said. We genuinely want to win and keep the ball out of the goal.
"We stick together, we stay on track, and it again worked.
"Australia had a fantastic campaign; they improved throughout the competition. They experienced some difficulties and had to triumph in their final group-stage match before they started to improve.
Sam Kerr returned, and tonight we saw why she is the team's star, but they are also incredibly difficult to play against as a unit.
Before the tournament, during the tournament, and during this game, how we came through and found a way to win is unbelievable. I can't even begin to express how pleased I am of the squad and how they've adapted.
But I'm just going to get ready for Spain tomorrow! Just winning the championship will do.
Daly: Those 1-0 wins look good now!
After two gruelling victories over Haiti and Denmark in the group stages, several of England's detractors said that the team needed to score more goals. Rachel Daly responded to them.
The Lionesses wing-back, though, claimed that the group has improved and has always had a sense of self-belief.
She stated, "I'm thrilled," to Sky Sports News. It demonstrates the squad's utmost resiliency and grit. Like our prior games, tonight's game was challenging. Early on, England's 1-0 victories over Haiti and Denmark drew a lot of criticism, but in retrospect, they weren't all that horrible, were they?
"But we're getting better at the tournament; we still have the biggest one to play, so let's enjoy it tonight and play again on Sunday.
"The deep faith we have in this group of people is terrifying. We don't typically pay attention to outside noise, and tonight's atmosphere proved that.
The support from Australia has been tremendous, and we are grateful for it, but as a squad, we are confident. We were able to demonstrate tonight that we are going to progress as we play each game of this tournament and grow as a team.
"We can't get ahead of ourselves; one more is left. It's a very large game.
Bronze speechless after reaching first World Cup final
Lucy Bronze, who was perhaps the most deserving member of England's team to go to the final, lost to Wiegman's Netherlands in both the previous World Cup semi-finals and the final four of Euro 2017.
When asked what it was like to make it to the World Cup final . Finally! After the devastating losses in the previous semi-finals, there are many emotions right now.
"I don't know many guys who have endured semi-final suffering like Alex [Greenwood] and I have. But to eventually overcome that obstacle and advance to the final, I am at a loss for words.
"The stadium and the supporters were amazing. After Sam Kerr's goal, there was an uproar that lasted for the next ten minutes.
Bright pays tribute to Chelsea team-mate Kerr
On Wednesday, Sam Kerr, the captain of Australia, was handed the terrible task of being marked by England captain Millie Bright. She responded beautifully for the Matildas, but she also squandered two last-second opportunities.
Kerr's shirt was on display as Bright paid respect to her Chelsea teammate, saying: "Sam was the enemy tonight, but she's a good friend of mine." I feel terrible for her, but in the end, I know that England is where my heart is.
"I have a great deal of respect for her, and I've been lusting over her clothing for a while. I'm honoured to have faced her in a game. She is really difficult to remain quiet about; if you don't, it will end up at the back of the net.She put us to the test tonight. As a nation, we respect our adversaries but always complete the task at hand.
It's unbelievable, said Bright, who will now captain the Lionesses in their first World Cup final on Sunday. We've been hoping to play in that championship game for so long, and now we've put ourselves in a position where we can.
"I believe that as a player, I do that once the competition is over. Because of our current strong mindset, we sometimes have a little of tournament tunnel vision.
"Recover, repeat, and go again is almost here. Tonight, we'll celebrate with friends and family, and we need to appreciate these special times because they don't come around frequently.
But after that, it's back to business as usual. Get to work.
Kerr: It's hard not to feel bad
Sam Kerr finally made an impression in this Women's World Cup after five games and 62 minutes, not to mention a breathtaking goal in the semifinal.
Superstars are notoriously hard on themselves, so Kerr had to deal with her post-game sadness right away after she missed the opportunity to tie the score again before Russo's goal.
Right now, disappointment is all Kerr could feel.
"I can't take full responsibility, but it's difficult not to feel horrible right now. I have to consider all the team and I have done to get to this point.
"The fact that we inspired a nation, everyone has rallied around us, and the tournament has been incredible is pretty much the only thing keeping me smiling right now.
"I believe that this has potentially changed the course of women's football in Australia.
"We've shown that people will support the product if you bring it to the exhibition. Because we've demonstrated our ability to play, it is now time for funding and all of that things to be invested in the game.
Gustavsson: We won something else
A game of football in tournament football, I've said it before, it takes one moment and England were much more clinical than we were in the finishing tonight," said Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson.
After the game, I addressed the players and said, "We promised ourselves to give it our all, and every player did. I think that's why the fans thanked them."
"However, I later added that we don't have time to mull on this. We have a very short amount of time, and if we let this one emotionally drain us, we won't be able to compete in the bronze medal game.
"We're devastated by the setback, but hopefully we gained something else. I concur with the players, but we did win this country's heart and enthusiasm for the game. This needs to be the beginning of anything; it's not the end start of something.
What's next ?
On Sunday in Sydney, the Women's World Cup final will feature England vs. Spain. Sweden and Australia will square off in Brisbane's third-place playoff.