Sat | Apr 4, 2026

England join Spain in Women’s World Cup final

Published:Thursday | August 17, 2023 | 12:12 AM
England’s Alessia Russo celebrates after scoring her side’s third goal during the Women’s World Cup semifinal football match against Australia at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia yesterday.
AP
England’s Alessia Russo celebrates after scoring her side’s third goal during the Women’s World Cup semifinal football match against Australia at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia yesterday.

SYDNEY (AP):

LAUREN HEMP didn’t let the Women’s World Cup semi-final match between Australia and England become the Sam Kerr show.

Hemp scored to restore England’s lead eight minutes after a superb equaliser from Kerr and then provided a perfect pass for the clincher as the Lionesses moved into their first World Cup championship game with a 3-1 victory over Australia on Wednesday.

The semi-final outcome ended a Matildas run that captivated Australia for almost a month and sent England to a matchup with Spain in the final, where the Lionesses will have a chance to bring a World Cup home for the first time since 1966.

Sarina Wiegman became the first coach to lead two countries to the Women’s World Cup final, and in back-to-back tournaments. Her run with the Netherlands in 2019 ended with a loss to the United States.

On either side of that, she guided Netherlands to the European title in 2017 and then took over the England squad for its breakthrough Euro 2022 title.

DOMINATED POSSESSION

England dominated possession in the first half, starving the Australians of the ball and shutting down the Matildas’ transitional, counter-attacking game.

It was rewarded when Ella Toone scored in the 36th minute with a powerful right-foot shot diagonally inside the far post. A throw-in from Rachel Daly went to Hemp, who turned and sent it into the area where Alessia Russo turned the ball back past Hemp for Toone to swoop.

Kerr was in Australia’s starting line-up for the first time in the tournament after overcoming a left-calf injury.

Her equaliser in the 63rd gave the 75,784-strong crowd and millions of fans watching around Australia renewed hope, but Hemp responded with a goal in the 71st and provided a perfect through ball for Russo to finish from a tight angle four minutes from the end of regulation.

England and Spain will each be playing in the Women’s World Cup final for the first time at Stadium Australia on Sunday. It will be the first all-European final since 2003.

Australia will play Sweden, which lost to Spain 2-1 in the other semi-final, for third place on Saturday in Brisbane.