Geri Horner, Emma Bunton and Jess Glynn have joined a slew of stars flooding social media with praise for England’s Lionesses as they reach the World Cup final on Wednesday after a 3-1 win over Australia.
In a thrilling match, the team stormed to victory over their classic rivals thanks to goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo, meaning they will face Spain in the final on Sunday.
Celebrities including Paloma Faith, Aitch and Rio Ferdinand took part in a lovely video montage congratulating the team which was shared on their official social media pages.
Geri, 51, said in the clip: ‘Lionesses we are so proud of you. Sarina you are inspiring. Mary… Girls, you got this, good luck.
Fellow Spice Girl Emma added: ‘We are so proud of you. I can’t imagine how your family feels. I’m sending you so much love and all the happiness in the world and I’ll be watching.’
Proud: Geri Horner, Emma Bunton and Jess Glynn have joined a slew of stars flooding social media with praise for England’s Lionesses as they reach the World Cup final on Wednesday after a 3-1 win over Australia
Sensational! The team stormed to victory over their bitter rivals Australia in a thrilling game that ended 3-1
Jess Glynn told the team, “Hey girls, I want to wish you all the best of luck for Sunday. You’ve been so great in the tournament so far and I’m so excited to have you in the final.”
The singer, wearing a Lioness t-shirt, then jumped into the pool shouting, “Go get it England!”
England’s women footballers celebrated as they advanced to their first ever World Cup final after beating Australia 3-1, with goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo.
Strikes for European champions Russo and Hemp in the second half silenced the home crowd of 75,000 hostile fans amid a feverish atmosphere in Sydney, with Hemp’s strike just minutes after Sam Kerr equalised.
England now take on Spain at 11am UK time on Sunday for the trophy, having beaten Sweden 2-1 on Tuesday to book their trip to the final. The match comes just over a year after England won Euro 2022 by beating Germany.
In the semi-final, both sides had early chances, with a key flash point just seconds away when Australia were awarded a free-kick after England’s Keira Walsh fouled Sam Kerr. Alex Greenwood was then booked after ten minutes for a foul on Kerr.
England opened the scoring in the 36th minute when the ball bounced past Hemp inside the area and fell at the feet of Toone, who gave Australian goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold no chance with a shot into the top right corner.
The Lionesses were 1-0 up at half time as millions of England fans watched on TV at home – some taking a few hours off work to go to a pub or having it in the background while ‘working from home’.
Jess Glynn told the team, “Hey girls, I want to wish you all the best of luck for Sunday. You’ve been so great in the tournament so far and I’m so excited to have you in the final.”
The singer, wearing a Lioness t-shirt, then jumped into the pool shouting, “Go get it England!”
Early in the second half, England were frightened early on when Australia’s Mary Fowler sent an expert cross to Caitlin Foord, although she couldn’t aim the header dangerously enough and forced a save from Mary Earps.
And the breakthrough for the Matildas came when Kerr scored a delightful goal in the 63rd minute after picking up the ball just inside Australia’s half. She ran and ran before unleashing an arrow-like long-range attack into the net.
But England retook the lead when Millie Bright sent a perfectly long ball from the back line to a running Hemp, who picked it up with ease, crept through the defence, pulled Arnold back and fired into goal in the 71st.
And 15 minutes later, Hemp slipped through the Matildas to knock out Russo on the edge of the box, who made it 3-1 in the 86th minute. England then saw out the rest of the game, including six minutes of stoppage time at the end.
Defender Lucy Bronze was blown away after the game, telling the BBC: “This is the one thing I’ve always wanted, to be in the final of a World Cup and after being so disappointed twice I honestly can’t believe it . .’
When asked what manager Sarina Wiegman said, Bronze said: ‘We played the game the way we wanted, we were resilient, determined, I couldn’t hear much else she said to be honest! We knew the crowd was going to go crazy tonight and she said she had to shut them up and I feel like we did that in the end after the third goal.’
But it comes as the England team found themselves on the receiving end of a bizarre espionage controversy after a training session was photographed from a helicopter.
The European champions take on the Matildas in Sydney’s sold-out Stadium Australia, where most of the 75,000 in attendance will support the co-hosts.
The winner of today’s match takes on Spain this Sunday at 11am UK time for the trophy, after the team beat Sweden 2-1 yesterday to book their trip to the final.
Fellow Spice Girl Emma added: ‘We are so proud of you. I can’t imagine how your family feels. I’m sending you so much love and all the happiness in the world and I’ll be watching.’
It comes after tickets intended for England fans were snapped up by Australians after a unique Lionesses code for a 1,970 allocation was leaked on social media.
In a pre-match video message, Beckham said, “Hey girls, I just wanted to say wow, what a tournament it’s been so far. It has been so much fun to watch and we are all so proud as a nation of what you have already accomplished.
“But to see you girls play as a team was really incredible. So keep doing this, good luck in this next game, and know that our whole country is behind you as always and good luck.”
He then moved his camera to Harper, 12, who said, “Good luck, Lionesses!” Beckham added, “There’s Harper. Keep inspiring these girls because it’s incredible to watch and I’m really, really glad you’re doing it for this one. Good luck, girls.’
It comes after the Australian Daily Telegraph sent a plane to capture footage of the Lionesses’ session behind closed doors at their training base as they finalized plans for today’s game.
Published under the headline ‘Elf Poms against a nation: Welcome to the jungle, Lionesses’, the photos show England coach Sarina Wiegman and her staff putting the players through their paces ahead of the highly anticipated game.
England’s first appearance in a semi-final was eight years ago in Canada, when Laura Bassett’s own goal in second-half stoppage time abruptly ended their dreams of reaching the final.
The Lionesses took their third place in the play-offs for their best World Cup finish to date, four years later finishing fourth in France where current England boss Ms Wiegman led the Netherlands to the final, but ultimately lost to defending champions United. States.
The Matildas are the only side to boast of beating England since Wiegman – otherwise unbeaten in 36 games – took over in September 2021, with a 2-0 win at Brentford in April.
Preparation: England took part in a team training session at the Central Coast Stadium in Gosford a day before their semi-final
While she too has been impressed by the growth she has seen in the ninth edition of the World Cup, expanding to 32 teams for the first time and guaranteeing a new champion, that elusive trophy remains at the forefront of her mind.
Wiegman said, “I’m aware that this is very, very special and what’s happening in the growth of the women’s game, the level has really grown, so globally people are seeing what’s going on. I hope it helps women in football, but also women in general.
“But to be honest, I’m very focused, so when it comes to the game, it’s the game, and you’re just trying to block everything because you have a job to do.”
Gustavsson believes his side is fully prepared to take on this monumental occasion.
He said, “We don’t actually see it as busy. We consider it a privilege that so many people believe in this team and we feel the support.
‘We see it more as fuel, as energy, than as pressure. We don’t think it’s that hard. We watch it being carried from below and built up, and I feel the faith in us.”
