The Lionesses could not quite muster one final roar to overcome Spain in the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 but their tournament must still be seen as a success.
Though entering the tournament as reigning European Champions, their squad had been through some restoration work following injuries and retirements since the previous summer.
Yet despite an unconvincing start to their tournament, England produced a hectic run through the knockout stages that placed them on the precipice of world glory.
Queens of the animal kingdom, second-in-line to the throne of champions.
Position: Runners-Up (lost 1-0 to Spain in the final).
Results: England 1-0 Haiti, England 1-0 Denmark, China 1-6 England (Group D); England 0-0 Nigeria, England win 4-2 on penalties (Round of 16); England 2-1 Colombia (quarter-finals); Australia 1-3 England (semi-finals); Spain 1-0 England (final).
Scorers: Lauren Hemp, Lauren James, Alessia Russo (3), Chloe Kelly, Ella Toone, Rachel Daly, Georgia Stanway (1).
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Expectations: Pride of the Pack
The Lionesses arrived in Australia as European Champions and among the favourites to win the World Cup.
Boasting a WSL top scorer, Champions League winners, the FIFA Best Goalkeeper and an abundance of Euros winners in their ranks, the team certainly had quality.
Yet, doubts still lingered over a squad that had seen injuries rule out key players. Captain, Leah Williamson, had been ruled out through an ACL along with Arsenal teammate, Beth Mead.
Fran Kirby was also to miss the tournament through a knee injury, depriving England of the spine of their European Champions.
The retirement of Ellen White and Jill Scott did not help add assurance to a team increasingly under scrutiny.
Questions abounded. Would they have enough experience? Could they replace the injured players? Could they bring it home again?
It was in this atmosphere of expectation and uncertainty that England would enter their first game against Haiti. The paradoxical belief the Lionesses could tear through their group, mixed with the lingering doubt that hangs over any England team at a World Cup.
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Story of the tournament: The Hunt
It is often the role of the lionesses to hunt prey in the animal kingdom. They do so by stalking, trying to stay hidden as long as possible before taking their prey.
England's approach at the Euros had been bold, taking the game to their opposition, not deviating from their favoured line-up and playing with the freedom of a team who felt like winners in waiting.
A year later, and the team that faced Haiti looked anything but bold. An unconvincing display that seemed to demonstrate the toll of injury turbulence in the build-up to the tournament.
England scraped the three points through a retaken Stanway penalty, their passing looked uncoordinated and a fragility exposed itself in a team that at last glance had been a powerhouse of Europe.
Less queens of the jungle taking Brisbane by storm, more stray tabby cats found down a back alleyway in Milton Keynes suburbia.
Next up was Denmark, viewed as the toughest prospect of Group D but a chance for England to step up from their lacking opener.
An early curling effort from cub of the pack, James, having earned her start promised to ignite England's campaign. Yet they fell under the radar once more as, failing to take the initiative and resigning to another 1-0 victory.
The Lionesses were certainly flying under the radar despite their 100% record, grouped with a collective of tournament under-performers.
It seemed they were tired of just stalking their prey by the final group game, however.
Heading into the match without midfield lynchpin, Keira Walsh, who had sustained an injury against Denmark, doubts clung to the England team.
A tactical change from Sarina Wiegman saw the Lionesses field five at the back, a change that would remain almost to the end, whilst Katie Zelem came in as Walsh's replacement.
China sat like a buffalo at the water with Lauren James once more at the helm of the slaughter. With two goals and three assists in a game that finished 6-1, the 21-year-old had certainly announced herself on the world stage.
It was the Super Falcons up next for England's Lionesses, a team who had progressed from the 'group of death' at the expense of Olympic Champions, Canada.
With a resolute defence and physicality to match, Nigeria were able to expose an inexperience in the England squad that had been feared from the start...
The confidence accrued from the match versus China seemed to dissipate within the opening exchanges when the Super Falcons were able to rattle the bar with a stinging shot from Ashleigh Plumptre.
Lauren James was to allow frustrations to boil over and saw red in the 81st minute for a stamp on Michelle Alozie, a booking that would see her out for the next two matches.
The Lionesses scraped through on penalties, grateful that Nigeria had seemingly forgotten they were aiming for the goal.
Fresh from the kill in the final group game, it seemed the Lionesses were once more lying low.
Just as England's opening three matches had built to the climax of a slaughter, their next three matches crescendoed in similar fashion.
Colombia were their next prey, though they did not go down without a fight. The Lionesses were once more under pressure after they conceded first to the entertaining South American outfit.
Goals from Hemp and Russo restored their pride before a tasty clash against co-hosts, Australia.
A hunt in the heart of the opponent's territory. At stake, a place in the final of the Women's World Cup.
The Matildas offered tenacious attacking intent but with that, the opportunity for space in behind when they did get forward.
After initial sparring, with the two teams exchanging wonder goals as though they were Match Attax - a piledriver from Ella Toone followed by a long-range effort from Sam Kerr, it was exactly that space in behind that the Lionesses exploited.
Hemp and Russo once more the two to make the difference and as tears flowed in Sydney, the Lionesses stood over a limp kangaroo.
On to the final, and a European clash once more as England lined up against the red of the Spanish.
As though in slow-motion, David Attenborough narrating the attack, tension building, it felt destined that the Lionesses would win.
The perfect narrative: back-to-back major tournament wins, defeating the villain of Jorge Vilda, at last a World Cup title for manager supreme, Sarina Wiegman. England looked set to roar.
It seemed, however, they did not quite have the stamina to see it through. A team out of steam line-up against the skill of La Roja and a goal from Olga Carmona proved the difference.
A seemingly desperate tactical change at half-time was telling of a performance found wanting and the Lionesses never looked likely to score.
Spain had stolen their roar.
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Key Takeaways
- Lacking killer instinct? Despite boasting the WSL top scorer among their ranks, Daly was deployed as a wing-back for most of the tournament whilst Hemp was used as a forward. Wiegman made players fit to her formation which arguably lost England some of the clinical edge that would have served them well in the final.
- Flowers to the defence. England was often left in debt to a back line which had been questioned at the start of the tournament. Jess Carter, Millie Bright and Alex Greenwood were all stand-out performers of the squad whilst Mary ‘Queen of Stops’ Earps proved saviour once more, including a penalty save in the final.
- Hope for the future. This was but a squad full of cubs. Despite the seeming depth of experience in the team, many of the Lionesses will still be entering their prime at the next World Cup. Stanway is only 24-years-old and James will only improve as her game matures, some flex from a player who took the group stages by storm. Elsewhere England can look to their bench and fringe players like Maya Le Tissier to bolster a World Cup challenge next time round.
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Reflections: Lionesses' Legacy
Heartbreak encapsulates the emotion of not just a team, but a nation who had followed this squad through the exhilaration of 2022 and the tumult of the World Cup.
Yet still they are a pride. A pride of a nation.
To be the first England team to reach a World Cup final since 1966 was an achievement in itself. To do so without your captain even more so.
Their tournament may not always have been pretty but their journey was certainly majestic.
The Lionesses, however, have transcended beyond the boundaries of sporting glory. They have become pioneers in women's sports and set a standard of what women's achievement can look like when it is properly supported.
England may not have travelled home with a gold medal around their necks but their legacy is deserving of a crown.
