‘Girls, you’ve got this!’: Geri Horner, Emma Bunton and Jess Glynn lead the stars wishing England’s Lionesses good luck ahead of the World Cup final against Spain
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 after a 3-1 victory over Australia on Wednesday.
A tense match saw the team storm to victory over their classic rivals thanks to goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo, meaning they’ll go head-to-head with Spain in the final on Sunday.
Celebrities, including Paloma Faith, Aitch and Rio Ferdinand, took part in a sweet video montage wishing the team luck, which was shared to their official social media page’s.
Geri, 51, said in the clip: ‘Lionesses we are so proud of you. Sarina you are inspirational. Mary… Girls you’ve got this, best of luck.
Fellow Spice Girl Emma added: ‘We are so proud of you. I can’t imagine how your family are feeling. Sending you so much love and all the luck 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 after a 3-1 victory over Australia on Wednesday
Sensational! The team stormed to victory over their bitter rivals Australia in a tense match that ended 3-1
Jess Glynn told the team: ‘Hey girls I just want to wish you a massive good luck for Sunday. You guys have been so amazing in the tournament so far and I’m so gassed you’re in the final.’
The singer, who was wearing a Lioness t-shirt, then jumped in the pool while shouting: ‘Go get it England!’
Dame Kelly Holmes said: ‘Hi team, wishing you all the best for the final tomorrow. I know that you’re going to go out there and smash it yet again. We are all so proud of you doing so fantastically well.
‘Go out there with passion and pride, yet again, and I’m sure you are going to pick up that trophy.’
Rio Ferdinand told the team: ‘This is a moment man. This is history in the making. You girls are close. I’ve had every faith in you, so please make me cry.’
Singer Yungblud wished the team good luck: ‘Sending you all the love in the world. Good luck you are smashing it. It’s coming home, go get it for us. Love ya.’
Rapper Aitch said: ‘It’s go time girls. Time to shine bright. Bring it home. You know the vibes. Smash it, you’ve smashed it so far. You’ve got it in the bag.’
Paloma Faith gushed over the team: ‘I feel so empowered and inspired by everything you’re doing. So on behalf of all the women of Britain, thank you’
Chicken Shop Date star Amelia Dimoldenberg said: ‘Hello all of the Lionesses. Best of luck for today’s game, I’m sending you all my love. It’s coming home!’
Comedian Russell Howard shouted: ‘Best of luck in the World Cup final. Bring it home, bring it home!’
Lizzie Cundy shared a stunning snap of herself holding an English flag and penned: ‘Getting the flags up, Sooooo excited ! Let’s do this @lionesses ! #wearecominghome #worldcupfinal’
Gordon Ramsay shared a snap of his family with Lioness legend Jill Scott and he wrote: ‘Good luck today @lionesses! Can’t wait to watch you bring football home Gx’
Jess Glynn told the team: ‘Hey girls I just want to wish you a massive good luck for Sunday. You guys have been so amazing in the tournament so far and I’m so gassed you’re in the final.’
The singer, who was wearing a Lioness t-shirt, then jumped in the pool while shouting: ‘Go get it England!’
Fellow Spice Girl Emma added: ‘We are so proud of you. I can’t imagine how your family are feeling. Sending you so much love and all the luck in the world and I’ll be watching.’
Mel C shared a special message with the Lionesses while she performed on stage at the Hardwick Festival in County Durham on Saturday.
As the crowd chanted ‘it’s coming home’, Mel said: ‘Lionesses we are so proud of you. The people of Hardwick just wanted to say… Bring it home!’
England’s women footballers celebrated as they made it through to their first ever World Cup final after beating Australia 3-1, with goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo.
Second half strikes for the European champions from Russo and Hemp silenced the home crowd of 75,000 hostile fans amid a febrile atmosphere in Sydney, with Hemp’s strike coming just minutes after Sam Kerr had equalised.
England will now take on Spain for the trophy this Sunday at 11am UK time, after they beat 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 flashpoint just seconds in as Australia got a free kick after England’s Keira Walsh fouled Sam Kerr. Then, Alex Greenwood was booked on ten minutes for fouling Kerr.
England opened the scoring in the 36th minute when the ball skipped past Hemp inside the area and fell at the feet of Toone, who gave Australia goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold no chance with a strike into the top right corner.
The Lionesses held a 1-0 lead at half-time, while millions of England fans watched on TV back home – with some taking a few hours off work to go to a pub or having it on the background while ‘working from home’.
As the second half began, England had an early scare when Australia’s Mary Fowler sent in an expert cross for Caitlin Foord, although she could not angle 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 the Australia half. She ran and ran before releasing an arrow-like long-range strike into the net.
But England retook the lead when Millie Bright sent a perfect long ball from the backline up to a running Hemp, who picked it up with ease, sneaked through the defence, drew out Arnold and fired into the goal in the 71st.
Dame Kelly Holmes said: ‘Go out there with passion and pride, yet again, and I’m sure you are going to pick up that trophy.’
Singer Yungblud wished the team good luck: ‘Sending you all the love in the world. Good luck you are smashing it. It’s coming home, go get it for us. Love ya.’
Chicken Shop Date star Amelia Dimoldenberg said: ‘Hello all of the Lionesses. Best of luck for today’s game, I’m sending you all my love. It’s coming home!’
Paloma Faith gushed over the team: ‘I feel so empowered and inspired by everything you’re doing. So on behalf of all the women of Britain, thank you’
Rio Ferdinand told the team: ‘This is a moment man. This is history in the making. You girls are close. I’ve had every faith in you, so please make me cry.’
And, 15 minutes later, Hemp slipped through the Matildas to pick 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 match, including six minutes of injury time at the end.
Defender Lucy Bronze was overwhelmed 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 two times of getting such disappointment, I honestly can’t believe it.’
When asked what manager Sarina Wiegman said, Bronze said: ‘We played the game how we wanted to, we were resilient, determined, I couldn’t hear much else she was saying to be honest! We knew the crowd were going to be crazy tonight and she was saying about silencing them and I feel like we did that at the end after the third goal.’
But it comes as the England team found themselves on the receiving end of a bizarre spying controversy after a training session was photographed from a helicopter.
The European champions will take on the Matildas at Sydney’s sold-out Stadium Australia, where most of the 75,000 in attendance will be backing the co-hosts.
The winner of today’s contest will take on Spain for the trophy this Sunday at 11am UK time, after the team beat Sweden 2-1 yesterday to book their trip to the final.
It comes after tickets intended for England fans were bought up by Australians after a unique Lionesses code for an allocation of 1,970 was leaked on social media.
In a video message ahead of the match , Beckham said: ‘Hey girls, I just wanted to say wow, what a tournament it’s been so far. It’s been so much fun to watch and we’re all so proud as a nation of what you’ve achieved already.
‘But seeing you girls play as a team, it’s been really incredible. So continue to do so, good luck in this next game, and just know that our whole nation is behind you as always and good luck.’
Comedian Russell Howard shouted: ‘Best of luck in the World Cup final. Bring it home, bring it home!’
Lizzie Cundy shared a stunning snap of herself holding an English flag and penned: ‘Getting the flags up, Sooooo excited ! Let’s do this @lionesses ! #wearecominghome #worldcupfinal’
Gordon Ramsay wrote: ‘Good luck today @lionesses ! Can’t wait to watch you bring football home Gx’
He then moved his camera over 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 very, very happy that you’re doing it for this one. Good luck, girls.’
It comes after the Australian Daily Telegraph sent up an aircraft to capture images from the Lionesses’ behind-closed-doors session at their training base as they finalised plans for today’s match.
Published under the headline ‘Eleven Poms against a nation: Welcome to the jungle, Lionesses’, the pictures show England boss Sarina Wiegman and her staff putting the players through their paces ahead of the eagerly-anticipated contest.
England’s first appearance in a semi-final came eight years ago in Canada, when Laura Bassett’s own goal in second-half stoppage time abruptly halted their dreams of reaching the final.
The Lionesses won their third-place play-off for a best-ever World Cup finish to date, four years later coming fourth in France, where now-England boss Ms Wiegman led the Netherlands to the final but ultimately lost to defending champions the United States.
The Matildas are the only side who can boast they have beaten England since Wiegman – otherwise undefeated in 36 matches – took over in September 2021, with a 2-0 victory at Brentford in April.
While she, too, has found herself impressed by the growth she has observed in the ninth edition of the World Cup, expanded to 32 teams for the first time and guaranteed a new champion, that elusive trophy remains at the forefront of her mind.
Support: Mel C shared a special message with the Lionesses while she performed on stage at the Hardwick Festival in County Durham on Saturday
As the crowd chanted ‘it’s coming home’, Mel said: ‘Lionesses we are so proud of you. The people of Hardwick just wanted to say… Bring it home!’
Getting ready: England took part in a team training session at Central Coast Stadium in Gosford a day before their semi-final tie
Wiegman said: ‘I’m aware that this is very, very special and that what happens in the growth of the women’s game the level has really grown so worldwide people see what’s going on. I hope that helps women in football but women in general too.
‘But to be honest I’m very focused, so when it’s the game it’s the game, and you just try to block everything out because you have to do a job.’
Gustavsson believes his side are fully prepared to rise to the monumental occasion.
He said: ‘We actually don’t look at it as pressure. We look at it as a privilege that so many people believe in this team, and we feel the support.
‘We look at it more as fuel, as energy, than pressure. We don’t look at it as heavy. We look at it as we get carried from underneath and built up, and I feel the belief in us.’
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