'Resilience, Phenomenal, Unreal' England are in their first World Cup final since 1966

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England women have reached the Women's World Cup final for the first time ever – and it's a huge deal

England are in a first World Cup final since 1966: Katie Robinson, Rachel Daly and teammates of England huddle with Sarina Wiegman, Manager of England, following the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Semi Final match between Australia and England at Stadium Australia on August 16, 2023 in Sydney, Australia.
(Image credit: Naomi Baker - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)

England women are into the Women's World Cup final, after beating hosts Australia 3-1 at Stadium Australia in Sydney, in arguably their best performance of the tournament so far.

Ella Toone, back in the side in the absence of the suspended Lauren James, put the Lionesses ahead with a stunning first-half strike, before a stunning Sam Kerr strike levelled proceedings. With pressure building on England, however, Lauren Hemp capitalised on a defensive error to put the Lionesses ahead before Alessia Russo struck a winner minutes from time. 

This is the first time that England's women's team have made a World Cup final – and it's the first time since 1966 that either the men or women have made the showpiece. Here's how Twitter reacted to the game…

VIDEO: Why Lauren James Will Change Women's Football Forever

Fara Williams correctly predicted a 3-1 win in the semi-final.

The injured Fran Kirby was live-tweeting, with particular praise for her England colleague Hemp – who scored the second and made the third.

Leah Williamson is also there.

Ian Wright has been a consistent champion of women's football and has been Down Under for the tournament.

They may not have the broadcast rights but they're excited all the same. 

Chief Football Writer at the Times, Henry Winter, pays tribute to the resilience of this side. 

Presenting legends Ant and Dec have been caught up in the excitement.

The British Army played Sweet Caroline in tribute to the win.

The Prime Minister himself has leant his congrats…

…As has the leader of the opposition. 

More on England women and the Women's World Cup 2023

Is this the greatest women's football advert ever? Orange in France have delivered a stunning piece of filmmaking for the Women's World Cup 2023. Lauren James will be available for the final, after missing the last two games through suspension following her petulant stamp on Nigeria's Michelle Alozie. 

Alex Greenwood has told FFT that she believes the development in the Lionesses recently is more mentality-focused than ability-based, while Christine Sinclair has spoken of her longevity. Intriguingly, Canada women’s head coach comes from a small town in County Durham – just like the men's – and FFT met Bev Priestman ahead of the tournament. Should football mic up referees? What we've learned from the Women's World Cup.

You can download the wallchart for the tournament, too.

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White is the Digital Content Editor at FourFourTwo. During his time on the brand, Mark has written three cover features on Mikel Arteta, Martin Odegaard and the Invincibles, and has written pieces on subjects ranging from Sir Bobby Robson’s time at Barcelona to the career of Robinho. An encyclopedia of football trivia and collector of shirts, he first joined the team back in 2020 as a staff writer.