The girl in the Sam Kerr face mask was weeping. No tears were actually visible. The cardboard surface itself remained impassive and structurally sound. But you could tell what was really going on from the way the chin quivered and wobbled, from the comforting mother’s arm draped around hunched shoulders. For Australia, the co-hosts and the stirring soul of this tournament, the party is over.
Then again, nobody ever reached a World Cup final without breaking a few hearts along the way. And on a crisp, cool Sydney night, England moved one step closer to a peak they have been trying and failing to scale for 30 years. Their 3-1 victory was not flawless, and nor was it entirely free of dread or drama. But it was nerveless and efficient in all the right places: a performance carved from the austere gospel of Sarina Wiegman, the brilliant Dutch coach who has now overseen the two greatest tournament showings in the history of England women’s football.
