Sarina Wiegman on the moment she thought would turn World Cup final
Sarina Wiegman has revealed she thought England would score following Mary Earps' penalty save in the World Cup final.
England were beaten 1-0 in their first World Cup final as Spain skipper Olga Carmona fired home the only goal before the break. Wiegman switched formation to a 4-3-3 for the second half and her team responded with an improved display that nearly brought home a goal.
But they would have fallen further behind had it not been for Earps. The England keeper saved a penalty from forward Jenni Hermoso after VAR deemed that Keira Walsh had handled in the box.
Earps dived brilliantly to her left to keep England in the final, but sadly for the European Champions they failed to get the crucial goal. And Wiegman revealed post-game she thought that moment would spark a comeback.
“I think we played better in the second half," Wiegman said. "We changed the shape, we got momentum and were more in their half. When Mary (Earps) saved the penalty I thought now we’re going to score a goal and get the 1-1. But we didn’t.
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"Mary’s performance has been really good. I think it was a crucial moment when she stopped that penalty.
"At the point, I was really convinced that we had the momentum and would score."
The defeat was Wiegman's first competitive loss as England manager. Unlike at the Euros last summer where they claimed the trophy, this time the manager had to console her players after falling at the final hurdle.
But despite the loss she said the Lionesses should leave Australia with their heads held high.
"Of course it is very disappointing," she explained. "Everyone was very disappointed that we didn’t win the game. We can be proud of ourselves but it doesn't feel like that at this moment.
"We’ve grown into the tournament. We’ve adapted to situations and gave everything in this tournament and in this game. I basically said we can still be proud of them.
"Sometimes you give your everything but the other team still wins."
Mary Earps saves a penalty from Jennifer Hermoso of Spain during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Final match between Spain and England at Stadium Australia on August 20,Wiegman also explained her thinking behind the tactical switch at half-time that nearly brought England back into the game. The Dutch boss boldly took off Alessia Russo and Rachel Daly, but the Lionesses responded with an improved display, albeit one that failed to take the game to extra time.
"We started the game well," she added. "We had a shot that hit the crossbar. But after that we lost the momentum. Spain wanted to press high but they came out of their press all the time.
"We couldn't get a press on their full backs. When we had the ball we couldn't push up quick enough, we didn't keep it well. So we went back to 4-3-3, with Lauren James and Chloe Kelly.
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"I think then we played better. We needed the wingers in defence but also in possession to get them on the ball. Our possession game was much better in the second half."
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