21 August 2023 , 08:46
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It wasn't to be for Alex Greenwood and the Lionesses in the World Cup final on Sunday but there was no doubting the England defender's commitment as she bravely played through to the final whistle.
The Manchester City player hit the deck in the 77th minute after an aerial clash with Spain winger Salma Paralluelo, with Greenwood appearing to take a knee to the face from the 29-year-old. After lengthy physio treatment, she bravely got back to her feet and played on, with Paralluelo showed a yellow for her troubles.
Greenwood was left with a deep cut beneath her right eyebrow not to mention obvious swelling, and her treatment resulted in 13 minutes of injury time. BBC commentator Rachel Brown-Finnis said on live commentary: "You can see the blood on Alex Greenwood's head.
"It's a high knee to the face from Salma Paralluelo. If it's a patch-up job, Greenwood will stay on. If there is any whiff of concussion, then a key part of the defence will be gone. This is not a good sight."
It prompted memories of the likes of Terry Butcher and Paul Ince notoriously playing on for England bloodied and bandaged, but for Greenwood and co there was to be no fairytale finish. Spain duly held out in time added on to win 1-0 and deny Sarina Wiegman's team the World Cup glory they craved.
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And Greenwood wore the scars of battle as England's players squad left for home on Monday. The deep cut and swelling was still very much evident as she joined the squad at Sydney Airport. Sarina Wiegman's players looked downcast in their blue tracksuits as they begin the long trip back to the UK but were clapped and cheered by locals, with many players stopping for pictures with fans.
Alex Greenwood suffered the nasty clash in the final (Media-Mode / SplashNews.com)The 29-year-old will now turn her focus to the Women's Super League campaign with City. They get underway on October 1 with a trip to West Ham. The England team have been hailed for the wider impact of their journey to the final, with boss Wiegman speaking of her pride after the defeat.
"You go to the final, you want to give everything to win the final, then you lose it," she said. "That happens in sport. "What we have done, how we have shown ourselves as a team, how we want to play, overcoming so many challenges, I feel we can be very proud of ourselves.
England's players prepare to leave Sydney after the final (Media-Mode / SplashNews.com)“I think we gave everything. The players gave everything. We tried different tactics. I also have to give credit to Spain. I think they were the team over the whole tournament who played the best football.”
Despite their final defeat, a number of the Lionesses are set to become millionaires as top companies scramble to sign them up. Several players already secured lucrative deals with brands like Adidas, Nike, Google Pixel and Visa. And the squad are currently trying to negotiate and £100,000 apiece from the FA on top of the £170,000 they will earn from FIFA
England's next target is Olympic qualification and Wiegman refused to confirm if she will still be in charge of the Lionesses for the next World Cup in 2027.
Lionesses stars will begin their preparations for the new WSL season (Media-Mode / SplashNews.com)“Four years is a long time. We’re in a very short turnaround but we’ll start in September with the Nations League to qualify for the Olympics," she added.
“You want to improve all the time and that’s what I see in the team. This group of players are so eager to be successful. So we want to grab every next moment and be better. Growth is one of the things that is really in this team, so we hope that we come back quickly.”
Speaking after the match, skipper Millie Bright admitted: "We're absolutely heartbroken. We gave everything. Unfortunately we just weren't there."
England stars Lauren Hemp and Rachel Daly look downcast (Media-Mode / SplashNews.com)Midfielder Georgia Stanway though remained optimistic about the future, insisting: "It's hard to watch another team celebrate when it's your goal and your dream. When the dust settles, we'll be really proud of this.
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"We've faced a lot in this tournament, before the tournament, people probably didn't have us written to be in this situation, so to reach a World Cup final is an achievement alone.
"We hope we've inspired many many people. We're the Lionesses, so we won't stop what we're doing, we'll continue to break barriers, we'll continue to push on."
Indeed, the Lionesses were applauded as they began the journey home from Australia. Footage on social media showed the team being clapped and cheered at Sydney Airport, as players signed autographs and took pictures with fans, while head coach Wiegman was seen waving and smiling.
The squad are expected to arrive back in the UK on Tuesday. And hoards of fans are expected to be waiting at Heathrow despite the final defeat.