Sarina Wiegman and Millie Bright urged England to play the game of their lives on Sunday if they are to beat Spain to a first World Cup and secure sporting immortality.
“We have felt the support, we have felt the support here, but also from the other side of the world in the UK,” said Wiegman. “That’s something that you dream of. We just hope that we play our best game tomorrow and everyone who is watching in the stadium, in the UK, who supports us, enjoys it.”
Bright, the England captain, said: “We have got a gameplan that we have to go out and execute. Everyone knows how big this is. It has been players’ dreams for years. We know how passionate our nation is back home and how much they want us to win. But for us, there is a process. Like Sarina said, we need to play the game of our lives.
“We don’t fear making mistakes and that is the biggest thing. Football is such a beautiful thing but maybe when you play it a little bit hesitant, you don’t see the best in people.
The former US international Carli Lloyd praised Wiegman and said she believes England resemble her own dominant team of the past. “They go down a goal but there’s no need to panic, they’re figuring it out,” she said.
“They’ve not necessarily been playing their best football, but they’ve got the resilience and that’s why they’re in the final.”
The Lionesses will have Lauren James back at Stadium Australia, after the midfielder’s two‑game suspension, with every player available for England.
On whether her trust in James would be affected by the loss of control that led to her red card against Nigeria, Wiegman said: “I said after that game, it was just a moment and she regretted that moment straight away and she apologised. She’s punished for that and we know it should not be part of football. She walked over her butt and she really regretted it.
“Sometimes, when you’re not that experienced at this level, some fatigue gets in the game and you have a split second where you lose your emotions and that happens. It’s a mistake, a hard-learning lesson, but she’s ready to play again.”
Spain’s head coach, Jorge Vilda, confirmed he has a fully fit squad for the final, brushing aside concerns over the fitness of Salma Paralluelo, who had seemed to have a problem in training. Wiegman would not be drawn into the dispute between Vilda and his players, instead praising the opposition.
“The Spanish team is in a good place, they’ve had a very good tournament,” she said. “As always, they want to play a possession game, they’re very dynamic, they want to play forward all the time. That’s not very different from when I’ve seen them before. They will challenge us, but we will challenge them too.”
Bright praised the England fans for their support. “As a group we would like to say thank you, not only to the fans back home but to the fans out here as well,” she said.
“We have felt really welcomed and really special over here. Every game has been incredible, everyone has seen that first-hand.
“Back home, we have seen the videos. We really appreciate everyone setting their alarm clocks and making the effort to support us.
“Even though we are a million miles apart, it is amazing what football can do in really bringing everyone together, but especially our nation. We are really proud. Stick with us one more game.”
