I watched it. Sort of. I couldn’t bring myself to switch the music off so I had the women’s World Cup final on the telly, minus commentary, and it seemed all the better for it. I might try it again sometime. As for the game – and bearing in mind I’ve not heard a single thing about it, apart from what I’ve seen on social media – the best team won. I’m not sure what pundits are saying on the crystal bucket, but that’s how it seemed to me.
For women’s football, I fear we have seen the end of the innocence. People were drawn to the game, particularly the lionesses, by the lack of cynicism and all out honesty of the women’s game. No more. Just like the men – and this was inevitable in the professional era – we now have tactical fouls, shirt-pulling, dishonest appealing, diving, feigning injury (hello, Spain) and time-wasting.
England did the nation proud again. Spain were technically far better than us, but we hung in the game, not least because of Spain’s wastefulness in front of goal. And I always felt, from my admittedly distant vantage point that if England managed a late equaliser, they would go on to defeat a broken Spanish team, but they never did.
Captain Millie Bright just said on telly that “We just weren’t there today” and of course she’s right and part of that was down to the frankly astounding decision to chuck her up front long before the end, as England’s main tactic of “hitting the channels” morphed effortlessly into basic “route one”.
I hope that the success of the lionesses inspires the next generation of children to play the game, not just girls, as publicity grabbing Rishi Sunak said earlier. The school sports are in rapid decline, not least down to the Conservative government which has run the country (into the ground) since 2010. My social media has been alive with people who have fallen in a big way for the England women’s team. Let’s hope they support their local teams too, like the Bristol Rovers women’s team who rarely attract more than 50 people. This could be the beginning of something special for women’s football. Let’s hope it is.
