England had covered the gaps, they had filled the holes. They had adjusted, adapted, repositioned, created a new formation, and reached a first World Cup final. Then England changed again. Down 1-0 at half time in the World Cup final, Sarina Wiegman went for a last roll of the dice, a double substitution that saw Alessia Russo and Rachel Daly brought off and Lauren James and Chloe Kelly come on. That 3-5-2 that was England’s revelation of the tournament, that changed their World Cup? It was binned. England went back to 4-2-3-1. They disposed of the wing-backs and brought on the wingers. They stopped pressing Spain and abandoned their plan. With it, and for the first time at the World Cup, the Lionesses did not find the change that was required. James and Kelly brought moments of improvement, but the truth is that England were at their most dangerous when Lauren Hemp and Russo were combining as a front two. Hemp’s switch to a central role took away the threat that was everywhere in the first half and left Wiegman searching for something else. On came Beth England. Up went Millie Bright. But this was a situation England could not overcome. In a tournament that has been defined by England’s ability to adapt and solve the problems they have faced, the changes that were required against Spain were a step too far. Mary Earps’s save from Jenni Hermoso’s penalty gave England some momentum, but this was a final that stuttered and in the second half never found its rhythm, where stoppages played into Spain’s hands and covered the defensive frailties they had previously shown through the tournament. “When Mary saved the penalty I thought we’d go on and score the goal,” Wiegman shrugged. “But we didn’t.” Wiegman felt England improved with the changes and they certainly played with a better balance. But by then the game had changed and in its final moments, Spain managed to stay in control. While England never found the right combinations, Spain never quite felt threatened. While England played with two systems, neither one quite arrived at the right time. Perhaps this was always the natural conclusion for a World Cup that hit its first hurdle in November when Beth Mead suffered a torn ACL, then when England lost Leah Williamson, and then Fran Kirby; the deflating end to a tournament where Wiegman has not had the same consistency or continuity of last summer’s Euros, and where winning the final was beyond the resilience of this side. Perhaps it’s also the rebalance from last summer’s quarter-final in Brighton, where Spain were the better team and lost after England found a moment of magic through Georgia Stanway’s equaliser. England couldn’t produce another one; despite the introductions of Kelly and James, England were at their most threatening when they played into an open, frantic match, even if it left them more vulnerable at the other end and, ultimately, led to Olga Carmona’s winning goal. It was a quality finish, the moment to crown Spain’s golden generation, a magnificent team of sharp passers and quick minds. Aitana Bonmati was the clear player of the tournament and no one will be surprised when the Ballon d’Or follows at the end of the year. They looked a class above England, but the regret is that a head coach who appears to have no impact on how his team plays in Jorge Vilda did not need to have a tactical approach to beat the Lionesses. England gave Spain what they wanted. Wiegman committed to a brave plan but it gave England a hard time. They had pushed high and pressed Spain, hoping to force the error, with Lucy Bronze and Daly defending as forwards as much as wingers, gambling on a misplaced pass. But Spain were too good. They responded by playing through England, isolating a back three that had found strength in its unity. Spain pulled an already stretched team further out of shape and created another problem for England to solve. Bronze’s misadventure then led to another one. As Carmona fired past Earps, Bronze immediately sank to the pitch, as if her legs had been cut from beneath her, the sort of reaction that told you everything about where the goal had come from. It was a run that was too ambitious when what England needed to do was move it faster. Bronze was crowded out, England were outnumbered, and suddenly it was left to Russo to follow Carmona’s run. That was a gap in the team that England could not cover. There had been such a fine balance to it, an open game where the first goal was always going to be crucial. While the final was goalless, England had chances that came from their high press and then found spaces to hit Hemp down the channels. But when Spain scored, the space vanished and Wiegman needed to try something else to protect her side, even if it meant England lost some of their unpredictability. To reach this stage was a triumph of the team’s approach and its mentality; a campaign that always managed to deliver answers. Eventually, and on the biggest stage of all, England were unable to find another. Read More England suffer World Cup heartache as brilliant Spain show Lionesses what’s missing Jorge Vilda: Spain’s World Cup coach at the heart of a civil war England v Spain LIVE: Women’s World Cup final result and reaction as Lionesses suffer heartbreak England players ‘heartbroken’ after World Cup final defeat to Spain England suffer World Cup heartache as brilliant Spain show Lionesses what’s missing Sarina Wiegman has already made the biggest decision of England’s World Cup

Drew Barrymore has found herself in hot water for announcing the return of 'The Drew Barrymore Show', amid the ongoing strikes by SAG-AFTRA and WGA

A Thai father has received warm messages for his gesture to his adoptive daughter by turning up dressed as a mum for a Mother's Day event at school so she wouldn't feel left out. In the heartwarming clip, Pratchaya Tadeebu can be seen wearing a dress and wig as he surprised his 15-year-old daughter Cream so that she wouldn't be alone for the Mother’s Day ceremony in school on August 12. Overwhelmed with emotion, Cream can be seen bowing down to Tadeebu before hugging him tightly for his meaningful Mother’s Day gesture. The clip has since gone viral with over 395,000 views, and a number of comments from people praising the father and sending messages of support to the father and daughter. One person said: "What a great blessing for this relationship! you both deserve the best, best dad." "My tears hmmm proud of you Best Dad to this kid," another person said. Someone else added: "I finally see there's such thing called loving father." @joey_kp "แม่" ฉันก็เป็นให้แกได้555 After surprising his daughter, Tadeebu spoke to a local Thailand news outlet about why he decided to do this. "Even though I am a single father and her stepfather, I always tell Cream that she is my daughter, and I love her like my own biological child,” he said. “I will do my best as both father and mother in order to take care of my girl.” He added that when the idea of dressing as a woman came up, he "felt no embarrassment at all," and added: "We always find ways to have fun together." Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Major League Soccer (MLS) is investigating an alleged incident in which a player was forcibly removed from the match officials’ locker room after a game last week between the New York Red Bulls and FC Cincinnati. Cincinnati beat New York at Red Bull Arena in a penalty shootout on Saturday, advancing to the semi-finals of the MLS Playoffs. “After the Nov 4th NYRB/FC Cincinnati match, a player gained unauthorized entry into the Officials’ locker room and was forcibly removed by stadium security while acting in an aggressive and hostile manner,” the Professional Soccer Referees Association (PSRA) said on social media. “No one’s safety should ever be at risk and we expect MLS to act accordingly.” PSRA referees officiate matches for MLS, the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) and the United Soccer Leagues (USL). The PSRA did not confirm which player was removed or the nature of their dispute. “Major League Soccer is aware of the report of a player gaining unauthorized access into the officials’ locker room,” the MLS said in a statement. “The safety of PRO officials must never be compromised and an investigation into this matter is being conducted.” Reuters Read More On this day in 2008: David Beckham heads to Milan to boost England hopes Man City v Young Boys LIVE: Latest Champions League updates Casemiro likely to be sidelined until new year

Predicting Barcelona's starting lineup for their upcoming La Liga clash against Sevilla on Friday night.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko in Beijing on Sunday, a

Some in the Western Balkans country saw it as reciprocation when the leaders of Albania and Italy announced a contentious agreement earlier this week to jointly process some asylum applications of migrants arriving by sea

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 20, 2023--

Silicon Valley Bank failed because regulators were far too slow to take action, San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank President Mary Daly said Monday in her first extended remarks about the collapse.

Devyn Michaels may have been Johnathan Willette's ex-girlfriend as his Facebook profile showed him engaged to someone else

Fox News anchor Laura Ingraham’s fear of Dems getting more power following Kevin McCarthy’s ouster led the Internet trolling her brutally

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has stripped one of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical distributors of its license to sell highly addictive painkillers after determining it failed to flag thousands of suspicious, high-volume orders at the height of the opioid crisis