England v Spain LIVE: Reaction to Women’s World Cup final result as Lionesses suffer heartbreak

As the Spanish captain wheeled away in celebration after scoring Spain’s winning goal in the World Cup final, the left-back lifted up her shirt to reveal a message: “Merchi”

It has now been revealed by the Spaniard that the word was in memory of a friend’s mother who recently passed away.

“They had a chance and took it, and we didn’t. I felt like we were really in the game. I’m sure we will feel really proud in a couple of weeks but right now it is really raw. Gutting.

“In a couple of weeks, when the emotion has settled down we will probably be able to look back and feel proud - it is no small feat to get to a World Cup final. But we are very competitive people, we came here to win the game and get a gold medal, not a silver one.

“At the same time, you need to try and be as present as possible. These moments don’t come around very often. I will probably look back on this as up there as one of my career highlights but right now it just doesn’t feel like it.”

Spain may have been victorious today, but the World Cup triumph comes alongside a long-standing, ugly dispute between players and the Spanish FA.

At the heart of it are disputes over the head coach, Jorge Vilda, with several players boycotting the national side due to his continued presence.

You can find out more in the feature below:

England captain Millie Bright said the Lionesses are “heartbroken” after an agonising defeat to Spain in the World Cup final.

Olga Carmona’s first-half strike settled the Sydney final as England’s bid to win their first World Cup in 57 years came up short.

The Lionesses were given hope when Mary Earps brilliantly saved Jenni Hermoso’s penalty, but Sarina Wiegman’s side were unable to find the equaliser.

Read the full reaction from members of the England camp below:

British stars from the world of showbiz and broadcasting have shared messages of appreciation for the Lionesses who lost to Spain in the Women’s World Cup final.

Spain secured a final 1-0 victory in Sydney on Sunday, following Olga Carmona’s first-half goal, however, Sarina Wiegman’s side still achieved a best-ever second-place finish.

Read more below:

The King and Queen attended church near Balmoral as the Lionesses were battling Spain in their historic Women’s World Cup final.

Charles and Camilla were pictured arriving at Crathie Kirk for a Sunday service while the England squad were being put through their paces in the tense clash in Sydney, that ended with Spain triumphing 1-0.

A Palace source had said on Saturday: "Both Their Majesties will be following Sunday's events with the greatest interest."

Charles, who is head of the Church of England, was driving the couple's car on Sunday, while Camilla was seen smiling in the front passenger seat. The King had urged the Lionesses to "roar to victory" in a message ahead of the match.

Charles and Camilla arrived at church shortly before the start of the 11.30am service and left around an hour later, meaning they appeared to have missed the bulk of the game.

The Lionesses kicked off at 11am UK time, with the final whistle, signalling Spain's 1-0 triumph, sounding just after 1pm. The couple may have just had time to return to Birkhall, where they are believed to be staying, to watch the last moments of the game.

Reporting by PA

The Prince of Wales has shared a message of consolation with the Lionesses after their defeat against Spain at the World Cup final.

Spain’s women’s football team beat England 1-0 in the final, the first time since 1966 that any England football team had reached a World Cup final. In response to the disappointing result, William sent an encouraging message to the team on social media.

“Although it’s the result none of us wanted, @Lionesses you have done yourselves and this nation proud,” he wrote on Sunday afternoon.

“Your spirit & drive have inspired so many people and paved the way for generations to come. Thank you for the footballing memories.”

He concluded his message by sharing a message of congratulations to Spain, before signing off with his initial, “W”.

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 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 4-3-3. They disposed of the wing-backs and brought on the wingers. They stopped pressing Spain and abandoned their plan.

But perhaps Wiegman and England needed to stick with their conviction. For the first time at the World Cup, the Lionesses did not find the changes that were 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.

Read Jamie Braidwood’s full report from Sydney:

Former England midfielder, Fara Williams speaking on BBC Sport: “Take nothing away from this Spanish team, they were the better team over the 90 minutes.

“Sarina Wiegman and the players will learn from this and bounce back - they’re a young team with plenty of talent and a lot more to come.”

Spain’s World Cup winner, Aitana Bonmati speaking to BBC Sport: “I don’t have any words for this moment, it’s unbelievable. I’m so proud because he had a great tournament. We suffered but we enjoyed and we deserve it.

“Everyone knew the goal at the beginning of the tournament. Everyone is competitive, everyone has a strong mentality to win. We have been working for a lot of years for this moment and now we have it. We have the trophy.”