England fans go wild after Lionesses reach World Cup Final (Picture:Getty/Reuters)
England fans across the country have gone wild after the Lionesses have become the first women’s team to reach the World Cup Final after a stunning 3-1 victory over Australia.
Thousands of fans across the UK took time off work to watch the game, with many singing, dancing and slamming tables at fan parks.
In London, deafening cheers acompanied goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo as hundreds of spectators began singing Sweet Caroline and chanting ‘It’s Coming Home.’
At the Wembley box park, the day started with some playful taunting between England fans and a smattering of Aussie supporters, but things quickly heated up once Ella Toone opened the scoring with a spectacular opening goal to put England in the lead.
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England fans celebrates the third goal from England as they watch a screen showing the Women’s World Cup semi-final football match between Australia and England, at Boxpark Wembley in London (Picture: Getty)
However, things quickly became tense in the second half when Australia’s Sam Kerr managed to claw one back with a powerful strike from outside the box to bring the score level and drag the Matildas back into the game.
But any worries were soon dispelled when Lauren Hemp made it 2-1 to England in the 70th minute, with Alessia Russo sealing the deal with a third goal minutes before the final whistle to book the Lionesses place in the final.
Hayley Chapel, 18, travelled to Wembley from East Suffolk to watch the game, and said the experience was ‘intense but absolutely amazing’ and said the atmosphere at the box park was ‘the best I’ve seen throughout the whole tournament.’
She was joined by fellow England fan Zoe Marchant, 41, who had travelled from Hastings to watch the game.
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Fans said the atmosphere was ‘the best of the tournament’ (Picture: Getty)
Thousands of fans turned up to cheer on the Lionesses (Picture: AP)
‘It was amazing!’ she told Metro. ‘We knew it was going to be tight, we knew it was going to be difficult, but they shone through.
‘We’ve been waiting all tournament for this sort of performance and they came through- Let’s hope they can do it again in the final. Come on England!’
Zoe said the atmosphere at the fan zone was ‘incredible’: ‘Just so many people all in that place for the right reasons, here to back the team. You;ve got the Australian fans as well- doesn’t matter, we’re all football fans, just enjoy it. Amazing.’
She added that the final on Sunday was going to be tough,’ but England are going to do it.’
Elsewhere, England fan Claire McGettrick, 42, from Birmingham, who watched the Lionesses’ semi-final win from her hotel room in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, said cheering could be heard from other rooms as England ran out 3-1 winners.
She said: ‘(I) heard a lot of cheering from other rooms but other than that everyone else is in the pool oblivious.’
Mrs McGettrick added that she would be ‘heading to the pool going to jump in then have a few drinks in the sun’ to celebrate England reaching the World Cup final, and said she would still be in Egypt for the big game.
England face Spain in the final on Sunday (Picture: Getty)
‘(I) think we will venture out to the pub for that one,’ she said. ‘I’ll be in Egypt for the final as (it is a) one o’clock showing here and we don’t fly until the night. What a flight home it will be if we win.’
Mischa McDonald, 12, was one of about a dozen young players celebrating the result at England captain Millie Bright’s former club, Killamarsh Dynamos.
She told reportes: ‘It was amazing, so nerve-wracking, but I’d predicted 3-1 before the start.’
On the final, Mischa, who also attends Bright’s former school, said: ‘I know we’ll do it and I think Millie will lift the cup like Leah Williamson did (at the Euros).’
She added that the Lionesses’ success was ‘a really big inspiration’.
The Welsh Guards Band performed one of England’s footballing anthems Sweet Caroline during Wednesday’s Changing of the Guard outside Buckingham Palace after the win.
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England are the first women’s team to ever reach a World Cup Final.