England had come close to taking the lead themselves in the 15th minute when Lauren Hemp’s shot hit the bar.
Image: A shot from England’s Lauren Hemp, right, hits the crossbar. Pic: AP
Image: Spain’s goal by Olga Carmona
Two changes at half-time saw Lauren James and Chloe Kelly replace Rachel Daly and Alessia Russo for the Lionesses, as they tried to turn the game around.
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Spain’s Jennifer Hermoso then missed a chance to double her side’s lead from a penalty – granted after a handball by Keira Walsh – after a heroic save by Earps, who dived to her left to save in the 69th minute.
James then forced a save from Spain’s goalkeeper from a tight angle a few minutes later, as England pushed for an equaliser.
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Earps even went up to attack a corner in the dying moments for England.
But sadly, it wasn’t to be, as the Lionesses fell short at the final hurdle.
Image: Earps saved a Spanish penalty. Pic: AP
Play was also briefly disrupted during the first half after a protester entered the pitch before an England free kick. The man was swiftly removed by stewards.
Image: A protester stormed the pitch during the first half of the match
‘Absolutely heartbroken’
Captain Millie Bright said the team were “absolutely heartbroken” at the defeat.
“We can say hand on heart we gave everything. Sometimes football goes for you, sometimes it goes against you,” she said.
Complimenting Spain as a “fantastic team” she said: “A lot of emotion… but I’m really proud of the team. To come this far, to play in the World Cup final, not many get to do that.
“This is not it for us, we’ll bounce back.”
Image: (L-R) Millie Bright and Alex Greenwood
Image: Lauren James
Serena Wiegman said that Spain were “a little better” than England today, adding that the team are “feeling bad” in the aftermath of the loss.
She said she had no regrets despite the defeat.
“We gave it everything we could. We tried different tactics. You have to give credit to Spain. Over the tournament they played the best football, so congratulations to Spain,” she said.
Image: Bethany England and Sarina Wiegman
The game will still go down in history as the first time the Lionesses have reached the final of the tournament.
It is also only the third time Spain have qualified for the World Cup, only having won a single match in the tournament until this year.
But La Roja are now champions of the world, with a victory which will push forward the women’s game in Europe.
Image: Spain celebrate their World Cup win
After the game, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak posted on Twitter to say everyone was “incredibly proud” of the team despite the loss.
Prince William said the Lionesses had done the nation proud after watching the match alongside the Princess of Wales and Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis at home in Sandringham, Norfolk, Kensington Palace said.
The royal had faced criticism for not attending the game in person.
Sadness in Sydney for England – as Spain turn disharmony into delirium
Hope turned to heartbreak. There was to be no addition to the trophy cabinet for the European champions a year on from Wembley glory. Just sadness in Sydney.
Spain’s is the new name etched on the trophy. At only their third women’s World Cup, they are champions.
They’ve turned disharmony into delirium – a campaign that looked like it was going to be derailed by 15 players quitting international duty last September has ended with the biggest prize of them all.
Only three of the rebel group decided to return to the squad following protests against their treatment by the Spanish Federation.
It is a reminder this World Cup has been surrounded by concerns about the status of players within national football associations.
Even the Lionesses head home from this tournament not only without the trophy, but into talks with the Football Association about the bonuses they believe they’re owed.
They will see this as a missed opportunity as well to conquer the world for the first time, as all the former champions had been toppled before the semi-finals.
The Lionesses were the favourites, but ultimately Spain were supreme in the final.
Sarina Wiegman’s side were reliant on Mary Earps producing several huge saves, including a penalty in the second half that could have seen Spain double their lead.
Even taking that slender 1-0 deficit into the final 20 minutes, England couldn’t find a way to goal.
Now they’ll regroup.
Many of these players will be trying to qualify through the Nations League for the Paris Olympics, where they’ll compete as part of a British team next year.
Then there’s the defence of their Euros title in 2025 before they can set their sights on trying to finally win the World Cup in 2027.
Disappointment after undefeated run to final
England were undefeated in the tournament before today’s game, but the journey to the final wasn’t without its challenges.
Before the World Cup even began, captain Leah Williamson and striker Beth Mead were ruled out of playing in the tournament due to ACL injuries.
The first two games saw the team secure 1-0 victories against Haiti and Denmark, followed by a whopping 6-1 win over China to finish top of Group D.
But the Lionesses were quickly pushed to their limits when coming up against Nigeria.
A red card handed to Lauren James – which was later followed by a two-game suspension – meant the team were down to 10 players in the last 16 match.
The game went down to a nail-biting penalty shoot-out, before a 4-2 win saw them progress into the quarter-finals against Columbia.
After falling behind to a goal from Leicy Santos, goals from Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo booked them a slot in the semi-finals against co-hosts Australia.
A stunning 3-1 win against the Matildassecured the Lionesses’ spot in the final against Spain, which even without the win felt like a “fairytale” to Weigman, who also took the Netherlands to the final of the tournament in 2019.
Last time England faced Spain – in the 2022 Euro quarter-finals – they won 2-1.
Two men have been arrested by armed officers after multiple people were stabbed on a train.
The train was stopped at Huntingdon station, in Cambridgeshire, after police were called at around 7.40pm on Saturday.
Cambridgeshire Police said a number of people have been taken to hospital, while a “large-scale response” was deployed by the East of England Ambulance Service.
Video shared online which appears to have been filmed from a railway bridge shows a huge police response with armed officers running along the platform towards the train carriages.
Image: Gavin saw injured passengers
Witnesses told Sky News the stabbings started around 10 minutes after the 6.25 train from Doncaster to London King’s Cross left Peterborough and passengers sounded the emergency alarm.
One man who was on the train told Sky News he saw someone coming though his carriage saying: “They’ve got a knife, I’ve been stabbed.”
“They were making their way through the carriage to get away from the suspects. They were extremely bloodied,” said the man who gave his name as Gavin.
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He said by the time the train pulled up “they were basically on the floor”.
“That person ended up collapsing on the floor. They were taken to an ambulance pretty much straight away,” he said.
Gavin said passengers were ushered out into the station and “there were multiple people who had been stabbed making their way down”.
But he said one of the suspects had also come off the train and was “running rampant as well”, and was “waving a large knife” before he was taken down by armed officers with a taser.
Image: Pic: Police at Huntingdon train station
London North Eastern Railway, which operates East Coast Mainline services in the UK, said all lines are blocked around Huntingdon station, with major disruption expected until the end of the day.
Police said the A1307 has been closed on the approach to the town centre and the incident remains ongoing.
Cambridgeshire Police said in a statement: “We were called at 7.39pm with reports that multiple people had been stabbed on a train.
“Armed officers attended and the train was stopped at Huntingdon, where two men were arrested.
“A number of people have been taken to hospital.
“The incident remains ongoing and the A1307 has been closed as you approach the town centre.”
Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty said in a post on X he was “aware of the incident” and “trying to establish further information”.
“My thoughts are with the victims and those involved,” he wrote.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the “appalling incident” was “deeply concerning”.
“My thoughts are with all those affected, and my thanks go to the emergency services for their response,” he wrote on X.
“Anyone in the area should follow the advice of the police.”
The Home Secretary said she was “deeply saddened” by the incident in Huntingdon and urged the public to “avoid comment and speculation at this early stage”.
In a statement on X, Shabana Mahmood said: “Two suspects have been immediately arrested and taken into custody.
“I am receiving regular updates on the investigation.”
Speaking to Sky News at the scene, Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty said: “When I first arrived here, I’ve simply never seen as big a response to an emergency incident as there were in terms of police, fire and ambulance.”
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said on X: “Horrific scenes in Huntingdon, in what seems to be a brutal mass attack by two perpetrators.
“My thoughts are with all those injured or affected and the emergency services responding The police and government should provide an update on what happened and who has been arrested as soon as possible
Tory party chairman Kevin Hollinrake also described the scenes as “horrifying”.
“My thoughts are with the victims and the emergency services responding to this incident,” he wrote on X.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
A Land Rover was spotted leaving Royal Lodge – the home of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – on Saturday morning, as more US politicians call for him to testify before a congressional committee.
Emails released on Friday in unsealed court documents shed new light on Andrew’s correspondence with Epstein.
Months after the paedophile financier was released from prison in 2009 for prostituting minors, Andrew wrote that it would be “good to catch up in person”.
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3:07
Will Andrew have to give evidence on Epstein?
The pair were pictured together in New York’s Central Park in December 2010, in a meeting Andrew later claimed was to end their friendship.
In Congress, the House Oversight Committee is investigating the Epstein affair, and several of its members have invited Andrew to come and give evidence, presenting it as an opportunity to clear his name.
Meanwhile, Virginia Giuffre’s family have called for Andrew to be “investigated” over her claims that – as a teenager – she had sex with Andrew on three occasions after being trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell.
Andrew has always denied the claims. Ms Giuffre sued in 2021 and the case was settled outside of court for a sum believed to have been around £12m.
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1:48
Virginia Guiffre’s family sends message to King
Andrew set for six-figure sum
Andrew could be in line for a six-figure payout and an annual payment as part of his “relocation settlement” after being forced out of the Royal Lodge, the Guardian reported.
One option includes an initial six-figure sum followed by an annual payment, which would be paid from the King’s private funds, and is thought to be several times his £20k-a-year navy pension, sources told the newspaper.
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He will move from Windsor to private accommodation in Sandringham, Norfolk. But on Saturday, people in Sandringham had mixed views about the move.
One man told Sky News he would be unwelcome: “This is a lovely, peaceful area. His reputation now is tarnished, and, I don’t think it’s right.
“This is where the royals come for Christmas… and come throughout the year. And, I don’t think people local really want to see him here.”
But another man was more sympathetic: “He hasn’t been found guilty of anything in my view. So and people forget that he was a war hero in the Falklands. That’s all gone now, isn’t it? Nobody’s thinking that he’s done any good.”
Public supports Charles, poll shows
A poll has revealed the public supports the King’s decision to strip Andrew of his titles and remove him from the Royal Lodge.
Of the 4,739 people surveyed by YouGov, 79% said it was “the right decision” to “strip Andrew Mountbatten Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew) of his prince title”.
But when asked about the speed of King’s response to the Andrew-Epstein revelations, 58% of respondents said the monarch moved “too slowly”.
Police provide update
The Metropolitan Police has given Sky News an update on allegations that Andrew asked a royal close protection officer to “dig up dirt” on Virginia Giuffre in 2011.
On Saturday, the Met said: “Following recent media reporting on the actions of officers in relation to this matter, we are considering whether any further assessment or review is necessary.”
Meanwhile, the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), issued a statement regarding allegations that Andrew’s royal close protection officers had obstructed lawyers serving a lawsuit from Virginia Giuffre in 2021.
The IOPC said: “We have not received any referrals in relation to this matter at this time.”
Graham Smith, from the anti-monarchy group Republic, told Sky News: “The problem that the royals have is that there’s going to be more information coming out, more scandals, more accusations and more emails.
“The idea that essentially… he’s [Andrew] told to live in a very large house, given a half million pound stipend, and told to use his own name, is any kind of punishment, is absurd in most people’s eyes.”
In the next few days, the King is expected to submit the royal warrant, affecting the dukedom, and letters patent, which will formally remove Andrew’s entitlement to use the title prince and HRH style.
A few years ago, another resident started a petition to change the name of the road, and somebody covered up part of the street sign.
“I think we should change it,” Shirley told us, “but don’t ask me what to.”
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Image: Shirley is one of the residents calling for the street to be renamed
After a few minutes weighing up the options, she settled on Prince George Drive.
“At least that looks to the future,” she added.
Linda Boden has lived on the road even longer – she and husband Phil moved here after getting married 45 years ago.
“We have actually had the conversation this morning, that the name of this road will get changed,” Linda said.
Phil told us he wasn’t bothered about the name. “It’s just a name, it’s not the man… I can’t tell you what I think [about him] without swearing you know.”
Image: A bird’s eye view of Prince Andrew Drive
Cheryl, who lives nearby, told us what really mattered to her were the victims of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal – particularly the late Virginia Giuffre.
“That poor girl needs justice,” she said. “It is ridiculous it has gone on this long to be perfectly honest. That poor family are still living with it.”
I asked where her sympathies lay within this long-running royal scandal and Julie was unequivocal.
“With anybody who has been sexually exploited,” she said bluntly.
Julie believes Princess Anne Drive would be a better name for her neighbours’ road.
“She’s one of the better ones,” she added.
Image: Julie lives on the nearby Queen Elizabeth Way and suggests a renaming that would stick to the royal theme
Changing the road name would be a logistical headache for local authorities and residents, with some telling us it did not bother them and they would not fancy the extra paperwork to amend things such as household bills and driving licences.
But Postman Gary told us every time he’s making deliveries on Prince Andrew Drive, he feels for the residents.
“We have a little giggle because we know they don’t want it named that anymore and I wouldn’t either if I lived here. It’s probably time it changed.”
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1:33
‘Huge’ part of royal statement you might have missed
We did not find anyone on Prince Andrew Drive who disagreed with the King’s decision to remove his titles and oust him from his home in Windsor.
The monarchy needs to retain the support of the public across the UK – that’s one of the reasons the King has taken such decisive action at this point in the scandal.