The campaign cut through in spectacular fashion to capture the public's imagination but is now providing the famous moments that are symbolic of major tournament success
England will play France or Germany in the final of the Women's World Cup at Wembley Stadium on Sunday after they defeated Sweden in the semis.
As fireworks exploded into the Yorkshire night and the traditional England anthem resounded at deafening volume, the scale of England's achievement was underscored by the thousands of fans who refused to leave.
During a performance that required England to hold their nerve and goalkeeper Mary Earps to excel as Sweden made a flying start, there was one piece of audacity and genius that sealed their win.
England were 2-0 up with a goal from Beth Mead in the first half and a pressure-valve-releasing headed goal from Lucy Bronze early in the second, whenWiegman's sure touch with substitution was shown once more.
After 57 minutes, Ellen White was replaced by Alessia Russo, who provided the "X Factor" flairs in England's advancement towards the last four.
She created a chance for Lauren and then produced a piece of skill that sent the crowd over the edge, not that they needed much encouragement.
She tried to get the ball away from Lindahl, who blocked her first attempt. Sweden thought the danger had been mitigated by a genius backheel that bamboozled defenders and caused Lindahl to fall.
It was right out of the top drawer and sent a surge of celebration around the stadium, setting up a final 20 minutes that was everything a team with their sights set on finally claiming the major crown could wish for.
As England were unchanged for the fifth game in a row, she is sticking to her guns and that may be the reason for more calls for her to start ahead of White.
From the beginning, White gives her what she wants. She knows what is given to her from the bench. If it isn't broken, why bother fixing it?
If the quarter-final win over Spain was a triumph over adversity and a victory for resilience and willpower, this fell into the category of a powerful statement of intent once Earps, who was as flawless as her opponent, had kept England in the game.
Fran Kirby was a deserving scorer of the fourth goal and she is on course to win the Golden Boot with her sixth of the tournament.
England's fans were not the only ones who wanted to stay. The experienced White looked particularly emotional as they took it all in after the players celebrated with a lap of honor.
There is a lot of expectation around England with thousands of fans marching towards the stadium before the game.
If England looked a burden for a while against Spain it was because they were carrying a lot of expectation.
Sweden showed why they are a formidable opponent in the beginning, but after Bronze's second goal, they were finished. The final score could have been even more emphatic if Sweden had not been demoralized by the charges.
It's time for England to seize the day. They have a coach who has won many races. The squad is at ease with itself and growing in confidence. The Wembley crowd will be loud in the final.
England's women will never have a better opportunity to win a trophy.
The strains of Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill were playing in the background.
Four years ago, she scaled this particular mountain with the Netherlands, now England and their coach are in the perfect position for one last push to the summit.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
