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Lionesses snub England fans who waited at Heathrow from 3am after World Cup return
England lost the Women's World Cup final to Spain on Sunday.
World Cup Diary: England fall short, but can be proud of tournament efforts
England fans were left disappointed on Tuesday morning after they were snubbed by Lionesses players at Heathrow airport following the Women’s World Cup. England fans had turned up at the airport from 3am to welcome home the stars, but the players didn’t pass through arrivals.
England lost the World Cup final on Sunday after going down to a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to Spain. And, according to Sky Sports, the squad touched down in the UK at 6.20am on Tuesday after leaving Sydney more than 24 hours previously.
Lionesses fans had made signs and gathered in the airport to get a glimpse of their heroes, with the players’ bags being wheeled through Terminal 3’s arrival halls. But the supporters missed out on seeing the likes of Lauren James, Lauren Hemp and Mary Earps after the England stars left through a private exit. And the news was eventually broken to the fans by airport staff.
One England follower - Joanne Bruce - had made the journey to Heathrow from Cambridgeshire with her sister and niece at 10.30pm on Monday night. And she explained to Sky: “We haven't slept, we have just laughed and joked. It was just the three of us to start with. My sister was like 'I really want to go early'.” The fan added that other supporters “didn't come until about four o'clock this morning.”
And the 51-year-old also revealed that she had shelled out big bucks just to be there as she added. “We have now got a car parking ticket of £70-80, maybe more.”
England excelled during the Women’s World Cup in Australia and looked destined to go all the way as Sarina Wiegman led her side to the final. But they were second best throughout the showpiece event, with Spain striking their winner in the 29th minute as Olga Carmona fired the ball into the bottom corner of the net after Lucy Bronze had given the ball away in the middle of the pitch.
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England goalkeeper Earps saved a second half penalty from Jennifer Hermoso to keep her side in the game. But there was no comeback on the cards for the Lionesses as Spain held firm to lift the trophy.
“Of course I'm very disappointed that we didn't win,” explained England boss Wiegman in the aftermath of Sunday’s defeat. “But most of all, I'm proud of the team. Considering how we performed during the tournament and all the challenges we faced before and during the tournament, how we grew into the tournament and we stuck together to play our best game, I think we've done really well.”