Captain Millie Bright is confident England will emerge a stronger side after processing the gut-wrenching reality of finishing as World Cup runners-up.
The Lionesses overcame obstacles and disproved doubters over the expanded month-long competition, which for the first time saw 32 teams whittled down to two, Spain and England, who were both making their debuts in the showpiece final.
Olga Carmona’s first-half strike in Sydney proved enough to send La Roja home with the trophy, while England were reminded that football can be a game of cruel inches after Lauren Hemp’s near-opener pinged off the crossbar.
Bright said: “The mentality has always been there. The character has been there, too. We show that, day in, day out, and in every game. We’ve just played in a World Cup final, it’s hard to see it like that at the moment. I’m proud of the girls.
“We’ve played on the highest stage. We’ve had a shot at competing for the trophy we have always wanted but this isn’t the end of the journey and we will definitely bounce back. For now, though, we’ll let it settle.”
While each of Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses will rue and process the loss differently, their skipper is the sole member of the squad for whom the morning after also happens to be a birthday.
Bright, who turns 30 today, inherited the captain’s armband before the World Cup from Euro 2022-winning skipper Leah Williamson, who was forced to miss the tournament after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in April.
Beth Mead, last summer’s Golden Boot winner, was also unavailable for selection after she was unable to recover in time from the same problem, while Chelsea midfielder Fran Kirby missed out with a separate knee issue.
Perhaps some inside the England camp are now wondering what might have been had those European champions been available, or perhaps not, but the only regrets Bright was willing to share after coming so close to bringing the World Cup home to England were the minor moments that made the difference.
“There are probably one million different feelings,” said Bright. “Pride, disappointment, heartbroken that we didn’t win.
“We came off the pitch holding our heads high, knowing that we have given absolutely everything in the game. In the second half especially we left it all out there.
“We didn’t take our chances today and those are the small margins that decide football in a final against a top, top team.
“You get those chances and hit the crossbar, the keeper makes saves. They get theirs and put it in the net.”
Bright, whose club boss Emma Hayes was an ITV pundit for the World Cup, will soon return to Chelsea where she looks a shoo-in to replace departed captain Magda Eriksson.
But before the Blues kick-off their campaign in search of a fifth straight Women’s Super League (WSL) title against Tottenham on October 1, Bright and the Lionesses will face Scotland then the Netherlands in the new UEFA Women’s Nations League in late September.
That competition will decide which two European teams will join co-hosts France at the Paris Olympics, which begin in just 340 days.
Perhaps next year’s birthday will come accompanied with a fresh gold medal from those Games, but for now Bright is feeling grateful for the support that helped secure her World Cup silver.
She added: “It’s been incredible. It’s surreal. Thank you for believing in us. I hope you have enjoyed the ride. It’s been amazing. It’s hard to see it like that. It’s been incredible. We’ve had an opportunity and we’ve gained a medal that not many other players have got.”
Adrian Houser pitched five effective innings and Tyrone Taylor drove in two runs as the Milwaukee Brewers completed a three-game sweep of the American League West-leading Texas Rangers with Sunday's 6-2 win.
Milwaukee chased three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer in the fourth inning to maintain a three-game advantage on second-place Chicago in the National League Central. The Cubs kept pace with Sunday's 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Houser allowed just one run on six hits and struck out seven to help the Brewers deal the slumping Rangers a fourth consecutive loss. Taylor finished 2 for 3 with three runs scored and Christian Yelich had a pair of hits, including an RBI double, as Milwaukee took advantage of an uncharacteristically wild outing from Scherzer.
Scherzer walked four batters and hit another while being charged with three runs in just 3 2/3 innings. The star hurler entered Sunday's matchup having allowed just four runs in 20 innings in winning each of his first three starts since being traded to Texas by the New York Mets on July 30.
The 39-year-old did record his 3,343rd career strikeout in the third inning to pass Hall of Famer Phil Niekro for 11th place on MLB's all-time list.
Corey Seager went 2 for 4 and accounted for the Rangers' lone run off Houser with a solo homer in the third inning.
Surging Mariners hold off Astros to sweep three-game series
The AL West is quickly becoming a three-team race thanks to the recent tear of the Seattle Mariners, who won for the 14th time in 17 games by holding on for a 7-6 victory over the division-rival Houston Astros on Sunday.
Seattle built a 6-0 lead after 2 1/2 innings en route to a sweep of the three-game series and sixth straight win overall. The surge has moved the Mariners within three games of the first-place Texas Rangers in the AL West and a half-game back of Houston for the league's second wild card.
Dominic Canzone and Dylan Moore each went 4 for 5 with an RBI to lead Seattle's 15-hit attack, while Eugenio Suarez had a two-run homer as the Mariners pounded Astros starter Hunter Brown for six runs in 2 2/3 innings.
The Astros rallied with five runs in the bottom of the third, but were held scoreless by the Seattle bullpen over the final three innings to lose for the fifth time in seven games.
Gabe Speier protected the one-run lead in the ninth to record his first career major league save.
Yordan Alvarez and Mauricio Dubon each knocked in two runs during Houston's big third inning, while Alex Bregman finished 2 for 4 with an RBI triple.
Red Sox extend Yankees' skid to eight games, finish series sweep
Justin Turner's ninth-inning double drove in the deciding run as the Boston Red Sox earned a 6-5 victory over the New York Yankees that sent the Bronx Bombers to their longest losing streak in 28 years.
The Yankees have now dropped eight games in a row for the first time since Aug. 19-26, 1995 despite rallying from a three-run deficit and nearly going ahead in the eighth inning.
New York appeared to take a 6-5 lead when Isiah Kiner-Falefa was called safe at home while attempting to score on Anthony Volpe's single with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. The ruling was overturned after the Red Sox challenged the play, however, to keep the game tied entering the ninth.
Pablo Reyes led off the ninth with a single off Clay Holmes and stole second before crossing the plate on Turner's opposite-field double, the veteran's fourth RBI of the game.
Kenley Jansen then worked around a leadoff double in the bottom of the ninth to earn his 29th save and close out Boston's eighth win in nine meetings with New York this season.
Turner also had a three-run homer in the seventh that snapped a 2-2 tie, while Rafael Devers delivered a solo shot for Boston and finished 3 for 4 with three runs scored.
The Yankees homered three times on the day, including Volpe's three-run blast off reliever John Schreiber in the bottom of the seventh that tied the game at 5-5. Gleyber Torres and Kyle Higashioka had solo shots in defeat.
Keith Earls has a “burning desire” to travel to the fourth World Cup of his career after celebrating his 100th Ireland cap with a stunning try on an emotional outing against England.
Munster wing Earls led out his country alongside his three daughters on Saturday evening in Dublin before marking the occasion in style by coming off the bench to seal a 29-10 victory with a superb diving finish.
The 35-year-old received a host of touching tributes ahead of the landmark appearance at the Aviva Stadium, while his family were invited into camp on Thursday.
Earls went a year without international action due to injury issues before lining up against Italy at the start of the month but insists he did not return solely on sentimental grounds as he eyes a place on the plane to France.
“That’s the reason I’m here, that’s the reason I came back for pre-season, that’s the reason I’m doing everything possible to stay fit,” he said of World Cup selection.
“I have that burning desire to give myself the best chance of going to the World Cup and I tell you one thing I’d hate to be the coaches trying to pick their 33-man squad. It’s going to be tough.”
Andy Farrell is due to reduce his squad by five to a final 33 following next weekend’s clash with Samoa in Bayonne.
His Six Nations champions registered a 12th consecutive win by comfortably dispatching Steve Borthwick’s side.
The unassuming Earls, who added to scores from Bundee Aki, Garry Ringrose, James Lowe and Mack Hansen with his 36th Ireland try, felt a little uncomfortable in the spotlight and feared being left embarrassed as an unused replacement following the big build up.
“I was saying to the lads, it was probably the worst week of my life with all the attention around the 100th cap,” he said.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done on Thursday trying to keep the tears out of my eyes around all of the lads.
“But I think I managed to do it, so that was grand.
“I’m delighted everything worked out perfectly and there’s not a better bunch of lads to do it with.
“It was hell sitting on the bench. It was nerve-wracking, thinking: ‘will he put me on? This will be very embarrassing after everything I’ve gone through’.”
In addition to receiving video messages from the likes of Ireland great Brian O’Driscoll and former coaches Declan Kidney and Joe Schmidt, Earls was presented with his milestone cap by head coach Farrell, while captain Johnny Sexton and forwards coach Paul O’Connell gave speeches.
A more offbeat homage came from team-mate Hansen, who shaved the initials KE and the number 100 into an eye-catching green haircut before claiming the man of the match award against England.
“He actually came in with just his hair dyed green and then he got this idea he wanted to cut a shamrock into the side of his head,” said Earls.
“That kind of went a bit pear-shaped and then he was like, ‘let’s get KE 100 into my head’.
“I was sitting in the team room and I was like, I want no part in this and walked away and then Craig (Casey) sent me a picture and what a horrendous job they had done on it.
“That man (Hansen), he’s such a unique character in rugby.
“When you can act like that and cut your hair like that and then go out and perform like that, you just have to leave him be.”
Norway’s Viktor Hovland fired a stunning final round of 61 to win his fifth PGA Tour title in the BMW Championship.
Hovland birdied seven of the last nine holes at Olympia Fields to cover the back nine in just 28 shots and overhaul world number one Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler began the day in a tie for the lead with Matt Fitzpatrick and carded a closing 66, but had no answer to Hovland’s stunning scoring burst.
Hovland found himself four shots off the pace when he followed birdies on the first, third and fifth with a three-putt bogey on the seventh, but surged back into contention with a hat-trick of birdies from the 10th.
The 25-year-old also picked up shots on the 14th and 15th and moved into a share of the lead with his ninth birdie of the day on the 17th.
Another birdie on the last took the Ryder Cup star to the top of the leaderboard on 17 under par and his victory was effectively secured moments later when Scheffler three-putted the 17th.
Fitzpatrick, whose younger brother Alex finished second on the DP World Tour earlier in the day, ended the day in the same position after matching playing partner Scheffler’s 66 to finish 15 under.
Asked where that round ranked in his career, Hovland told Sky Sports: “It has to be number one.
“I remember playing a pretty special round of golf my first year on Tour, I shot seven under at Torrey Pines when it was hailing and windy and raining and that’s probably the best I’ve ever struck it throughout a round.
“But to shoot 61 and shoot 28 on the back nine at this golf course and under the circumstances, I have nothing that beats that.”
Hovland, who started the day three off the lead, added: “I was thinking if I post a score like I did yesterday (65) I could at least have a chance, but it’s hard when you have so many guys in front of you that are really good and playing awesome.
“Catching heat on the back nine was what I had to do.”
The victory lifts Hovland to second in the FedEx Cup standings behind Scheffler heading into the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.
Roy Hodgson admits every Premier League manager is looking for a player like Declan Rice to anchor their team as he prepares his Crystal Palace side to come up against the England midfielder on Monday.
The 24-year-old’s £105million move to Arsenal from West Ham last month made him one of four players in his position to have been bought for a nine-figure fee by European clubs during the last eight months, as the value placed by top sides on central midfielders has rocketed.
Rice is part of an elite group that includes World Cup-winner Enzo Fernandez and his new Chelsea team-mate Moises Caicedo – both signed by the Blues for British record fees – and England’s Jude Bellingham, who joined Real Madrid in July, with each having been signed for fees that could exceed £100m.
Hodgson’s Palace began the Premier League season with a 1-0 win at promoted Sheffield United but face a stern test when last year’s runners-up arrive at Selhurst Park, with Mikel Arteta’s side buoyed by the arrival of Rice to add steel to their midfield ahead of their return to the Champions League.
Experienced manager Hodgson said that, whilst it remains the game’s great goalscorers that command the highest fees, the importance of a deeper-lying central midfielder has been proven by English football’s most successful sides.
“I think it (central midfield) has always been big,” said Hodgson. “I don’t think it’s anything new. You will never be able to align it to centre forward because centre forwards will always be right up there as really big ones.
“It’s still Neymar and (Kylian) Mbappe that go beyond our hundred million pounds here. Harry Kane, yes he cost just over a hundred million (when he signed for Bayern Munich), but only because he was in the last year of his contract. If he’d have had a three-year contract, Tottenham would have been asking for a lot more money. They score the goals. The game is about goals.
“But I think the midfield area is an area where people within football have always understood the importance of it and the importance of getting good players in, none more so than Sir Alex (Ferguson) at Manchester United because he always had really, really top-class players in that centre of midfield, all of whom brought him trophies.
“(Rice) has got strength, he’s got energy, he understands the game very well. He gets from box to box, and when he’s in each of the boxes, he does a really good job. He knows how to defend and he also has an eye for goal, so really he’s the type of player that every person is looking for.”
Hodgson enjoyed the boost of winger Michael Olise turning down the chance to join Chelsea last week after Mauricio Pochettino’s side activated a £35m release clause.
The France Under-21 international, who Palace signed from Reading for a relatively modest £8m two years ago and has since flourished into an accomplished Premier League performer, instead opted to agree a new four-year deal to continue his development in south London.
He will be missing from Hodgson’s team to face Arsenal as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury.
Yet it is Arsenal’s transfer business that occupied Hodgson’s attention ahead of Monday’s game, with Rice set to make his second Premier League start as the Gunners look to go one better and take the crown from champions Manchester City.
“It’s been an interesting development for him,” said the manager. “I’ve followed him a little bit myself through (James) Tomkins (who) told me about him many years ago. He said there’s a very good young player at West Ham, and I’ve seen that as he’s gone along.
“He’s done his apprenticeship really, coming through the ranks. He’s done his years at West Ham, each year getting better, and in the end becomes an international and clubs are (thinking) ‘who can I get who’s the best at his particular job for this role?’
“Declan Rice’s name is always going to be right up there on the top of the list, as was Bellingham of course at Real Madrid.”
Son Heung-min says Dele Alli will always be part of the family and hopes his former Tottenham team-mate will not “have tough times anymore” as he looks to kick-start his career.
Things have gone awry for the 27-year-old since he helped Spurs reach the 2019 Champions League final, with the England international failing to make an impact at Everton after moving there in January 2022.
Alli recently revealed he had considered hanging up his boots in an emotional interview that saw him talk about how he was “molested” as a six-year-old and dealing drugs aged eight.
The attacking midfielder also spoke about alcohol problems, sleeping-pill addiction and addressing his mental-health issues by spending six weeks in a rehab clinic – situations he kept away from many of his nearest and dearest.
The football world has thrown its support behind Alli and he was warmly greeted at Tottenham on Saturday as he watched their 2-0 win against Manchester United, where the former Spur caught up with many of his former team-mates afterwards.
“Dele was always close, as a friend with me,” the recently appointed Tottenham skipper said.
“It was a really tough moment for him and obviously I’m always there to support him because he’s one of my closest friends.
“Christian (Eriksen), as well today. Yeah, it’s just old team-mates but I think this relationship (with Dele) is very special.
“He helped me a lot settling down in the UK when I was struggling. He was helping me a lot and is still a good friend of mine.
“It’s always good to see him and any time if he needs anything, any second, I will be always there for him. I don’t want him to have tough times anymore.”
Put to Son that it would be great if Alli could get his career back on track, he said: “We will always support him.
“Obviously it’s up to him now because he has to recover well, get fit and play well because his quality is not in doubt because he has been showing in the Premier League what he can do.
“Look, I’m always supporting him, like a member of family.”
Pep Guardiola claims the hunger shown by his Manchester City players so far this season has amazed him.
After the draining end to the treble-winning 2022-23 campaign, there were fears City could be off the pace come the start of the new term.
Any drop in energy levels, however, seems to have been more than compensated for by a strong desire and focus, even after the loss of key players.
On Saturday, City followed up their European Super Cup triumph over Sevilla in Athens three days previously by beating Newcastle to maintain their winning start in the Premier League.
“We are who we are,” said City manager Guardiola. “(There are) a lot of young players on the bench and that’s the difference – the guys who want to be here are here. The difference is always here (heart) – at the top of our bodies.
“The people respond because they see still we are there and I like it. We won already one title and we are six points from six, we’ve scored goals we don’t concede many chances.
“When you see that after what we have done, what can you say? Apart from thank you my friends, I love you so much.
“When you have that it is because a team is so special. Otherwise we cannot do what we have done for many years, it’s impossible. Saturday amazed me and made me happy.”
City have lost influential playmaker Kevin De Bruyne to an injury that could sideline him for up to five months while John Stones and Bernardo Silva were also absent at the weekend.
With Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez having left over the summer, and Aymeric Laporte another possible departure, Guardiola’s squad is taking on a different shape.
Guardiola said: “Over the next one or two months the club have to take some important decisions with the squad. We didn’t expect (the situation) with Kevin and we didn’t expect with Riyad.”
The father of Spain’s World Cup final match-winner Olga Carmona has died, the defender’s club Real Madrid have announced.
The news comes just hours after Carmona scored the only goal of Sunday’s showpiece match against England in Sydney.
Carmona, who was captain for the tournament, struck in the 29th minute as Spain beat the Lionesses 1-0 at Stadium Australia to claim their first world title.
A statement from Real Madrid read: “Real Madrid, our president and our board of directors are deeply saddened by the death of the father of our player Olga Carmona.
“Real Madrid want to express our condolences and our love to Olga, her family and all her loved ones.”
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) also offered their condolences in a statement announcing the news, which read: “The @RFEF deeply regrets to report the death of Olga Carmona’s father. The soccer player learned the sad news after the World Cup final.
“We send our most sincere hugs to Olga and her family in a moment of deep pain.
“We love you, Olga, you are the history of Spanish football.”
Mauricio Pochettino is confident Chelsea will improve quickly despite an alarming 3-1 defeat at 10-man West Ham.
The Blues were the better side but James Ward-Prowse, making his Hammers debut, created goals for Nayef Aguerd and Michail Antonio, either side of Carney Chukwuemeka’s equaliser.
Enzo Fernandez had a penalty saved by Alphonse Areola and West Ham had to play the final 25 minutes a player down after Aguerd saw red.
Yet not only did David Moyes’ side cling on for a first win of the season, they wrapped it up in stoppage time.
While Chelsea’s £105million player missed a spot-kick, their £115million signing gave one away with Moises Caicedo, on as a substitute, sending Emerson Palmieri tumbling and Lucas Paqueta converting the spot-kick.
“I think today the result doesn’t reflect the performance but in football these situations happen,” said Pochettino.
“I am disappointed in the way we conceded the first goal. We know West Ham are good at set-pieces. That is a little bit disappointing and we need to work hard on that.
“Then I think also did really well in the first half and we should have been winning at half-time.
“But that is the process. We need to accept the defeat and keep on working.
“If we score the penalty we miss you are talking about a different game. We are going to perform better in the next games.”
Ward-Prowse was brought in to replace Declan Rice in West Ham’s midfield but he offers plenty more in attack.
His seventh-minute corner found Aguerd at the far post, and his clever ball over the top sent Antonio through on goal.
“His character is, in lots of ways, similar to Declan Rice,” said manager Moyes.
“He’s a really good boy. His delivery, his assists, that’s what he’s capable of and I thought he did a great job today. His corner gave us a great start.”
Paqueta was in the West Ham line-up despite being reportedly investigated by the Football Association for potential betting rule breaches.
The Brazil midfielder is said to be shocked by the probe, which is believed to centre around bets placed in his homeland on yellow cards awarded against him.
A move to Manchester City may have fallen through so the 25-year-old celebrated his goal with the ‘crossed Hammers’ sign.
“I thought 65,000 people stood to their feet and applauded him,” added Moyes.
“He played as well as anybody, he showed character and his performance was very good, especially in the second half.
“There was never any doubt (he would play). He’s a solid and tough character so no problems. He’s a very good player.”
Great Britain’s speed king Zharnel Hughes admits Olympic heartbreak inspired him to his historic 100m bronze at the World Championships.
The 28-year-old clocked 9.88 seconds to finish third in Sunday’s night final – less than an hour after Katarina Johnson-Thompson won heptathlon gold in Budapest.
Hughes became the first British man to win an individual 100m sprint medal at the worlds in 20 years – since Darren Campbell’s bronze in 2003.
The USA’s Noah Lyles took the title in 9.83 seconds with Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo winning silver, just a thousandth of a second ahead of Hughes.
It marks Hughes’ comeback after he was disqualified for a false start in the Olympic 100m final.
He said: “The heartbreak I’ve been through from Tokyo was devastating. Last year, I missed out on the finals. I got knocked out in the semis. I told myself this time, ‘I’m not getting knocked out whatsoever. I’m going to give it my very best’.
“I got through that semis and I told myself in the warm-up, ‘believe Zharnel. You got this’.
“I kept it all in. I cried a lot but lessons were learnt and I dug deep. It’s been years of trying, years of lessons – I wouldn’t call it failure – years of lessons.
“Doubts were there. People probably didn’t believe in me as much but I just need to believe in myself. Over the years the speed has always been there but the mind wasn’t aligned properly. Now it’s instinct.
“This morning I wrote down, ‘get a medal’. I thought I won. Being in the race, it looks a lot closer but a medal is a medal.”
The European 200m champion went into the race as the fastest man in the world this year and was boosted after defending champion Fred Kerley crashed out in the semi final, along with Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs.
Hughes, ranked 12th in the world ahead of the championships, had qualified fourth fastest after running 9.93s in his semi.
Yet he had struggled with a slow start in the heat and semi and, despite the fastest reaction time in the final, still needed to recover in the last 50m to ensure he snatched a podium place in a tight race.
It caps a remarkable summer for the Anguilla-born star, who trains under Usain Bolt’s former coach Glen Mills, after he broke two long-standing British records.
In June, he shattered Linford Christie’s 30-year 100m record by running 9.83s in New York.
A month later in London, he broke John Regis’ 200m mark to post 19.73s. Hughes is now eyeing the 200m and 4x100m relay.
Eugene Amo-Dadzie, an accountant who is due back to work as a senior management accountant for property developer Berkeley Group on August 29, bowed out in the semi-final after running 10.03s – still quicker than Olympic champion Jacobs.
Reece Prescod ran 10.26s and also failed to qualify, ending his championships as the 25-year-old pulled out of the 4x100m relay squad last week.
James Ward-Prowse set up two goals on his West Ham debut and Lucas Paqueta scored a late penalty as the 10-man Hammers somehow secured a 3-1 win over Chelsea.
Ward-Prowse, the £30million signing from Southampton, created goals for Nayef Aguerd and Michail Antonio, either side Carney Chukwuemeka’s equaliser.
But Mauricio Pochettino’s expensively-assembled side will wonder how on earth they came away from the London Stadium empty-handed.
Enzo Fernandez missed a penalty and West Ham had to play the final 25 minutes a player down after Aguerd saw red.
Yet not only did David Moyes’ side cling on for a first win of the season, they wrapped it up in stoppage time with Paqueta’s spot-kick.
Ward-Prowse is renowned for his ability from set-pieces but surely not even Moyes could have expected such an immediate impact.
Seven minutes in and from his second corner in a claret and blue shirt, Ward-Prowse swung in a cross which Aguerd nodded in unmarked at the far post.
Chelsea have now conceded a goal in each of their last 13 matches, their worst run since 1996.
But they were making inroads at the other end with Nicolas Jackson eager to get in behind West Ham’s back line.
One such run and cut-back was hacked away but when Ben Chilwell drove back in to the area, his cross was cleared by Kurt Zouma only as far as Chukwuemeka.
The 19-year-old steadied himself before lashing the loose ball past Alphonse Areola for his first Chelsea goal.
Paqueta was in the West Ham line-up despite being reportedly investigated by the Football Association for potential betting rule breaches.
The Brazil midfielder is said to be shocked by the probe, which is believed to centre around bets placed in his homeland on yellow cards awarded against him.
Paqueta did pick up a first-half booking for dissent after complaining about the award of a corner, but moments later he was inches away from scoring, dragging the ball down in a crowded penalty area only to clip a post.
Chelsea were gifted the chance to go ahead before half-time after Tomas Soucek tripped Raheem Sterling in the area, but Fernandez’s penalty was saved by Areola.
Instead Antonio fired West Ham back into the lead eight minutes into the second half when he raced on to Ward-Prowse’s cute ball over the top.
Pochettino turned to Chelsea’s latest record signing, Moises Caicedo, for his debut on the hour mark, the Ecuadorian immediately sending a long-range shot wide.
West Ham were then reduced to 10 in the 68th minute after Aguerd was shown a second yellow card for needlessly fouling Jackson.
But Chelsea, it seemed, had run out of ideas and could only muster a deflected Noni Madueke shot which was tipped wide by Areola.
And the away fans left en masse even before Paqueta rubber-stamped the victory from the spot after Caicedo fouled Emerson Palmieri.
In a stirring battle for the 100m gold medal at the end of day two of the 2023 World Athletics Championships on Sunday, the USA’s Noah Lyles emerged victorious in 9.83 but it was not close to the 9.65 that he had predicted.
In what was one of the closest finishes in years, the battle for the other two medals came down to mere milliseconds as Letsile Tebogo, Zharnel Hughes and Oblique Seville were each credited with the same time of 9.88. Tebogo’s time was a new national record for Botswana.
Seville lost the bronze medal by 0.003 seconds as Tebogo was timed in 9.873, Hughes in 9.874 and Seville 9.877.
Christian Coleman, the 2019 champion, was fourth in 9.92.
Jamaica’s Ryiem Forde, in his first global final, was eighth in 10.08.
Though disappointed with the outcome, Seville thought he did his best under the circumstances but admitted to crucial errors late in the race. “I think it was an excellent performance up to the last part of my race which wasn’t that good but as my coach always told me it’s milliseconds that separates us and I think that was what separated me from a bronze medal,” he said.
He explained further the mistakes he made in the race.
“Well, everyone was close at the line and I think I should have stayed with my technique a little bit more because I dipped very early, which actually cost me.”
Great Britain’s speed king Zharnel Hughes grabbed brilliant bronze to make history in the 100m final at the World Championships.
The 28-year-old clocked 9.88 seconds to finish third on Sunday night – less than an hour after Katarina Johnson-Thompson won heptathlon gold in Budapest.
Hughes becomes the first British man to win an individual 100m sprint medal at the worlds in 20 years – since Darren Campbell’s bronze in 2003.
The USA’s Noah Lyles took the title in 9.83 seconds with Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo winning silver just a thousandth of a second ahead of Hughes.
European 200m champion Hughes went into the race as the fastest man in the world this year and was boosted after defending champion Fred Kerley crashed out in the semi final, along with Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs.
Hughes, ranked 12th in the world ahead of the Championships, had qualified fourth fastest after running 9.93s in his semi.
Yet he had struggled with a slow start in the heat and semi and, despite the fastest reaction time in the final, still needed to recover in the last 50m to ensure he snatched a podium place in a tight race.
It caps a remarkable summer for the Anguilla-born star, who trains under Usain Bolt’s former coach Glen Mills, after he broke two long-standing British records.
In June, he shattered Linford Christie’s 30-year 100m record by running 9.83s in New York.
A month later in London, he broke John Regis’ 200m mark to post 19.73s.
Eugene Amo-Dadzie, an accountant who is due back to work as a senior management accountant for property developer Berkeley Group on August 29, bowed out in the semi-final after running 10.03s – still quicker than Olympic champion Marcell Jacobs.
Reece Prescod ran 10.26s and also failed to qualify, ending his Championships with the 25-year-old pulling out of the 4x100m relay squad last week.
Zharnel Hughes has become the first British man to win an individual 100m sprint medal at the worlds in 20 years after taking bronze following a photo finish in Budapest.
Here, the PA news agency looks at Great Britain’s previous sprint medal winners at the World Championships.
Linford Christie, bronze, 1987The future Olympic champion claimed 100m bronze at the World Championships in Rome.
He ran 10.14 seconds as Carl Lewis eventually took the gold two years later after winner Ben Johnson of Canada was disqualified for steroid use.
Yet Christie was unable to make the podium four years later, coming fourth in Tokyo.
Linford Christie, gold, 1993Christie became world champion a year after his Olympic triumph in Barcelona.
He beat the USA’s Andre Cason into silver in Stuttgart and set a new British record of 9.87 seconds in the process.
It was a record which stood for 30 years until Hughes broke it by running 9.83 seconds in New York in June.
Dwain Chambers, 1999At just 21 Chambers, at the time, became the youngest world championship 100m medallist.
Maurice Greene won in 9.80 seconds as Chambers came through to take bronze in a personal best of 9.97 seconds.
Four years later he received a two-year ban after testing positive for THG, a banned performance-enhancing drug.
Darren Campbell, 2003Campbell, until recently GB relay coach, had already won 200m Olympic silver the year before arriving in Paris.
Kim Collins took the title in 10.08 seconds with Campbell just 0.01 seconds behind.
Yet there was disappointment for Campbell in the 200m as he finished fourth.
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