Harry Kane and the Prince of Wales led the congratulations after England swept aside co-hosts Australia 3-1 to reach their first World Cup final.
The Lionesses roared past the Matildas in front of a 75,784-strong crowd thanks to second-half strikes from Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo.
Ella Toone had fired England into the lead in the first half, but Sam Kerr produced a thunderous equaliser before Hemp and Russo helped Sarina Wiegman’s side end their run of World Cup last-four exits.
Kane, England’s men’s record goal-scorer, was able to provide instant reaction during an interview with Sky Sports, saying: “Massive congratulations to the Lionesses.
“It sounds like a heck of a game and massive congratulations. We’re all behind them and hopefully they can do it in the final.”
Mead, player of the tournament when England won the European Championships last summer but who missed this tournament through injury, wrote on Twitter: “World Cup Final baby! Get in Lionesses.”
Former England defender Gary Neville said: “An incredible achievement by the Lionesses. One more to go.”
The prince tweeted his best wishes to the Lionesses for the final and offered his commiserations to Australia.
“What a phenomenal performance from the Lionesses – on to the final,” he said.
“Commiserations to The Matildas, you’ve played brilliantly and been fantastic co-hosts of this World Cup.”
Gary Lineker, who won the Golden Boot for England at the 1986 World Cup, added: “Absolutely superb performance.
“A World Cup final. A World Cup final at football. It’s been a while. What a wonderful achievement.”
Retired Euros winner Ellen White expressed her emotions in the BBC studio following a roller-coaster second-half.
Kerr levelled with a sensational long-range strike in the 63rd minute, but Hemp put England back in front eight minutes later before Russo finished with aplomb to send the Lionesses into the final.
White, England’s women’s record goal-scorer, said on the BBC: “I feel quite emotional because what this team have done, the legacy they have created. To finally say we’re in a World Cup final, I feel so proud of this team. It is ridiculous.
“They have had roller-coaster tournament and at times been criticised for the way they played, but the bond they share, to make a World Cup final is incredible and for Sarina to make World Cup finals back-to-back (she led the Netherlands to the 2019 final) shows what a coach she is.
“I’ve never seen her like that, quite emotional, but it is because she puts so much into it.”
White also hailed England’s current main striker Russo, adding: “She is in her own now. She’s taken the number nine role, grabbed it with both hands and it is a lot of pressure to be England number nine.”
Ex-England player Alex Scott said on the BBC: “You almost run out of words for this Lionesses team.
“Lauren Hemp and Jess Carter’s clearance, there were so many big moments that sum this team up that they have a unity, resilience and they have the quality too.”
Izzy Christiansen, who represented England on 32 occasions, told BBC Radio Five Live: “To be honest I’m out of superlatives to describe Sarina Wiegman.
“To come in and change the culture, instil a winning mentality, create a brand of football that’s pragmatic, interesting, lets the talent flourish.
“We saw in the starting XI that she had all of her best players on the pitch, some managers struggle to find ways to get the best out of their best players.
“You’ve just seen another masterclass again from Sarina.”
Inzaghi expecting Arsenal reaction after Newcastle defeat
Inter boss Simone Inzaghi is expecting a difficult test against "one of the best teams in Europe" when Arsenal visit the San Siro in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Arsenal come into the encounter against the reigning Serie A champions on the back of a defeat to Newcastle United in the Premier League last weekend.
Mikel Arteta's side have now lost two of their last three league games, having tasted defeat just once in their 25 games in the top-flight (W21 D3) in 2024.
But Inzaghi, who helped Inter keep pace at the Serie A summit with a controversial 1-0 win over Venezia, is expecting a reaction from the Gunners.
"We are facing one of the best teams in Europe, very recognisable with a great coach," Inzaghi said.
"We all know how the big teams react after a defeat. Look at us after the derby... You find teams out for redress.
"I saw the match between Arsenal and Newcastle. Playing at Newcastle's home is not easy, but it was an open and fascinating match.
"We will find a team that lost two-and-a-half days ago, they will want to play a great game at San Siro."
Inter lost the Derby della Madonnina 2-1 to Milan in September, but have since gone on to win seven of their eight games in all competitions.
Inzaghi's side are just ahead of Arsenal in the Champions League table, with both teams picking up seven points from their opening three games.
The two sides have only met previously in the 2003-04 Champions League – both games were away wins (Arsenal 0-3 Inter, Inter 1-5 Arsenal).
While history favours the visiting side, Inzaghi has said his side will try to dominate possession against Arsenal in order to remain unbeaten in the competition.
"If you see Arsenal among 100 teams, without knowing the name, you recognise them. They played for the last two English titles, point for point with Manchester City," he said.
"We will have to try to keep the ball as much as possible, we know that we are facing a team that put on a lot of offensive pressure.
"We know that it will be a problem for us when they have the ball but the opposite is also true."
Arsenal have also struggled in recent games in the Champions League in Italy, failing to find the back of the net in their last four away games in the country.
Emmanuel Adebayor was the last Gunners player to score there in a 2-0 win over Milan in March 2008, and Inter will be confident of keeping it that way.
Although only five teams have faced more shots in the Champions League this season than Inter (53), they have kept three clean sheets so far.
Neymar suffers fresh injury blow
Neymar sustained a new injury as he was forced off during Al-Hilal's AFC Champions League Elite win over Esteghlal.
Aleksandar Mitrovic plundered a hat-trick on Monday to seal a 3-0 win.
But Al-Hilal's victory was soured by an injury to Neymar, who had to make way just 29 minutes after he came on as a second-half substitute.
The Brazilian, who has just returned from over a year out of action following a serious knee injury, was forced off with what appeared to be a thigh issue.
Indeed, Monday's appearance was only the 32-year-old's second for Al-Hilal since his comeback.
He has featured just seven times for the Saudi Pro League champions in all competitions since his big-money move from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.
Rodgers delighted as Celtic rout Aberdeen in semi-final
Celtic booked their place in the Scottish League Cup final after hammering Aberdeen 6-0 at Hampden Park on Saturday.
The 21-time winners of the tournament were inspired by a Daizen Maeda hat-trick in a near-perfect performance against the Scottish Premiership's second-placed side.
Manager Brendan Rodgers was delighted with the result and performance from his side.
"It was a testament to our players and the demands they have. They play every week in big games. We have to manage this group through every game," he told Premier Sports.
"It was up to us to decide the game and the players did that. They were brilliant today. We were more aggressive in the second half.
"Aberdeen have had an excellent season, they will continue to work well I'm sure."
The result was Aberdeen's first defeat in 17 matches in all competitions this season, with a 2-2 draw at Celtic Park last month the only time they had previously failed to win.
Cameron Carter-Vickers got the scoring under way with a header 29 minutes in, before the brilliant Maeda sat down goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov to set up Kyogo Furuhashi for a second three minutes later.
Maeda then got in on the act himself on 40 minutes before the game briefly descended into farce on the stroke of half-time, with Rodgers shown a yellow card for kicking away a ball that had gone out before slipping over.
"To be fair, I was raging because we had given the ball away," he said.
"I have my moments, like every manager. It was just the game, even though we were comfortable at 3-0.
"It was a deserved yellow card. The speed of the ball [was the issue]. I just wanted to keep the tempo of the game."
Celtic and Maeda picked up where they left off in the second half to make it 4-0 in the 50th minute before Nicolas Kuhn hammered in a fifth on the hour.
The rout was complete when Maeda wrapped up his hat-trick as he finished off a flowing attacking move with five minutes to go.
After the match, Rodgers continued to be effusive about his team, who will face either Rangers or Motherwell in the final.
"An outstanding team performance. You come up against a team that has been so, so good. We knew it would be a challenge," he told BBC Scotland.
"We had to bring our A-game and the players did that, in particular during the second half.
"We were ruthless. We worked the ball really well to create the space and made good runs.
"It's a beautiful pitch here at Hampden. It's perfect for the football we want to play."
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