England men’s boss Gareth Southgate wished the Lionesses well ahead of tonight’s World Cup final but admitted he had “no advice” to offer a team that has accomplished what his has not.
Should they beat Spain tonight in Sydney, England’s women, managed by Sarina Wiegman, could be crowned world champions for the first time since the men’s team triumphed in 1966, just under 13 months since they secured the European championship title – something the men have never done.
Wiegman is the first coach to lead two nations to a women’s World Cup final, having also done so with the Netherlands four years ago, and would join just Sir Alf Ramsey on a list of managers who have won a global title with England.
Southgate, speaking in a video posted on the Lionesses’ social media, said: “Hi to you all out there in Australia. You’re doing a brilliant job, so that’s the first thing, and of course there is no advice because you’ve done more than us already, and you know what is needed to win.
“So all that remains is to wish you the very best for the final, and we hope you can bring that trophy back. Good luck everybody.”
This is the first time the Lionesses have advanced this far in a World Cup, having finished a previous best third eight years ago in Canada.
Southgate’s sentiments were echoed by England men’s captain Harry Kane, who during the tournament completed a £100million move to Bayern Munich.
He said: “Hi Lionesses, I just wanted to say best of luck for the World Cup final on Sunday. I’ll be watching.
“Amazing journey so far, you should be really proud of yourselves. We’re all behind you, all supporting you, we know you can do it, so go and get that World Cup win and bring that trophy home. All the best.”
Numerous other big names feature in the congratulatory compilation, including ex-England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who says: “This is a moment, man. This is history in the making. You girls are close. I’ve had every faith in you man, so please make me cry. Make me cry. Let’s go.”
Former Lionesses also sent their best, with 117-capped forward Kelly Smith telling the team: “Yet another final. You’ve done it again, one last push. Just believe in yourselves, go out there, it’s just another game. Another game. Bring it home. We’re all so proud of you. I’ll be there watching in the final.
“Please play to the best of your ability and everything else will take care of itself. I believe, the country believes, let’s go.”
Fara Williams, Smith’s team-mate at the 2007 and 2011 World Cups, added: “You girls will be spoken about for years to come. I’m super proud of you, I want to wish you the best of luck. Come on, bring it home.”
Other famous faces from the world of sport include Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison, who sent a shout-out to club-mate Bethany England, Chelsea women’s boss Emma Hayes, as well as Arsenal and England team-mates Aaron Ramsdale and Bukayo Saka.
Newcastle and England’s Callum Wilson and Kieran Tripper, both of whom took part in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, sent their well-wishes alongside Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes, members of Manchester United women, ex-Arsenal attacker Ian Wright and multi-sport broadcaster Clare Balding.
On the eve of the tournament, captain Millie Bright said of the occasion: “I think for us we live in the moment, and yes it’s a World Cup final, but for us our mentality is it’s another game.
“I think it’s been players’ dreams for years.
“We know how passionate our nation is back home and how much they want us to win. But for us, there is a process. We have a game plan to execute. We need to play the game of our lives.”
The sentiment was echoed by Wiegman, who said: “We have felt the support, we have felt the support here, but also from the other side of the world in the UK.
“That’s something that you dream of. We just hope that we play our best game tomorrow and everyone who is watching in the stadium, in the UK, who supports us, enjoys it.”
Outgoing Brighton boss De Zerbi not walking into new job
Roberto De Zerbi insisted he does not have another job lined up after overseeing his final game as Brighton and Hove Albion boss on Sunday.
One day after surprisingly announcing De Zerbi's departure, Brighton ended their Premier League campaign with a 2-0 home loss to Manchester United.
That meant they slipped below rivals Crystal Palace to finish 11th in the table, their first bottom-half placing since finishing 16th in 2020-21.
De Zerbi has been linked with several big clubs since leading Brighton to European qualification last season, with Bayern Munich, Milan and Napoli touted as possible landing spots for the former Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk coach.
However, De Zerbi says he has not reached an agreement with any other club, telling reporters: "There isn't any club – no-one offered me anything. At the moment, nothing.
"I hope to work in the Premier League again. I don't know where or when, but it was an honour to work in the Premier League."
Sunday's defeat was De Zerbi's 70th Premier League game in charge of Brighton, with his top-flight win percentage of 37 per cent (26/70) the highest of any boss in the Seagulls' history.
Battling a lengthy injury list for much of 2023-24, Brighton made a total of 143 changes to their starting lineup throughout the course of the campaign, with only Manchester City in 2019-20 (144) ever making more in a single Premier League season.
Asked by BBC Match of the Day if there was a particular reason for his exit, the Italian added: "We didn't find the agreement to move on. I want to keep my way.
"I know very well what I want to do and I know I am a coach and I have to accept the policies of the club.
"They gave me an incredible chance. They gave me the possibility to know incredible people, to play and to work in the Premier League, to play in the Europa League. They gave me the opportunity to know this club, this city, these fans and that I cannot forget."
Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna and Nice coach Francesco Farioli have both been tipped as possible contenders to replace De Zerbi, with Brighton having a reputation for excellent succession planning under owner Tony Bloom.
Asked about the search for a replacement on Sunday, Bloom said: "We always try and have a plan. We have got a plan. We now need to execute that plan."
Mateta 'finishing everything that comes to him' as Palace rout Villa
Jean-Philippe Mateta is "finishing everything that comes to him", according to his Crystal Palace team-mate Eberechi Eze.
Palace thumped fourth-placed Aston Villa 5-0 at home on the last day of the Premier League season to seal an unlikely top-10 finish, with Mateta scoring a hat-trick and Eze adding two goals of his own.
They ended the season with a seven-match unbeaten run under Oliver Glasner, who made a huge impact after replacing Roy Hodgson in February.
Mateta has been a huge beneficiary, as since Glasner's first game in charge on February 24, he has scored 13 Premier League goals, which is more than any other player in the competition.
He ended the campaign with 16 top-flight goals, putting him level with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Jarrod Bowen in the scoring charts. Only Andrew Johnson has netted more for the Eagles across a single campaign in the competition, when he netted 21 in 2004-05.
"He is what I'm playing for," Eze said about Mateta, per Palace's official website.
"He is finishing everything that comes to him, which makes our life a lot easier when I'm playing for him, so it's good.
"I did come close [to a hat-trick myself], but the most important thing is putting in good performances. We're all going to flourish, we're all going to have games where we score.
"We're preparing the work and we're doing the work before we go on to the pitch, so we're enjoying it, that's the main thing."
The match also saw Mateta become just the second Frenchman to score in seven home Premier League home appearances in a row, after Thierry Henry for Arsenal between May and October 2004.
Eze has also finished the season with a flourish, ending the campaign with 11 goals and four assists.
Mateta is among those who have called for him to earn a place in the England squad for Euro 2024.
"Of course it's an honour [to play for your country]," said Eze. "It would be a great experience.
"I think it is a dream for any player to play in any big tournament. But the main thing, I'm being realistic. It is what it is: if I get a call, I get a call.
"But the main thing is doing what I need to do for my club, and that's the performance."
Villa are the first side to concede five or more goals in their first and final matches of a top-flight season since Manchester City in 1962-63, having been beaten 5-1 at Newcastle on the opening weekend.
But they were magnificent in between those two losses, enjoying a campaign to remember as they qualified for the Champions League, confounding pre-season expectations.
"Thank you to our supporters because even today they were with us," said Villa boss Unai Emery after Sunday's loss.
"We achieved our objective on Tuesday [when UCL qualification was confirmed] and we did everything we could with our supporters in Villa Park on Monday [in the 3-3 draw with Liverpool].
"They were travelling here to be with us, supporting us so we are disappointed with the result, but we have to accept it.
"We have to be happy and share with our supporters the whole season, not just today. Every match is very important and we lost, but we’d achieved our target.
"We have to accept it and keep going forward. Now it’s time to rest and try to follow our players with their national teams and prepare as best as possible the next season.
"We have to enjoy the season we did and we’re very excited for the next season, but we have to take our time now."
Metz 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain: Ligue 1 champions make history with unbeaten away run
Paris Saint-Germain ended their Ligue 1 campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win at Metz on Sunday, courtesy of early goals from Carlos Soler and Lee Kang-in.
The Ligue 1 champions, who rested several key players, ended the season with 76 points, nine ahead of Monaco in second place.
Luis Enrique's team also became the first side in Ligue 1 history to go unbeaten on the road through the entirety of a campaign.
PSG rested several key players, including Kylian Mbappe, ahead of the Coupe de France final on Saturday against Lyon.
The visitors made an excellent start with Soler, who was teed up by Lee, breaking the deadlock with a shot from outside the box seven minutes in.
Lee subsequently doubled the lead five minutes later, becoming the first South Korean player to score and deliver an assist in the same Ligue 1 match since Hwang Ui-jo for Bordeaux in 2019.
Metz had their chances late in the match and went close on several occasions, but could not find a way back into the contest, and they will now face a relegation play-off against Saint-Etienne.
Data Debrief: History boys
PSG are the first team in Europe's top five leagues to have gone an entire league season without trailing for a single minute in an away match in the 21st century.
Their tally of 76 points trails only Saint-Etienne (77 in 1968-69, 81 in 1969-70, counting three points for a win) when it comes to a points total over the course of an 18-club league campaign.
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