Yahoo News England coach Sarina Wiegman aims for 'new moments' with defeated Lionesses
Dutch coach delivers her England verdict, plus what's next for the Lionesses?
Watch: Spainish fans cheer Women's World Cup success
England coach Sarina Wiegman wants to conjure a "new moment" with her Lionesses and reach more major finals after a tight loss in their first Women's World Cup final on Sunday in Sydney.
England were edged out 1-0 by Spain, who lifted their first title eight years after playing their first World Cup finals.
“I’m just hurt about this moment. Losing a game and in a final, when you’re in a final you want to win it," said Wiegman.
Read More: What next for Sarina Wiegman? Olympics and a Lionesses dynasty
“I was totally convinced before the game that it would be a very tight game but we were confident that we were able to win it.
"I hope in the future I get a new moment with the team I work with, that would be amazing, because it’s very special to play finals.”
Wiegman changed formation from a 3-5-2 to 4-3-3 shape as England chased the game in the second-half, but they couldn't find the necessary equaliser.
“At the end, when we tried to force it, we did not execute very well," said Wiegman.
“No regrets. We gave it everything we could. We tried different tactics. You have to give credit to Spain. Over the tournament they played the best football, so congratulations to Spain."
England Lionesses' World Cup final defeat - Reaction on Yahoo UK
Ahead of the final, she had said of her team: "The longer you work together the better the connection. The better you can be off the pitch, the better the conversation can be, and then we can translate that to the squad.
"As much as people don't want to face challenges, it's part of the game, it's part of life, and without those challenges we wouldn't be where we are today."
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The Dutch coach took over in England role in September 2021 and led the team to European Championship glory on home soil last summer.
She also revealed that she has "no plans to leave" her job as England coach and would see out her contract until 2025.
"I'm really enjoying my job," said Wiegman.
She said: "I have the impression that people still like me doing the job. I have no plans to leave. I'm staying out of [speculation regarding the USA job]. I've heard it."
England captain Millie Bright told the BBC after defeat at Stadium Australia: “We gave everything. We can say hand on heart we gave everything.
“In the first half we weren’t at our best. Second half we bounced back, showed our fight, showed our character and we had chances, we just didn’t have that final edge today.
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“We’ve been 1-0 down in a game before and we bounced back and that was the aim today. We never give in and it’s hard to take but it’s football. We’re absolutely heartbroken. Unfortunately we just weren’t there today.”
The England standout performer in the final was Mary Earps, who won the Golden Glove award and made several top-class saves, including a penalty.
"I'm sure we will feel really proud in a couple of weeks but right now it is really raw. Gutting," she admitted.
What next for England?
The 2027 Women’s World Cup hosts will be announced at the 74th FIFA Congress in May, while England will defend their European title in Switzerland in 2025.
First comes UEFA’s newly launched Nations League, which also serves as a qualifier for next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
England, Scotland or Wales would need to reach the final to qualify as Team GB, or finish third if automatically qualified hosts France are one of the last two.
England will kick off their Nations League campaign against Scotland at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light on 22 September.
Watch: Spain clinch first World Cup title
