SYDNEY — Lauren Hemp didn’t let the Women’s World Cup semifinal between Australia and England become the Sam Kerr show.
Hemp scored to restore England’s lead eight minutes after a superb equalizer from Kerr, then provided a perfect pass for the clincher as the Lionesses moved into the final for the first time with a 3-1 victory over tournament co-host Australia on Wednesday.
And so ended a run by the Matildas — it had captivated Australia for almost a month — and sent England to a title matchup with Spain, a 2-1 winner against Sweden in the other semifinal a day earlier. The championship showdown is Sunday at Stadium Australia, the first all-European final at a Women’s World Cup since Germany beat Sweden for the 2003 title. It’s the first such opportunity for both England and Spain.
Sarina Wiegman became the first coach to lead two countries to the Women’s World Cup final, doing so in back-to-back tournaments. Her 2019 run with the Netherlands in France ended with a loss to the United States.
On either side of that, she guided the Dutch women to the European title in 2017 and then took over the England squad for its breakthrough Euro 2022 title.