Jackie Groenen is consoled by her Netherlands team-mates.

United Women represented in World Cup's final weekend

Monday 08 July 2019 11:30

The curtain has come down on the 2019 Women's World Cup in France, with the USA defeating the Netherlands to lift the trophy for the fourth time in a record-breaking tournament.

After scoring a dramatic winner against Sweden in the semi-final, Manchester United Women midfielder Jackie Groenen was named in the starting XI for the final at the Stade de Lyon, as the Dutch reached the showpiece for the first time in their history.

A cagey first 45 minutes saw Jackie's compatriot Sari van Veenendaal make a number of crucial saves in goal, but it was Megan Rapinoe who broke the deadlock from the penalty spot for the USA, after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) adjudged Stefanie van der Gragt brought down Alex Morgan inside the penalty area.

Jackie played the full 90 minutes against the USA in the final.

And the Netherlands were left with a mountain to climb eight minutes later, as Bronze Ball winner Rose Lavelle surged forward and doubled the lead for Jill Ellis's side with a brilliant solo effort.

The Dutch fought right until the end, with Arsenal forward Vivianne Miedema coming close to pulling a goal back, however Sarina Wiegman's team will now have to focus on retaining their European crown when the Championship takes place in England in two years' time.

The day before, Abbie McManus and Alex Greenwood started in defence for England’s third-place play-off against Sweden, but Phil Neville’s side were unable to repeat their bronze medal of 2015, as the Lionesses narrowly came up short in a 2-1 defeat.

Scotland's Lizzie Arnot, Kirsty Smith and new United Women signing Jane Ross were close to joining their team-mates in the knockout stages, but were cruelly denied in their final group-stage game. However, Shelley Kerr's side gave a good account of themselves in what was their first appearance in the finals.

Alex Greenwood (pictured) and Abbie McManus played in England's third-place play-off against Sweden.

Regardless of the results, this World Cup has been a huge success for the women’s game, with a peak audience of 11.7 million in the UK tuning in for England’s semi-final defeat to the USA, and almost 59 million people around the world watching Brazil’s last-16 game against France - which set a new world record.

This new exposure will be a boost for Casey Stoney’s Reds, as we eagerly await the full release of the fixtures for our inaugural season in the Barclays Women’s Super League on Wednesday 10 July. There is already anticipation over our opening-weekend fixture, which was released last week, as the Reds will face last season's runners-up and local rivals, Manchester City, on the weekend of 7 and 8 September.

McManus will go up against her former club when United face Manchester City on the opening weekend of the WSL season.

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE

After a record breaking promotion campaign, Manchester United Women Season Tickets for the 2019/20 season are now on sale, as the team move up to take on top-flight teams in the Barclays Women’s Super League.

Season Tickets are priced at £39 for adults and £20 for U16s/65+. Any home cup games in 2019/20 will need to be actively purchased and will be optional throughout the season.

Match tickets for next season will see a slight increase in price at £6 for adults and £3 for U16s/65+ for advance purchases and £6.50 for adults and £3.50 for U16s/65+ on the day. Ticket prices will be the same for both league and cup games.

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