“Goalden Girls” reads the front page of the Metro, the day after England put three past Australia to reach the Women’s World Cup final. They will play Spain in Sydney on Sunday for a shot at the biggest prize in the sport.
The Daily Mirror crowns the England team “The History Girls”. The semi-final win against Australia makes them the first England women’s team to make it to the final.
The front page of the i is dominated by an image of England’s “wonder women”. It also carries a story about an expected rise in appeals from A-level students when they get their results on Thursday, with marking boundaries back to pre-Covid levels for the first time.
England are “dreaming of 66”, says the Daily Star, harking back to the men’s World Cup victory 57 years ago.
Australia’s Matildas “wilted” before England, the Sun says. England had to beat the co-hosts in front of a hostile crowd to reach the final.
“Dare we dream?” asks the Express. England fans are already starting – London’s fan zones sold out in eight minutes on Wednesday.
The Mail leads with the announcement that artefacts at the British Museum have been reported “missing, stolen or damaged”. A member of staff has been sacked after gold, jewellery and gems of semi-precious stones went missing.
The Daily Telegraph describes the stolen artefacts as “priceless”. Its front page also features an interview with Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, who has used A-level results day to urge absent pupils to return to school, with the numbers not attending still higher than before the pandemic.
The Times leads on an interview with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who has pledged to end the cost of living crisis. It also says Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman is “expected” to make an official trip to the UK later this year.
Prices did not fall as quickly as expected in July, the Financial Times reports. The news will put pressure on the Bank of England as it decides whether a further interest rate rise is needed to dampen inflation, the paper says.
Rishi Sunak remains committed to the pension “triple lock” despite “surging” costs, says the Guardian. It says the guarantee will cost the Treasury £2.5bn more than it had forecast next year.
