STEPH HOUGHTON: Spain were so clever and completely suffocated England in the final… I know the girls will be devastated but now it’s time to capitalise on their success in the WSL

England may not have won the World Cup, but they certainly won at the World Cup. It was incredible to see the impact at home. People were planning their entire weekend around the final on Sunday.

It was huge to see bars filled with people watching. In Manchester, about 6,000 people attended one screening – which is quite spectacular.

There was nothing like that when we were at the 2015 World Cup and with the success of last year’s European Championship, it’s another big moment for women’s football in this country.

Two finals in two years is crazy, but to be honest, even if we didn’t make it to the final, this team would have conquered the country already.

It is a group of players who clearly enjoy playing for their country. Although they didn’t bring back the trophy, they grabbed a big win.

Spain had clearly been watching England closely and executing their game plan. They are tech savvy, have some great players and Aitana Bonmati ran the show.

They were very clever, managed to get behind our full-backs and cause us serious problems.

They pinned us back and while it wasn’t for the lack of trying we just couldn’t adapt.

I was hoping Mary Earps’ penalty save would be the spark, but it just didn’t happen.

In finals, it is often the way one side settles faster than the other. Spain has many players who have played in the Champions League final and they have put that experience to good use, they started well and have never looked back. They pushed aggressively and choked England.

I know the girls will be devastated and I haven’t messaged them yet. You come in after the game, turn on your phone and all the messages you read can be a bit overwhelming.

Alessia Russo also appeared emotional as England tragically fell at the final hurdle

England’s Lucy Bronze sinks to her knees in frustration during the World Cup final with Spain

They’re going to be upset and that’s where the staff comes in to try and bring a little perspective. They will be frustrated because we know we can beat Spain, but yesterday was not our day.

That said, when the players come home and see the crowd’s reaction and spend some time with their families, what they’ve accomplished will sink in.

The most important thing for me is the age of the group. Many of our best players will reach their peak in the next tournament.

Those who haven’t played that much will now have that tournament experience for next time. We will get better and get stronger and that is scary. The future is bright.

The Spanish players celebrate after beating England 1-0 in Australia to win the World Cup

The England team line up for their historic World Cup final against Spain in Sydney

Hopefully we will see the impact not only when the Women’s Super League starts in October, but in the years to come.

These players are heroes and people who haven’t had the chance to be in Australia will want to see those heroes when they get home.

At City, for example, we have Alex Greenwood, Chloe Kelly and Lauren Hemp. We would have to sell out every game – not just at City but across the league – because of the England effect. And not just because of the England players.

There are players in WSL from Sweden, from Australia, who have had great tournaments and have shown themselves to be the best in the world.

Hopefully we will see more matches at the Etihad and Stamford Bridge, for example.

That is the next step for women’s football. Do we get big crowds week in, week out? The interest is so great, now it can happen.

The Lionesses have been given a lifeline after goalkeeper Mary Earps saved a Spain penalty to keep them in their historic World Cup final

Millions of fans tune in across the country, including a crowd in Croydon’s Boxpark