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The entire continent of Australia had been waiting not so patiently for the moment that finally arrived in the 63rd minute of Wednesday night’s Women’s World Cup semifinal between Australia and England.

Collecting the ball in her own half and crossing the midfield line, Sam Kerr was off. Head down, driving forward, she took a couple quick dribbles, then a few more, then nudged the ball ahead of her right foot and fired. Her shot, struck hard and high from just outside the penalty area, soared past the reach of England goaltender Mary Earps.

Kerr had wheeled away in celebration by then, even before the ball had settled into the net, and the home crowd inside Stadium Australia let out a deafening and sustained roar. Australia had pulled even with England, and for the first time in the match, it seemed as if the English might be on the ropes.

Maybe a previous version of the team would have been. But this England team scored again eight minutes later, and then added a third goal in the 86th minute. It had, in less than half an hour, turned a tenuous moment into its most dominant finish of this tournament, a 3-1 victory over Australia that sent the Lionesses to their first World Cup final, where they will face Spain on Sunday.

“We’ve got that in this team,” England defender Lucy Bronze said. “We’ve got resilience. We’ve got an inner belief that, I think, is bigger and better than we have ever had previously.”

Bronze was part of the England squads that lost in the World Cup semifinals in 2015 and 2019, disappointments that she has admitted have lingered with her. Getting over that hump in this tournament was hardly a linear path, even after England won the European Championship last year on home soil.

England arrived at the World Cup last month without three of its top players, all sidelined with knee injuries, and it has played its last two games without its initial breakout star here, midfielder Lauren James, who served a two-game suspension for stamping on a Nigerian player in the round of 16.

Coach Sarina Wiegman also pointed out that her players have faced added attention since winning the Euros, which can bring new challenges, and absolutely brings heightened expectations. On Wednesday, though, England looked all the better for that experience — a seasoned team that thrived, rather than crumbled, under pressure.

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Australia’s Mackenzie Arnold was beaten three times on Wednesday.Credit…Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/Reuters

“I don’t think anything fazes us,” said midfielder Ella Toone, who scored England’s first goal before halftime. “We’ve faced a lot of challenges this tournament that we’ve just got on with and got through.”

Indeed, a theme of this tournament has been England’s finding a way to win, even as it has taken a while to find the dominant form many had expected. In their early matches, the Lionesses relied on strong defense and Earps’s steady goalkeeping as they struggled to score. Against Australia, though, it was their goals that silenced an expectant home crowd.

Having the stadium backing the other team was nothing new, of course. Bronze referred back to England’s 2-1 quarterfinal win against Colombia, when the Lionesses fell into an early deficit in front of another crowd that also heavily favored their opponent. The carnal release inside the stadium after Kerr’s goal was at a different level. While those kinds of moments are expected from Kerr — even if she was not entirely healthy coming off her calf injury — defender Jess Carter said England’s back line was still disappointed to have allowed her goal, frustrated because they felt as if they should have handled it better.

The next few minutes felt a little bit shaky, Wiegman admitted, as the replays of the goal on the stadium video screens wound up the fans again and the noise continued to reverberate. Kerr got another chance on a header, and then another. Earps appeared to signal to her teammates to settle down. The only way through, England knew, was to stick to the game plan, and hold its nerve.

“I thought we did really well, but we have done that really well the whole tournament so far,” Wiegman said. “And then, of course, it didn’t take that long before we scored a second goal. And that helps.”

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Alessia Russo sensed her clinching goal was in even before it crossed the line.Credit…Mark Baker/Associated Press

That may be the quiet strength of these England players: They have won in different ways this tournament, changing their tactics to suit their opponents, adapting on the fly when they’re not working, holding teams off until someone, somehow, conjures a goal. But it was the way they responded to Kerr’s equalizer that demonstrated above all else why they will be playing in the World Cup final.

Forward Lauren Hemp scored in the 71st minute, off a long and searching pass by Millie Bright, England’s captain. Fifteen minutes after that, Alessia Russo delivered the final blow: a low right-footed shot after a driving run up the center by Hemp.

Just as Kerr had done, Russo wheeled away to start her celebration even before the ball had settled into the net. She knew, England knew, the job was done, and the final beckoned. On the bench, Wiegman finally let herself relax.

“We are not,” she thought, “going to give this away anymore.”

Jenny Vrentas is a sports reporter, working on enterprise and investigations. Prior to joining The Times she was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, covering the N.F.L. More about Jenny Vrentas

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By: Jenny Vrentas
Title: Kerr Scored. The Crowd Roared. But England Wasn’t Done.
Sourced From: www.nytimes.com/2023/08/16/sports/soccer/world-cup-england.html
Published Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2023 19:01:52 +0000

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Did the Golden Globes Finally Figure Out How to Award Best Popular Film?

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September 27, 2023

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It didn’t work for the Oscars. But the Globes aren’t the Oscars.

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Title: Did the Golden Globes Finally Figure Out How to Award Best Popular Film?
Sourced From: www.indiewire.com/awards/industry/golden-globes-award-best-popular-film-analysis-1234909167/
Published Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2023 19:43:09 +0000

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‘Gone With the Wind’ Star Hattie McDaniel’s Missing Oscar to Be Replaced

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16 hours ago

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September 27, 2023

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Missing for decades, the first-ever Oscar won by a Black actor, Gone With the Wind's Hattie McDaniel, will be replaced. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will donate the replica award to Howard University. Deadline reports that the award will be donated to the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at the University. McDaniel won the original award in the Best Supporting Actress category for her performance as Mammy in 1939's Gone with the Wind.

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By: Rob London
Title: ‘Gone With the Wind’ Star Hattie McDaniel’s Missing Oscar to Be Replaced
Sourced From: collider.com/gone-with-the-wind-hattie-mcdaniel-missing-oscar-replacement/
Published Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2023 20:25:43 GMT

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NFL MVP Odds: Tua Tagovailoa Is Now The Outright Leader Over Patrick Mahomes

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2 days ago

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September 26, 2023

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NFL MVP Odds: Tua Tagovailoa Is Now The Outright Leader Over Patrick Mahomes – originally posted on Sportslens.com

For the second time in three weeks, the Miami Dolphins put on a historic offensive showing on Sunday. They scored the 3rd most points in NFL history against the Broncos, even forfeiting a chance at breaking the record of 73. It was a well-rounded effort that thrived in both the rushing and passing attacks, and it has quarterback Tua Tagovailoa all by himself when it comes to the favorite to win the NFL’s MVP award.

Tua Tagovailoa Is Now The Overall Favorite For NFL MVP

The award was Patrick Mahomes’ to lose. The Chiefs quarterback is the reigning MVP of the NFL, and he entered the season with the shortest odds to repeat (+600). He was the outright favorite, but trailing close behind were guys like Josh Allen and Joe Burrow. Mahomes and the Chiefs got out to a rough start in Week 1, as did the other MVP candidates.

But not Tagovailoa. His 466 yard, 3 touchdown performance vaulted him to the top of the leader board, where he took a share of the lead with Mahomes at +650 going into Week 2. Tua’s performance against the Patriots in the second game was solid enough to keep him near the top, but the top of the leaderboard was cluttered heading into Week 3.

The clutter is gone. Tagovailoa led the Dolphins to their historic 70 point day, completing 89% of his passes en route to 309 yards and 4 touchdown passes. He achieved those numbers in just three quarters of play, and the oddsmakers at the sports books have taken notice.

Big Test For Tagovailoa And Miami In Week 4

As of Monday morning, Tagovailoa was listed as the heavy favorite to win the NFL MVP award, coming in at +400, the shortest of any MVP odds so far this season. Mahomes was listed at +700 at the time of writing, though that number is subject to heavy change. The public will believe that Mahomes will eventually win the MVP award until it is firmly taken out of his grasp, and the more that they bet on him with longer odds, the more his number will come down.

Bet on Tua Tagovailoa For MVP (+400) at BetOnline

Will it last? Tagovailoa and the Dolphins will face their biggest test of the young season this coming Sunday, as they travel to Buffalo to face the division rival Bills. They have had one of the top-2 defenses in the league through the first three games, and are familiar with Tua and the Dolphins, having played against them three times last year.

The Bills are currently 2.5 point favorites for Sunday’s game.

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From Sportslens.com – NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB News, Rumors & Betting Picks

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By: Anthony R. Cardenas
Title: NFL MVP Odds: Tua Tagovailoa Is Now The Outright Leader Over Patrick Mahomes
Sourced From: sportslens.com/news/nfl-mvp-odds-tua-tagovailoa-is-now-the-outright-leader-over-patrick-mahomes/
Published Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2023 18:26:02 +0000

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