England’s cerebral palsy footballers have won the World Cup for the first time, beating hosts the United States 2-1 after extra time in the final near Atlanta.
Sam Dewhirst forced extra time with an equaliser at the end of normal time, and David Porcher scored the winner, BBC Sport reported.
The Para Lions trailed after the Americans scored from a corner late in the match. The BBC said that goal came with three minutes left. A US Soccer match summary puts it at 56 minutes of the 60-minute game, scored by John Sullivan.
Late equaliser, extra-time winner
England levelled in the first minute of stoppage time. According to the US Soccer summary, Liam Irons’ shot was saved by goalkeeper Sean Boyle, and the ball fell back to Irons. He passed to Dewhirst at the far post, who tapped in.
Four minutes into extra time, Dewhirst shot again and Boyle saved. The ball ran out to Porcher, who scored from the rebound to make it 2-1.
England held on through the rest of the two 10-minute periods to be crowned world champions. The final was played at the U.S. Soccer National Training Center, just outside Atlanta, according to England Football. Twelve nations took part in the tournament, which ran from 14 to 25 October.
Head coach Jack Rutter was appointed earlier this year, and this was his first major tournament in charge. A former Para Lions striker, he said the result was historic for the sport.
“The amount of sacrifice these players and staff have put in to achieve this goal is incredible.”
Rutter told the BBC the squad had travelled to the United States hoping for a medal. “I can’t believe we actually won the World Cup for the first time,” he said.
He also paid tribute to the way the squad has changed over time. Speaking to England Football, he said the team now has a blend of senior and younger players. He named Matty Crossen, Matty Robinson, Ethan Day, Cailen Beckford and Giles Moore among those who have come into the setup.
Of the two goalscorers, he said Dewhirst’s equaliser was a brilliant goal. Porcher’s winner, he said, “was an incredible moment in all of our lives”.
The victory came two days after England’s powerchair football team lost their own World Cup final to France on Friday, the BBC reported.
The win is England’s first title at the tournament, and the first time the Para Lions have gone further than a quarter-final since the 2024 edition. They lost a quarter-final to Ukraine on penalties at that tournament.
Sources: England Football, England Football, RAW CHILI (US Soccer release), BBC Sport
This story was compiled by the MDW Newsdesk with AI-assisted tools, using the reporting credited above.
