This is hard to take and we're heartbroken, but we can be proud

DEVASTATED LIONESSES CAN HOLD HEADS HIGH

- Keith Webster

BIRTHDAY girl Millie Bright had to choke back her disappointment at World Cup heartache as she spoke about her pride in leading England's women to the brink of glory.

The Chelsea defender, who turns 30 today, may not be in the mood to celebrate after the agony of missing out against Spain.

But she paid tribute to the team-mates that helped her take the Lionesses so close.

"I have a massive amount of pride," said Bright, right.

"The girls were unbelievable. We had a lot of critics, a few lost belief in us but we never stopped believing.

"Sometimes football goes for you, sometimes against you. We played in a World Cup final. In a few weeks we will appreciate this day, but we want to be winners.

"This is really hard to take. We gave it everything. In the first half we weren't at our best, we bounced back in the second half. We had chances, hit the bar but we just didn't have the final edge.

"There was a lot of belief, we have been 1-0 down [before] and we never give in.

It's hard to take but it's football. We're heartbroken.