Arsenal's new recruit Alessia Russo has described England's World Cup final defeat as 'heartbreaking' but insists they will be back and stronger than ever.
The Lionesses fell agonisingly short in the final on Sunday when they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by eventual winners Spain. Olga Carmona's first-half strike separated the two teams on the day.
Russo, who completed a move from Manchester United to Arsenal earlier in the summer, scored three goals throughout the tournament, including the winner in the quarter-final against Colombia. She also scored the third goal in the 3-1 win over Australia in the semi-finals.
This year's World Cup was Russo's second major tournament with the senior Lionesses team after she played a key role in their Euro triumph on home soil last summer. The new Arsenal forward believes this is only a setback for the England team and they will be back.
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"Heartbroken that it wasn't meant to be but so proud and grateful to be a part of this special team," she wrote in a message on Instagram hours after the team landed in London. "There is nobody else I would want to be on this journey with.
"I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us from afar and those that travelled out to the other side of the world! We will cherish the memories for a lifetime. To those who have made us feel so welcome during our time in Australia, thank you. It has been the most incredible 6 weeks.
"For now we rest up and recover but have absolutely no doubt this team will be back stronger than ever."
The squad is now back in the UK and will have some much-needed rest and recovery time before they join up with their respective clubs ahead of the new season. Arsenal begin their UEFA Women's Champions League campaign next month with their qualifying games, while their first league match will be at home to Liverpool on October 1 at the Emirates.
Jonas Eidevall's side finished third in the table last term, behind both title holders Chelsea and Manchester United. In Europe, Arsenal were one of two English clubs to reach the semi-final stage of the competition before they were knocked out by German outfit Wolfsburg.
