When England equalised after sustained early pressure and going a goal down against the US, Emma O’Connor instinctively rose to her feet and pumped her fists in the air before leading raucous chants of “Come on England”.

England conquer hearts and minds but USA take semi-final spoils Read more

But after the nation’s hopes were dashed as Ellen White’s 67th-minute goal was ruled offside by VAR and Steph Houghton missed an 83-minute penalty, the Richmond Park women’s football team coach, said: “I’m absolutely gutted, words can’t describe how I feel.”

O’Connor, who was inspired to get back into coaching by England’s World Cup journey, was one of more than 1,500 people – the majority of them women – at Battersea Park in south-west London on Tuesday night. They sat on deck chairs and picnic blankets watching the game which could have ended with an England team reaching a final for the first time since 1966.

“Hopefully this will encourage people, whether you’re male or female, young or old, to play football,” she concluded, after the crowd slumped in unison at the final whistle.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Wandsworth council said it decided to show the game on big screens because it had ‘grabbed the nation’s attention’. Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The Guardian

Wandsworth council said that it was the first time any World Cup football game had been shown at the park – one of a number of venues across the country showing the match on big screens. A spokesperson said they decided to show it because it had “grabbed the nation’s attention”.

Elsewhere, some pubs said it could be their busiest night of the year, with swelling numbers of fans watching the games as England progressed through the tournament. A record-breaking 7.6 million television viewers watched the team’s 3-0 victory over Norway on Thursday.

The US dominated early on in Tuesday night’s game, with Christen Press scoring after nine minutes. White took England level just before the 20-minute mark, before Alex Morgan put the three-time champions back ahead with her sixth goal of the tournament.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The US dominated early stretches of the game but England fought back. Photograph: Christian Sinibaldi/The Guardian

After the commentator recognised England were beaten by a US team who are the best side in the world today and in the history of the women’s game, O’Connor – who was on her feet cheering for large parts of the game – said: “I thought the USA were very, very lucky, although England were poor.”

Describing her exuberant, passionate support, she said: “I love creating an atmosphere. Whether people like it or not, that’s just football. We’re not at cricket. People need to get behind the team.”

Women’s football is growing rapidly in popularity on TV screens and at Women’s Super League grounds. But O’Connor – who works for the Down’s Syndrome Association and lives in Staines – lamented how the Football Association banned women from playing on Football League grounds in 1921 because it was “quite unsuitable for females and ought not to be encouraged”.

She said the 50-year ban had “100%” stifled the progress of the women’s game. “Now it is slowly becoming more popular, but that might have been different if it hadn’t been forbidden,” she said.

Another England supporter in the park, Andrea Edobor, an occupational therapist from Streatham, predicted before the game that England’s women would win the World Cup before the men regardless of Tuesday’s result.

“It’s getting near the level of popularity of the men’s,” she said. “Even my dad’s been watching it; he would never have watched women’s football. He said it’s better than the men’s because there is less cheating and women stay on their feet.”

Her friend Rebecca Richardson, a youth worker from Peckham, said: “Women have still got to prove themselves, they don’t have space to be doing stupid things for chances. They actually want to show off their skills and play properly. They’re a lot more disciplined than the men are, because they have more to prove.”