How England crashed Australia's party to reach a World Cup final

It started arsenic a nighttime afloat of optimism successful Sydney arsenic thousands flooded into Stadium Australia hopeless to spot their squad make past - but England had different ideas.

Memories of defeats by Japan successful 2015 and the USA successful 2019 were formed speech - immoderate doubts the Lionesses would not win this clip disappeared arsenic they played with swagger and composure, producing arguably their greatest-ever show successful the 3-1 win implicit the Matildas.

As the higher-ranked broadside and the European champions, England would successful mentation person underwhelmed if they had lost. But successful practice, the task was overmuch tougher - they had to flooded superior injuries and accommodate passim the tourney earlier gathering fierce Australian opposition.

In the end, the show they produced was a culmination of 2 years' worthy of sensational maturation nether manager Sarina Wiegman, whose presumption arsenic the world's champion is unquestionable.

Having led England to Euro 2022 glory past summertime connected location soil, the Dutchwoman volition present manager successful a 4th successive large tourney final. Before joining England, she led the Netherlands to the Euro 2017 rubric and runners-up spot astatine the 2019 World Cup.

The squad person evolved nether her enactment from being near-misses and contenders to relentless winners and tourney favourites.

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England were applauded arsenic they did a thigh of honour pursuing their 3-1 triumph implicit Australia

'Matildas Mania' had taken implicit Australia during their World Cup run, with their occurrence dominating the beforehand and backmost pages of each nationalist newspaper. The momentum they had built en way to the semi-finals made for a carnival ambiance successful Sydney connected Wednesday.

Streets were painted successful greenish and yellow, supporters queued for hours to get into instrumentality parks crossed the metropolis and determination were hardly immoderate shops near selling merchandise, with astir banal sold out.

The lucifer was sold retired too; 75,784 fans piled into the stadium, astir of them booing the England players arsenic they emerged for the warm-ups, and past belting retired their nationalist anthem with pride.

But England were not fazed by immoderate of it. They person lived successful the bubble of their basal campy retired successful Terrigal, an hr from Sydney, for the duration of the tourney and they arrived for the semi-final seemingly oblivious to the hostility of the location crowd.

A crunching tackle from Keira Walsh connected Australia's superstar Sam Kerr wrong 2 minutes acceptable the tone. The adjacent 15 minutes was a masterclass successful sidesplitting momentum.

Whatever feverish excitement had built passim the week, England dampened rapidly arsenic they controlled possession, broke up play and frustrated the location assemblage by taking their clip implicit set-pieces.

A fewer half-chances came Australia's mode - Kerr raced done connected extremity and was offside erstwhile goalkeeper Mary Earps blocked her onslaught - but England brushed them disconnected instantly.

At the different end, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo's flourishing concern up beforehand caused havoc for Australia arsenic they linked up instinctively, creating chances and terrifying the hosts' defence.

It was not a astonishment erstwhile the Lionesses took the pb done Ella Toone, idiosyncratic synonymous with the large stage; she is the archetypal England subordinate to people successful a large tourney quarter-final, semi-final and final.

The deafening roars that had greeted the Matildas connected their entranceway astatine Stadium Australia were quietened by half-time but England did not go complacent. They had been present before, they knew the score.

The fierce unit promised by Australia arrived successful the 2nd half. Kerr burst into life, pouncing connected England's mislaid possession and scoring a sublime long-range extremity to marque it 1-1.

In past semi-finals, this whitethorn person been the infinitesimal England's players began to uncertainty themselves. But this is simply a squad built connected resilience and lifted with unwavering belief.

Another extremity would travel - they knew it would - and erstwhile the infinitesimal arrived, Hemp did not hesitate.

"I conscionable privation to beryllium fearless, I privation to amusement what I tin bash connected the biggest stage," she said afterwards, having earlier stated England's intentions to spell each the mode successful the tournament.

By the clip Hemp linked up with Russo to adhd England's third, Australia's balloon had burst.

Meanwhile, England were creating much history, having travel done a trial that required steeliness and experience, yet the scenes of solemnisation astatine full-time were short-lived.

The Lionesses allowed themselves conscionable a fewer minutes of dancing and applause, greeted by different rendition of Sweet Caroline by the travelling support, earlier heading down the tunnel. Job done.

While England gathered momentum during their palmy Euro 2022 campaign, feeding disconnected the memorable scenes of solemnisation aft each triumph successful beforehand of a location crowd, they person done the other present successful Australia, having to navigate each lucifer arsenic if they were making their mode crossed a committee crippled of snakes and ladders, picking themselves up if they had an unexpected autumn and uncovering a antithetic route.

It has felt little similar a enactment and much similar a mission.

If this England squad tin scope the last without their skipper Leah Williamson, the Euro 2022 apical goalscorer Beth Mead, playmaker Fran Kirby - each retired done wounded - portion besides dealing with an wounded scare to instrumental midfielder Keira Walsh and a two-match suspension for Lauren James during the competition, determination is nary crushed wherefore they cannot spell each the way.

And portion Australia absorbs the symptom of decision and the missed accidental of a lifetime, England supporters are present believing that this squad could beryllium champions again.