Women's World Cup: Reaching semi-finals is what 'England is known for', says Lucy Bronze

Reaching semi-finals of large tournaments is what England "are known for", says defender Lucy Bronze.

Bronze, 31, has played a cardinal relation successful reaching each three, having had a breakout tourney successful 2015.

"People said England were the squad that were going to flop," said Bronze.

"If we hadn't person got to the semi-finals, I would person said we would person underperformed. Our performances haven't been our best, granted, but the results person been there.

"We've got to the semi-final, which is what this England squad is known for doing."

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As good arsenic reaching the World Cup semi-finals successful 2015, 2019 and present 2023, England besides made it to the past 4 of Euro 2017 and Euro 2022, which they went connected to triumph connected location soil.

They are yet to assistance the Women's World Cup but are existent favourites with the United States, winners successful 2015 and 2019, and European giants Germany knocked retired early.

Meanwhile, Australia person reached the semi-finals for the archetypal time and volition person location vantage successful Sydney erstwhile the teams conscionable connected Wednesday.

"We got past the hurdle past twelvemonth successful the Euros and yet made it to the final," added Bronze. "We got past that dreaded [feeling of] ever being bushed successful the semi-finals truthful we've got that successful the locker.

"Many players successful the squad were portion of that truthful we cognize however hard it is to get this acold and besides however to get to the last and to triumph games.

"We are the lone squad to beryllium successful 3 consecutive World Cup semi-finals astatine the minute, which evidently puts america successful bully stead.

"We cognize what we're facing for the adjacent game. It's going to beryllium different feisty affair, which we're looking guardant to."

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'Kerr is the hostile and there's a occupation to beryllium done'

Millie Bright has won 4 successive WSL titles with Chelsea alongside Sam Kerr

Bronze says England person had to "fight each azygous game" to advancement successful Australia - overmuch similar they did successful Canada successful 2015 erstwhile she broke into the squad, taking the right-back spot disconnected Alex Scott.

The Lionesses crept past Haiti and Denmark successful the radical stages with 1-0 wins earlier needing a punishment shootout successful the past 16 to decision Nigeria. They besides had to come from down to bushed Colombia successful Saturday's quarter-final.

"It reminds maine of the fights we had [in 2015]," said Bronze. "I deliberation the quality with this squad is we person won trophies and we person won tournaments truthful we bash cognize what to do.

"We knew coming into the tourney that it wasn't going to beryllium easy. There was a batch of extracurricular sound astir whether England were going to beryllium capable to header good with everything thrown astatine america and [reaching] the semi-finals is what is expected."

England volition travel up against an Australia squad packed with acquainted faces from the Women's Super League including Chelsea superstar Sam Kerr, who has astir returned to afloat fittingness pursuing injury.

Fourteen of Australia's 23-player squad person played successful the WSL, with 11 featuring past season.

Kerr, who has won 4 successive league titles with Chelsea, is wide regarded arsenic 1 of the world's champion forwards and volition spell caput to caput with club-mates Millie Bright and Jess Carter connected Wednesday.

"She's an astonishing player. They're a superb squad but truthful are we," said Bright.

"As soon arsenic we measurement implicit that achromatic line, [Kerr's] the hostile truthful it conscionable doesn't substance what happens distant from there. She's the hostile and there's a occupation to beryllium done.

"I deliberation the satellite already knows and they don't request maine to reiterate however bully she is. She shows that connected a regular basis. But we've got large players too."

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