Dating Spain for football's biggest prize, England face Australia, host of the second semi-final of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup from Sydney.
La Roja won tickets to the World Cup finals with a dramatic 2-1 victory over Sweden at dawn on Tuesday.
England had everything they could handle against upstart Colombia at half-time and fell behind in the thrilling minutes of the first half with an unbelievable goal from Leicy Santos. In the 44th minute, the At 1-0. But Las Cafeteras' lead won't last long. In the first half of injury time, as the Lions surged forward in search of an equalizer, Colombian goalkeeper Catalina Perez thwarted Alessia Russo's attempt to tame, allowing Lauren Hemp to charge forward and push home to equalize before the break. After starting over, Russo is head to head for the Lionesses as she has done so many times before in her short international career. Winning a serve from Georgia Stanway, the 24-year-old Arsenal forward knocked off a defender and beat Perez from close range in the 63rd minute to give England a 2-1 lead they wouldn't give up.
"We are in the semi-finals of the World Cup and we are dreaming," Russo said after the game. "Colombia is a top team and they showed it in this World Cup. It was a really tough test, but I'm happy that we made it to the semi-finals. They have a lot of talented players. It might be difficult for you in no time. Secondly but I think our backline was amazing tonight. What makes this team great is that we're always looking for ways to improve. We have a lot of work to do, we will rest, recover and move on."
For the Lions, this is the third time in a row that they have reached the quarter-finals, but it is at this stage that their last two World Cups have come to an end. At Edmonton in 2015, England lost 1-2 to Japan due to Laura Bassett's own own goal in second-half stoppage time. Then, in 2019 in France, first-half goals from Christen Press and Alex Morgan were enough for the United States to overtake the Lionesses 2-1. But since those two heartbreaking defeats, England have learned to stay on track as their victory at Euro 2022 last summer proved. Manchester City striker Chloe Kelly said: "Throughout every game so far, we've had to dig deep. "We especially had to do it against Colombia in the quarter-finals. They had a lot of fans supporting them and it was great preparation for Wednesday night. Australia are a great team and they showed quality. We've trained well and recovered well [from the zones]. We'll be ready."
Additionally, Tottenham Hotspur striker Bethany England says that England is used to crowd noise.
“We were in this situation where we had a lot of noise,” England said. "Last year's Euros at Old Trafford, Wembley. Now there's nothing unaccustomed to these girls. We're getting more and more girls' games, we're selling out, we're attracting huge crowds. and we may not think So it will be an interesting and special game.
On the other side of the field, Matildas finally reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the fourth time in the last five tournaments to reach the semi-finals for the first time with a hard-fought 0-0 (7-6) win. At France. At one point in extra time, Australia didn't think the penalties would come. In the 99th minute, Alanna Kennedy made a corner for France to own an own goal, but Les Bleues' jubilant celebration was cut short when the referee went goalless after spotting Wendie's foul. Renard with Caitlin Foord. Immediately after Cortnee Vine failed to return from close range, Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold made a brilliant save by Vicki Becho in the 107th minute.
Going into the penalty shootout, France coach Hervé Renard made a controversial decision to switch goalkeepers with Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, who had played well, being replaced by penalty shootout expert Solene Durand. His choice seemed right as Durand fended off Steph Catley, who had previously scored a penalty against Ireland, and Clare Hunt. But Arnold stood up to the challenge on his own, making saves against Kenza Dali and Eve Perisset. When Arnold's own goal hit the post, Becho had a chance to take the lead for Les Bleues, but she hit the post again. Then Vine had to play the hero and she did. His right-footed shot was too good for Durand to do anything about and the 25-year-old Sydney FC winger sent Australia into the quarter-finals.
"That feeling is something I've never felt before," West Ham's Arnold said after the game. "I'm so proud of the girls. But I don't know what to say - I'm overwhelmed. I don't feel like I have too much to do for a long time, but there is one I need to make a few saves. I lost and I'm glad I was able to finish my job and help the team. I'll focus on the penalty I missed for a while, but I just want to keep doing my job."