The Lionesses have reached the World Cup semi-final after a nail-biting clash with Colombia, sparking wild celebrations from England fans.
Nervous but excited supporters’ wishes of cheering the Lionesses to victory have been answered as the squad clawed back from 1-0 to secure a 2-1 victory.
Chants of ‘come on England’ could be heard as fans ignored the summer drizzle to watch the big screen in St Albans, Hertfordshire, as manager Sarina Wiegman’s team kicked off against Colombia in Sydney’s Stadium Australia.
Goal scorers Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo secured the team’s place in their third semi-final in a row.
Fans waving flags and wearing red and white face paint could be seen jumping and screaming as England’s victory was confirmed.
England fans celebrate as Lionesses reach World Cup semi-final after nail-biting clash with Colombia
Goal scorers Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo have secured the team’s place in their third semi-final in a row
Fans waving flags and wearing red and white face paint were elated as England soared to victory
England players could be seen consoling some of the devastated young Colombians and swapping shirts with them.
Excited England fans turned up in droves at Sydney’s Stadium Australia for the Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses’ World Cup quarter-final clash, whilst those back home in the UK fled to pubs and bars to catch the game.
Football fan Joanna King said ‘the best is yet to come’ for England, despite a run of injuries to top players ahead of the tournament and top scorer Lauren James, 21, being sent off in the last-16 penalty shootout victory over Nigeria earlier in the week.
Speaking at the McDonald’s big screen in St Albans, the 31-year-old sales advisor from Oxford, said: ‘I think we have been playing OK.
The last game was a bit nerve-racking to be honest. I am not going to lie. ‘I personally feel they can do it. I think Sarina is playing mind games – she is not making us play bad but she is not making us play our best at the moment.’
A young fan shows her support as she dons red and white face paint and a flag and waves her Go England sign
Nervous but excited fans’ wishes of cheering the Lionesses to victory have been answered
The nail-biting game left some fans feeling tense before the squad clawed back a 2-1 victory
Fans said it was good to be among the fellow supporters as the atmosphere is better than sitting at home
The winner of England v Colombia will play Australia in last four after the tournament’s joint hosts scored a dramatic win over France on penalties in Brisbane earlier on Saturday.
Ms King added: ‘I would have preferred to have Australia rather than France, I know that. I think that the Matilda’s are very good.
‘It is good to be here among everyone who is supporting at the same time – there is an atmosphere and it is better than sitting at home.’
England arrived at the tournament as one of the favourites after being crowned European champions last year.
While the Lionesses have struggled to find top form so far, fans in St Albans said they can draw confidence that some of the biggest teams in women’s football, including the US, Germany, Canada and Brazil all failed to make later stages of this tournament.
Bella Oglethorpe, 16, took her father Chris to watch the match on the big screen in their hometown, and said she would be pleased if England faced Australia in the semi-final.
Fans were elated as England secured their slot in the Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses’ World Cup semi-final
Before and after: Nervous fans gathered on Saturday to cheer the Lionesses to victory in the World Cup quarter-finals. Pictured: fans in Croydon, London
England arrived at the tournament as one of the favourites after being crowned European champions last year. Pictured: Fans in Croydon, London
Electric atmosphere as Alessia Russo secured the team’s place in the semi-final with a second goal for England
She described England’s World Cup performance so far as ‘mixed’, adding: ‘If we make it to the semi-finals I feel we have a good chance, although Australia do have the advantage of a home crowd.
‘I think that Colombia are quite a physical team and England struggled with that against Nigeria – hopefully they have learned from that.’
Her father added: ‘Bella really wanted to come. It is fantastic to watch it on the big screens and to have the atmosphere.
‘Women’s football has really grown in popularity and recognition since the Euros last year.’
It comes after excited England fans came out waving flags and wearing red and white face paint ahead of the quarter-final clash with Colombia today.
The Lionesses are up there with the favourites to go on and win the the whole tournament Down Under, which would see them add to their Euro 2022 glory last year.
Excited England fans (outside Stadium Australia, Sydney) have come out waving flags and wearing red and white face paint ahead of the Lionesses’ quarter-final clash with Colombia
World Cup fever is well and truly underway as England fans descend on Stadium Australia in Sydney for the next chapter of the Anglo-Colombian footballing story
England needed penalties to beat Nigeria in the last-16 and will be without their star of the tournament, Lauren James, this afternoon after she picked up a two-match ban for stamping on Michelle Alozie’s back in a ‘Beckham moment’.
World Cup fever is well and truly underway as England fans descend on Stadium Australia in Sydney for the next chapter of the Anglo-Colombian footballing story. The Lionesses will face hosts Australia should they progress to the semi-finals after the hosts knocked out France on penalties this morning.
England fans have been pictured completely kitted out in red and white outfits, while the Colombians have brought the flare with their bright yellow shirts, wigs and face paint.
Fans have been posing in front of Sydney’s famous Opera House with St George’s flags as they prepare for Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses to take on a Colombia side who are ranked more than 20 places below them.
England are no doubt favourites to win today but their performances have so far lacked their usual cutting edge. Their 6-1 win over China, in which Lauren James scored two goals and registered three assists, was by far the standout.
These committed England fans have come dresses as Lionesses ahead of a quarter-final clash with Colombia
Fans watch the Australia v France on a big screen outside the ground before the FIFA Women’s World Cup quarter-final between England and Colombia
Before that, they narrowly overcame Haiti and Denmark 1-0 and on Monday avoided a major upset by beating Nigeria on penalties after a 0-0 stalemate.
England will be hoping to continue their World Cup run Down Under in a tournament which has already seen several favourites dumped out in earlier rounds, with Brazil and current world champions USA both eliminated in the group stage and last-16 respectively.
The Lionesses made history last summer by beating Germany 2-1 at Wembley to become European champions for the first time ever. Now, Wiegman’s team have their eyes on conquering the world.
The Lionesses boss said ahead of today’s clash that England have a plan to take on Colombia without top scorer Lauren James – who has netted three and assisted three in four matches.
‘Of course, she is still part of the squad,’ Wiegman told BBC Radio 5 Live.
‘[James] gets support from everyone. In a split second, she made a mistake and that cost her two games, and she regretted it straight away.
‘It’s [towards] the end of the game, she is fatigued, she is inexperienced and sometimes things like that happen and that is part of life. The punishment is there, two games.
‘Now she needs support from us and to learn from it. She is still part of our team, she just can’t play [on Saturday].’
England will be hoping to continue their World Cup run Down Under in a tournament which has already seen several favourites dumped out in earlier rounds
Young England fans wear red and white face paint ahead of a mouth-watering clash at Stadium Australia
England fans before the FIFA Women’s World Cup quarter-final at Stadium Australia, Sydney
Fans from Ipswich were seen posing with the England flag in front of Australia’s famous Sydney Opera House
England and Colombia fans mix before the quarter-final in Sydney. England are heavy favourites to win
Lionesses fans are all kitted out in red and white flags and hats as they get ready for today’s quarter-final
Colombian flags have been bringing the colour with their yellow shirts, wigs and balloons
Wiegman has been described by her squad as someone who understands the reality of being a female player in a way that her predecessors didn’t.
‘As a woman, Sarina just gets us that little bit more,’ Beth Mead – who is missing out on this World Cup through injury – said of her in her recent autobiography.
Wigeman has a big task on her hands to re-engineer the machine of an England team who went unbeaten in 30 games until April but whose struggles to get through the gears at the World Cup reached a low point against Nigeria.
When the dust had settled on Monday’s penalty shoot-out, some players re-enacted with one senior FA staff member how it had been for them to go up against some of the Nigerians, shoulder to shoulder, and feel dwarfed by their strength and muscularity.
At the airport in Brisbane, where the game had taken place, that same staff member saw players like Lauren Hemp and Georgia Stanway looking exhausted, having run about twice the distance they generally cover.
When Wiegman was asked this week what it meant to her to be the last woman coach standing in these finals, she was, again, unforthcoming. ‘I’m not busy with my journey at the moment. I’m busy with my team,’ she replied.
But some of those involved in hiring her argue that a female manager is not a prerequisite at this level. ‘The team want whoever can help them to win,’ says one. ‘It is at a lower level, further down the system, that women feel more comfortable being coached by women.’
Lucy Ward, the former England international working for ITV, says qualities not usually associated with female coaches are a prime asset in Wiegman.
‘I think one of the reasons Sarina is so good is she has a lot of traditionally male coach traits — straightforward, ruthless — but combines them with a fairness,’ said Ward. ‘Not overly emotional but enough to allow fairness and empathy.’
Although England are ranked 21 places higher than Colombia, the South Americans have proved they are capable of an upset, beating Germany 2-1 in the group stages.
England will be hoping they can make lighter work of Colombia after having to play 120 minutes against Nigeria – getting through extra time with 10 players after James’ red card.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
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