England vs Australia: England beat Australia 3-1 to make World Cup final
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Come on England! Sarina Wiegman's side have made it through to the World Cup final
England's Lionesses have made it through to the World Cup final for the first time ever.
They beat Australia 3-1, with Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo all scoring.
Stadium Australia in Sydney was packed mostly with Australia fans, but England didn't let it dampen their spirits.
Did you watch the game? What did you think? Let us know in the comments at the bottom of the page.
England Australia: The game
England beat Australia to reach first Women's World Cup final
Cheered on by a loud crowd, the Australian team came out on the pitch with their country behind them.
Australia saw the return of their star player and captain, Sam Kerr, who had been recovering from an injury.
Meanwhile, England were without Lauren James, who is banned until the next game due to her red card against Nigeria.
The stadium was packed with gold and green, from the shirts of the Australian fans
England struck first through Ella Toone's brilliant shot into the top corner of the net. It was the perfect start for the Lionesses.
Going into the second half, both teams stayed confident, with the crowd still loudly cheering on Australia.
And the fans in gold and green erupted when Sam Kerr brought Australia level with an impressive strike from outside the box, her deflected shot flying past goalkeeper Mary Earps' gloves.
Sam Kerr had been off the pitch earlier in the tournament due to injury but recovered in time to slam a goal in for the Matildas
It wasn't long until Lauren Hemp put England back in the lead again with some nifty footwork to get the ball between two of Australia's defenders.
With England 2-1 up, Australia pushed everyone forward in an attempt to pull level but England's Alessia Russo ended the contest in the 87th minute, driving the ball into the bottom corner of the net.
Australia's goalie wasn't able to stop Alessia Russo's power shot into the goal
England had to endure six minutes of added time but finally the whistle blew and sealed the Lionesses' place in football history.
Lauren Hemp was named player of the match, thanks to her incredible goal and assist for Russo.
Sarina Wiegman, the Lionesses' manager, said her assist was an "incredible pass" and praised Hemp for her hard work during the game.
England team react to their semi-final win
The Lionesses have made history again by making it through to the World Cup Final
The Lionesses having been reacting to their amazing win against the home side.
Goalscorer Ella Toone said: "It feels unbelievable... something you dream of as a little girl."
Lioness boss Sarina Wiegman said "We achieved the final! Unbelievable, it feels like we won the whole thing. It's like I'm living a fairy tale or something?"
To be saying we're going to the final is crazy. Overwhelming, so many different emotions.
Alessia Russo said: "I'm over the moon, incredible. We've been saying we've been dreaming of the semis but this is what it's all about, a World Cup final with this group. Buzzing."
England now have to prepare for their first ever World Cup final against Spain.
The game kicks off at 11am UK time on Sunday.
- Published21 August 2023
