England beat Australia in second semifinal of the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 to set up a final with Spain. England ultimately registered a 3-1 win in this knock out fixture in Sydney on Wednesday. While they had stumbled at this very stage earlier, this time around there was no stopping the European champions who rode on late strikes from Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo to emerge as the winner.
While it was Ella Tonne's goal that started off things for them and put them in the lead in the 36th minute, the home team did manage to equalise when Sam Kerr found the back of the net in the 63rd minute. However, a goal each from Hemo and Russo in the 71st and the 86th minute meant it was England who came out on top in style.
"We achieved the final and it's unbelievable. It feels like we won it but we didn't win it (the World Cup), we just won this game," said England coach Sarina Wiegman.
"We played a hard game, but again we found a way to win. We have been talking about ruthlessness and this team has ruthlessness, whether it is up front or in defence," she added.
Meanwhile, Russo who scored the winner for the Lionesses acknowkedged that each game has been of the highest standards and they need to be ready so that they are not caught off guards when they play the final.
"Every game in this tournament has been of the highest level so we have to be ready," Russo stated after the match.
"But we've been dreaming since we were little girls. We're excited, we'll recover and be ready," she added.
Prior to this, England had been in a similar position in 2015 and 2019. However, on both those occasions it was England who had gone on to lose 2-1. Third-place finish was their previous best performance at a World Cup and they have already surpassed that, implying a final between two nations who will play their first final.