Key PointsThe Lionesses beat Colombia 2-1 in Saturday’s Quarterfinal match.Alessia Russo scored the winner for the European champions just after the hour.England will now go on to play Australia in next Wednesday’s semi-final at Stadium Australia in Sydney.
England have booked themselves a mouthwatering Women’s World Cup semi-final showdown with hosts Australia after rallying to see off Colombia in a 2-1 victory.
The European champions had to dig deep with goals from Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo helping them cancel out Leicy Santos’ opener in front of 75, 784 fans at Sydney’s Stadium Australia.
England will return to the field on Wednesday when they take on the hometown hero Matildas, who defeated France on penalties earlier in the day.
The Lionesses show their strength on the field
In a worrying sign for Australia, England showed their champion qualities in Saturday’s semi-final win as they became the first side at this tournament to come from behind to win a knockout game.
Colombia, playing in their first quarter-final, took the lead against the run of play through a wonderful dipping effort from the edge of the box by Leicy Santos on 44 minutes.
But England struck back deep in first-half stoppage time when Lauren Hemp pounced on a goalkeeping error by a fumbling Catalina Perez, before Russo sealed the quarter-final in the Lionesses’ favour with her cool finish.
With this win, England is now just two victories away from adding a first World Cup crown to their European title.
Colombia had been one of the best-supported teams at the tournament and their fans dominated at Stadium Australia, their yellow shirts vastly outnumbering England supporters.
