FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023-England stuns Australia to reach finals

England crushed Australia 3-1 before a capacity crowd in Sydney to reach the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023.

The English team produced one of their greatest performances and played with swagger and composure in their 3-1 win over Australia.

Streets were painted in green and yellow, supporters queued for hours to get into fan parks across the city and there were barely any shops left selling merchandise, with most stock sold out.

The match was sold out as more than 75 thousand fans filled the stadium, most of them booing the England players as they emerged for the warm-ups, and then belting out their national anthem with pride.

Whatever feverish excitement had built throughout the week, England dampened quickly as they controlled possession, broke up play, and frustrated the home crowd by taking their time over set-pieces.

A few half-chances came Australia's way - Kerr raced through on goal and was offside when goalkeeper Mary Earps blocked her strike - but England brushed them off instantly.

At the other end, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo's flourishing partnership up front caused havoc for Australia as they linked up instinctively, creating chances and terrifying the hosts' defence.

It was not a surprise when the Lionesses took the lead through Ella Toone, someone synonymous with the big stage; she is the first England player to score in a major tournament quarter-final, semi-final, and final.

The Lionesses allowed themselves just a few minutes of dancing and applause, greeted by another rendition of Sweet Caroline by the travelling support, before heading down the tunnel.

While England gathered momentum during their successful Euro 2022 campaign, feeding off the memorable scenes of celebration after each victory in front of a home crowd, they have done the opposite here in Australia, having to navigate each match as if they were making their way across a board game of snakes and ladders, picking themselves up if they had an unexpected fall and finding a different route.

And while Australia absorbs the pain of defeat and the missed opportunity of a lifetime, England supporters are now believing that this team could be champions again.