England stand in the way of Australia’s home fairytale

Australia want to emulate England’s Euros triumph in their Women’s World Cup on home soil.

But Lionesses captain Millie Bright has no plans of letting that happen.

Australia’s run to the final four has captivated the imagination of the entire nation, much like England’s home surge last year.

England will meet Australia in Wednesday night’s semi-final at Stadium Australia, with a spot in the decider against Spain on the line.

“From a women’s football perspective, it’s brilliant,” Bright told reporters.

“It’s staying with the growth of the game and yet again we’ve gone to another level in the tournament.

“We’ve seen that with the crowds and I can’t speak on their behalf of what they’re feeling in their environment, but from our past experiences it was incredible.

“But for us it was really important to stay focused as well because obviously with noise attention goes elsewhere.

“As much as you know it’s the home nation, it’s also that it’s a pressured environment.

“But yeah, it’s amazing for the game.You want a semi-final to be this way and be so much noise around it, so much support and the fans.

“But I can only speak from my journey so far it’s been incredible. The support that we’ve seen throughout the tournament and not only here but back home as well.

“But yeah, I’m sure they’re absolutely loving the moment at the minute – obviously, it’s a very special thing to experience a home tournament.”

England are in their third consecutive Women’s World Cup semi-final and were among the pre-tournament favourites.

Asked about the pressure, Bright said: “There’s pressure every day, every game.

“The pressure starts from the very first game not just the semis, but for us I think we will live in that moment.

“We know as an England team there’s always pressure and it’s something that you embrace and deal with. But for us it’s staying focused, staying on task and sticking to the game plan.

“We’ve experienced moments like this. Tense environments, big stadiums, big crowds and we do thrive in those moments – that gives us energy.

“But ultimately it’s about sticking to tasks and executing the game plan.”