England tops Australia in thriller to advance to Women's World Cup final
Sam Kerr tied the match for Australia, but England was just too much to handle
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}England had the odds stacked against them.
The Lionesses were without Lauren James, who is serving a suspension for stepping on an opponent, and were playing in a volatile atmosphere where thousands of people supported their home country – Australia.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}England's Alessia Russo celebrates after scoring her side's third goal during the Women's World Cup semifinal soccer match between Australia and England at Stadium Australia in Sydney Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Regardless, England came through and topped Australia 3-1 to advance to their first Women’s World Cup final.
Ella Toone got the Lionesses on the board first in the 36th minute. Toone found space off of a throw-in and received a pass from Kyra Cooney-Cross. Toone then put her shot in the upper right corner of the net for the score. England was up 1-0.
After halftime, Australia needed to find a way to get back on the board. The squad turned to the grizzly veteran and one of the best soccer players in the world in Sam Kerr.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Australia's Sam Kerr celebrates after scoring her side's first goal during the Women's World Cup semifinal soccer match between Australia and England at Stadium Australia in Sydney Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Kerr took on two English defenders and fired from outside the box. The shot went over the head of England goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold and into the back of the net. Stadium Australia exploded, and the Matildas had the match tied 1-1.
Not 10 minutes later, England was back on top.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lauren Hemp somehow corralled the ball off of an Australian defender and gave England the go-ahead goal. Later in the match, Alessia Russo scored to give England a two-goal margin and put the match out of reach for Australia.
England will play Spain in the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday at 6 a.m. ET. Sweden will play Australia in the third-place game on Saturday at 4 a.m. ET.
England's Lauren Hemp celebrates after scoring her side's 2nd goal during the Women's World Cup semifinal soccer match between Australia and England at Stadium Australia in Sydney Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Each match can be seen on Fox.