England\’s Eminence

August 17, 2023 $England\’s Eminence$

By: Carlos Alvarez

England Uses Late Goals to Propel Past Australia (3-1) to Reach 1st World Cup Final

It\’s Europe\’s time! England is heading to the women’s World Cup finale after an exciting semifinal clash with the host nation Wednesday morning. Australia used every ounce of the home crowd to fuel a valiant effort, but a 1-1 game quickly turned 3-1 in England’s favor in the final 20 minutes. The game featured two of the best goals in the entire tournament, and maybe World Cup history. And for the first time since 2007 (Germany), a European nation will win the FIFA Women\’s World Cup. It’ll be England vs. Spain for the title of world champs on Sunday morning. Here’s how the semifinal played out:

(36’) Toone Starts Tea Time: The first goal of the semifinal was an upper-90 rifle from Ella Toone to kickstart the scoring for England. Toone blasted a one-timer on a back-pass from the end-line to put England up, 1-0.

(63’) Kerr’s Crazy Curler: With Australia struggling to find chances, superstar Sam Kerr took a counter-attack 1-vs-3 and ripped a 25-yard miracle strike. It was arguably the greatest goal of the 2023 tournament, potentially the greatest in women’s World Cup history.

England Down the Stretch: In the end, England were too strong and too clinical. Lauren Hemp was gifted with a mishandled ball in front of the net in the 71st minute. And after Kerr missed an open equalizing opportunity for the Aussies, Hemp found Alessia Russo (86’) for the dagger (3-1).

The All-Europe Final: Both England and Spain are into the World Cup final for the first time in team history. It’s the first all-Europe final since 2003 (Germany vs. Sweden), and the first time ever the top three won\’t include the United States.

Watch: England Beats Australia (3-1) for 1st WC Final Bid

2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup (Final Weekend)

3rd-Place: Australia vs. Sweden (Sat. 4:00 am ET)

Final: England vs. Spain (Sun. 6:00 am ET)

ESPN: Ruthless England End Australia’s Dream World Cup Run to Reach Final

SI: The Matildas Forever Changed Soccer in Australia After Wild Women’s World Cup Run