Britain to come to a standstill to see if Lionesses can waltz past the ... trends now
At 11am on Wednesday, the nation will grind to a halt as England’s Lionesses play one of the biggest games of their lives against World Cup hosts Australia.
England roared to victory yesterday in a tough 2-1 match against Colombia in their quarter-final, cheered on from afar by the Prince and Princess of Wales and David Beckham.
And the prize awaiting them this week, if they can beat the hosts on their own turf in Sydney, is the big one? A place in the World Cup final against Sweden or Spain.
Millions are expected to tune in on BBC One to cheer on the Lionesses as they aim to replicate last year’s historic success at the Euros. The time difference has meant that games are generally being screened early in the morning, but the mid-morning slot means pubs are anticipating big crowds. The 87,000 Aussies living in the UK are also expected to be out in force.
GET IN THERE: Alessia Russo celebrates her winning goal
AUSSIES RULE: Sam Kerr, left, celebrates the win over France yesterday
With the Matildas ranked No 10 in the world compared to England’s No 4, the Lionesses are favourites on paper to win the clash – although the home crowd at Stadium Australia will be doing their best to disrupt that expectation.
‘We know if we play at our best, we are unstoppable,’ said England striker Lauren Hemp, who scored the first goal against Colombia.
Despite numerous England fans in the stands waving banners with the words ‘It’s coming home’ emblazoned across them, it was a shaky start for the Lionesses.
The Coffee Girls from Colombia took a 1-0 lead after England goalkeeper ‘Magic’ Mary Earps was beaten by a lob from Leicy Santos shortly before half-time.
Hemp’s equaliser came seven minutes later in injury time at the end of the first half, when Colombia goalkeeper Catalina Perez fumbled the ball in the six-yard area.
But the team eventually came out on top after Alessia Russo scored the winner.
After pouncing on a through ball from Georgia Stanway that ricocheted off a Colombia defender and into her path, Russo shot into the bottom corner of the goal, leaving keeper Perez
