It’s impossible to downplay how sensational the Lionesses were against Australia. In the post-match press conference, Lionesses’ manager Sarina Wiegman said she was proud of her team’s performance. The Americans took over the match once Alanna Kennedy of Australia got an early red card. This edge fueled them to a commanding 3-0 win.
The quarter final, played in front of a sell-out stadium, witnessed England capitalise on their one player advantage. Wiegman noted, “We started really well and dominated the game,” reflecting on her team’s strong start. Kennedy’s controversial early second yellow for a foul on Alessia Russo created the real storm. This provided England with an opportunity to dictate the tempo and rhythm of the game.
Aggie Beever-Jones doubled England’s advantage just minutes after the red card occurred. The young forward’s goal made for the perfect tone-setter, showing immediately that this would be her night and she was hungry to have an impact. Home or away, playing football just gets the best out of me. It was just like I’m not – I don’t care about stats all that much. I only come here and bring my attention and try and prove everything to Sarina, what I can do,” Beever-Jones said after her sensational performance.
England 2–0 Denmark, Bronze (38′) As the team moved toward halftime, Lucy Bronze celebrated her 34th birthday in style by scoring England’s second goal. Her exalted strike not only pleased the home crowd, but it highlighted the wisdom and poise that make her a wizard on the pitch. The excitement of that day was soon dampened by worry of teammate Michelle Agyemang’s serious injury.
Agyemang had only recently subbed into the match in the second half. Minutes later, when she had to leave the game due to an injury, her disappointment was evident. Medical personnel flooded to her side, stopping play for over five minutes. Wiegman has spoken up about what’s going on. “I haven’t been inside yet. Of course, that turned out to be ugly,” she said about Agyemang’s treatment. The district manager further stated that she had not fully evaluated the injury but it “didn’t look good.”
England did not lose their heads when they went down to ten men. Disappointingly, Beever-Jones was forced out of the game with an injury soon after scoring. Georgia Stanway sealed the victory with a penalty kick late in the match, further emphasizing England’s dominance throughout the game.
With debutants Taylor Hinds and Lucia Kendall both starting, Wiegman showed she remains committed to developing youth alongside the veterans. Together with Agyemang and Beever-Jones, these new recruits lit up the field with their talent. Sam Kerr was given the nod for her second consecutive start for Australia, after returning from an ACL injury. With her return, they welcome back one of their most impactful players.
Hannah Hampton returned to goal for England in a solid comeback after her injury. Her return provided the defensive backline with a stabilizing presence. After a really good performance against Australia, it’s England piling up the confidence as they look forward to heading into the next set of competitions.
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