Alessia Russo Secures England’s Victory Over Colombia
Following Alessia Russo’s decisive goal that led England to a 2-1 victory against Colombia, at least two members of our women’s first-team squad are poised to reach the 2023 Women’s World Cup final. This victory sets up a thrilling semi-final confrontation with hosts Australia.
Although the Lionesses found themselves trailing by a goal to their opponents in Sydney, as Leicy Santos found the net just before halftime, they mounted an impressive comeback. Alessia played a crucial role in the equalizing goal, pressuring Catalina Perez into an error that enabled Lauren Hemp to level the score.
Then, in the 63rd minute, our summer signing seized on defensive frailty to create an opportunity and expertly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, marking her second goal of the tournament. This victory propelled her team into the last four for the third consecutive World Cup.
Alessia delivered an outstanding performance during her 84 minutes on the field and expressed her confidence in her team’s ability to conquer the host nation in the upcoming semi-final. “It’s exciting,” she shared post-match. “What more could you ask for than performing in front of a home crowd? We experienced some of that tonight against Colombia. You always want to compete against the best teams. England fans can always dream big, but we will continue working hard. We’re just thrilled to be in the semi-finals. We’ve had to dig deep since the first game. Colombia boasts numerous players who can pose serious threats, but our defensive line was remarkable for us.”
Lotte Wubben-Moy remained on the bench during the match, looking to secure her first minutes in the competition, with two more games now guaranteed for England.
Catley and Foord Propel Hosts Australia into Semi-Finals
Steph Catley and Caitlin Foord are also on the brink of reaching a World Cup final after Australia narrowly overcame France in a captivating penalty shootout.
Our duo played the entire match for the Matildas in Brisbane, but with neither side managing to break the deadlock during regular time or extra time, the outcome was decided by penalties. France made an audacious decision to substitute goalkeeper Solene Durand specifically for the penalty shootout, but the gamble failed to yield results.
Caitlin took the first spot kick and successfully converted, whereas Steph missed the second attempt. Australia’s goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold made a total of four crucial saves, including two from Kenza Dali – the first one leading to a retake after she moved off the line – and she narrowly missed becoming the matchwinner when her own fifth penalty was off target.
Ultimately, ten players from each team took penalties, and Vicki Becho’s miss paved the way for Cortnee Vine to propel the Matildas into the semi-finals with a 7-6 shootout victory.
With this, a total of seven Gunners have advanced to the last four, as Swedish trio Stina Blackstenius, Amanda Ilestedt, and Lina Hurtig secured a face-off against Spain on Tuesday by defeating Japan 2-1 on Friday.