Bethany England set to fly the Tottenham flag in the Women’s World Cup final four
Tottenham striker Bethany England and the Lionesses booked their place in the final four of the Women’s World Cup by beating Colombia on Saturday (12 August).
The European Champions are now just one win away from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup final after grinding out another victory – although they will need to defeat an Australia team representing their country on home soil to get to the showcase fixture.
Sarina Wiegman’s side haven’t played their best football Down Under, yet still find themselves just two wins from global glory after eliminating the South American nation 2-1.
They had to come from behind after Mary Earps had been lobbed by Leicy Santos in the 44th minute, and luckily for the Lionesses, the big guns were on hand to turn things around.
Arsenal striker Alessia Russo put Colombia’s shot-stopper, Catalina Perez, under some pressure seven minutes after England had gone behind, and this pressure caused the Colombia goalkeeper to spill a routine gathering inside her six-yard area, which allowed Lauren Hemp to poke in the equaliser.
And Russo was on hand once again in the 63rd minute to send her nation through. Having only scored once so far in her four appearances at the competition this summer, she picked the perfect moment to get her second. After working tirelessly out of possession throughout the match, Russo was rewarded with a kind deflection upon which she pounced and powered a shot home.
Spurs star England did get to taste some World Cup quarter-final action, replacing goalscorer Hemp late on to help her country see out the win.
As per Sofascore, Tottenham’s striker only made one touch, spending just one minute on the pitch, and completed a pass with that sole moment on the ball.
She now stands as the final Tottenham representative at the tournament after her six club teammates were eliminated previously. For England, she will be hoping to get a bit more time on the pitch during the semi-final with Australia.
The clash, which takes place on Wednesday 16 August, represents England’s third consecutive semi-final appearance at a Women’s World Cup and they will be looking to avoid another incident of heartbreak at this stage after losing to the United States in 2019 and Japan in 2015.
In other Tottenham News, John Wenham believes it is time for the club to cut their losses and let one midfielder go.