Women’s World Cup: England Lionesses ready to hit mute on millions of Matildas’ fans in semi-final

One of world sport’s great rivalries gets a new chapter when the Lionesses face the Matildas in a World Cup semi-final, and England feel ready to turn to hit mute on millions of Australian fans.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 12: Lauren Hemp of England celebrates after scoring her team's first goal with teammates during the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Quarter Final match between England and Colombia at Stadium Australia on August 12, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Amy Halpin/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

The Lionesses are ready to become the newest villains in the centuries-old rivalry between Australia and ‘the old country.’

After getting a taste of what it may feel like to be the away side to a host nation, playing in front of an unrelenting Colombian crowd in their semi-final win, striker Chloe Kelly believes her team is well-prepared to block out the noise off the pitch.

“It’s about managing it and playing the football and being able to play our football and keep out the noise,” Kelly says.

“It felt like we were an away side with all [Colombia’s] fans but the crowd noise and they were amazing.

“I enjoy playing against away fans, I think it’s brilliant but no – we’ll be ready come next one.”

Alessia Russo celebrates her goal to send England 2-1 up and book them a spot in the semi-finals. Picture: Mark Metcalfe – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

The unprecedented support for the Matildas in their penalty shoot out win over France means that noise will be significantly increased again at Wednesday’s semi-final, but England – who have experienced the impact of home crowds in major tournaments – know how to block it out.

Their win at Wembley stadium to secure the title of 2022 UEFA women’s Euro champions was played out in front of 87,192 people – a record for the competition, men’s or women’s.

As the Lionesses were able to harness energy from their fans to win 2-1 over Germany in that moment, they believe they can do the opposite to stem the momentum of the Matildas and the monumental support for the Australians.

“Just stay in our lane, focus on what we have and block out the outside noise – I think that’s really important,” Kelly says.

“We’ve done it before and we can do it again.

“c This team is special and we can do special things.”

Kelly has been clinical off the bench for England through their five matches so far. Picture: Daniela Porcelli/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Captain Millie Bright believes England have timed their run of form perfectly, after a mixed lead-up, which saw them go down 2-0 to Australia in April.

“I’ve been happy with all the performances, I think football can look many different ways and sometimes the games aren’t as fancy,” Bright says of their World Cup so far.

“But it’s about the result and getting the job done and I think each performance has been important so far and we’ve probably learned something different from each opponent that we’ve played.

“But we’re not just coming here to compete, we’re coming here to get a job done. I think we’ve shown that in our character in every single game.”

Bright made some important stops against Colombia’s skilled footwork. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

With the England camp already based out of Sydney, there’s no additional travel required for the Lionesses, who were more focused on immediate recovery than Wednesday’s task.

“My mind is on rest and recovery, but we’re absolutely looking forward to the semis now,” Bright says.

The opportunity to play a host nation in the biggest ever edition of the tournament looms immense though and the significance of the moment isn’t lost on the Lionesses.

“You can’t not look forward to that, playing the host nation in the semi-final in a World Cup,” Bright says.

“This is the biggest tournament in the women’s game to date – so what a game to be a part of.

“The game is in such a different place [from 2019], everything is different. A lot has changed, the crowd, the atmosphere, the teams, the quality of the tournament – everything is at a new level.

“We want there to be sold out stadiums, we want it to be tense in there. As a player you thrive off that and for me that’s adrenaline.”

“No matter who the fans are, as a player you’re actually just proud of that. In a World Cup you want it to be turning on the TV and saying, ‘god look at that crowd’ and as a player you feel it, we can use it to our advantage.

And Bright, more than any of her England teammates, hopes that Matildas’ captain Sam Kerr is there to revel in the moment with her.

“She‘s brilliant, I think the world already knows that, they don’t need me to reiterate it, she shows it on a regular basis but, we’ve got great players too,” Bright says.

Kerr and Bright play their club football together at Chelsea and Bright believes that England could have the Matildas measure through the advantage of so many of the Australian squad now playing in the WSL.

“She’s an amazing player and they are a brilliant team – but so are we,” Bright says.

“I love Sam but I think as soon as you step over that white line she’s the opponent. For me, it doesn’t matter what happens away from here, she’s an opponent and there’s a job to be done.”

Originally published as Women’s World Cup: England Lionesses ready to hit mute on millions of Matildas’ fans in semi-final