Women’s World Cup 2023

ALESSIA RUSSO was “buzzing” when she discovered David Beckham’s daughter Harper can be counted among the Lionesses fans.The England ace described meeting the Three Lions icon as a “pinch-me” moment with the duo sharing World Cup playing experiences. 
Alessia Russo has opened up on discussing England playing experiences with David BeckhamCredit: Getty
Russo was reflecting on her conversation with the retired Three Lions hero ahead of the Lionesses’ World Cup clash with ColombiaCredit: Getty
Russo revealed Beckham was one of her football idols during her childhoodCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
The duo met for a chat hosted by Adidas before the Lionesses’ tournament opening clash with Haiti in July.  
Their meeting saw them swap England shirts and reflect on the joys and pressures of playing for their country on the game’s biggest stage. 
The striker, 24, who will battle Colombia with her team in the World Cup quarter-final, said: “He’s been one of my idols ever since I was a little girl. 
“That’s probably one of my biggest highlights off the pitch – to sit and have a normal conversation with someone you used to watch on the world stage when you were younger. 
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“It was amazing and he was really really nice and a bit of a pinch-me moment in terms of what women’s sport is doing.”
Beckham, 48, who was capped 115 times before retiring in 2013, played in his first World Cup 25 years ago
The former England skipper, whose 21-year playing career included spells at Manchester United and Real Madrid, led the Three Lions to two quarter-finals.
During his chat with Russo, the Inter Miami owner mentioned his daughter Harper, 12, being inspired by Sarina Wiegman’s side. 
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Russo, who has 26 international caps, added: “It’s special to hear that Harper is a huge fan.
“He said we should never lose sight of what we’re doing as a team.
“That was really cool because we’re all in the moment in terms of all we see and compete for every day on the pitch. 
“The impact you have away from that is what’s really special to hear.”
On Saturday Russo is set to help her team attempt to reach their first World Cup semi-finals under head coach Wiegman. 
The duel with Colombia will see the Kent-born striker play in a quarter-final fixture in the tournament for the first time in her career.
The victors of the clash between the Euros champs and last year’s Copa America Feminina finalists will face Australia or France for a World Cup final spot. 
Their opponents’ star players include Real Madrid ace Linda Caicedo, 18, who played four international tournaments last year including the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups. 
They have proven themselves capable of causing upsets by defeating Germany and South Korea in the group stage. 
Last month they made headlines when their pre-tournament training game with Vera Pauw’s Republic of Ireland was abandoned after 23 minutes
The game was halted due to their challenges being deemed too “overly physical”. 
However, Russo is relishing going toe-to-toe with England’s opponents who are the only South America side left in the tournament. 
Russo said: “Colombia are a physical team but so are we. 
“It’s something that we’ve faced before in this tournament and we’ve stepped up.
“That’s part of the game now, it’s getting more physical. Players are quicker and faster. 
“I’m quite a big player, in terms of my height and stature, so I’d like to think that I can hold my own, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I couldn’t. 
“I’m up against Millie Bright most days in training.
“If there’s ever a test, it’s right there. You prepare for those moments 
“In this tournament, the levels are so high and it’s great to see. 
England’s clash with Colombia will see their defences tested by tournament star Linda CaicedoCredit: EPA
“No one in this tournament is an underdog.
“Colombia have put on some really good performances and we’ll be ready for them.
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“It’s great that you can’t take your foot off the gas for one second and not that you could for the Euros. 
“You can see every game is so tight and that just shows the level of the game right now.” More

LUCY BRONZE believes England having the mentality to see out difficult wins has been a boost in a World Cup of shock exits. And the Lioness star, 31, paid tribute to Brazil icon Marta and other legends who played in the tournament for the last time in their careers. 
Lucy Bronze believes England have shown they have the mentality to seal wins in challenging situationsCredit: Getty
The Lionesses will battle Colombia at Stadium Australia on Saturday for a place in the World Cup semi-finalsCredit: Getty
On Saturday England go to battle with Colombia in Sydney for a place in the World Cup semis after surviving a tough clash with Nigeria.
Their South American opponents have proven to be giant killers claiming shock victories against Germany and South Korea leading to surprise group-stage exits for both. 
And England will be going into the game without in-form forward Lauren James.
The Lionesses starlet, 21, is currently suspended after being sent off for treading on forward Michelle Alozie during England’s defeat of Nigeria.

However Bronze believes recent hard-fought wins against the Super Falcons and Haiti have shown England has what it takes to get results under pressure. 
The 109-capped right-back said: “Everything that has been thrown at us, we’ve dealt with and moved forward. 
“We’ve built on every game; we’ve taken something from every game.
“Whether that was the Haiti game that was physical, the Denmark game when we lost our key player in Keira (Walsh), the China game when we changed the formation completely, and then (against Nigeria) we had a red card.
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“I don’t see many other teams who’ve had that adversity and if they had, I don’t think they’ve managed to overcome the way we have.
“At the same time, we are not happy with our performances.”
Out of the top seven sides competing in this year’s contest hosted in Australia and New Zealand only England, France, Spain and Sweden remain. 
Four-time winners the USA, and two-time champions Germany have been dispatched along with Canada. 
Australia, Japan and Holland are the other sides from the world’s top 20 teams left in the tournament. 
Colombia, currently the 25th-best side in the world, are the lowest-ranked team to reach this year’s quarter-finals. 
Bronze added:  “The most important thing is that we’re coming out of games with wins. I said this after the Haiti game, 
“Some people thought that (type of win) was not probably what we wanted. 
“However, we are the ones who are still in the competition.
“Many top teams are going home because they haven’t been able to get that point or been able to see the games out in a penalty shootout, and we have. 
“We’ve shown that side of our team that we know what it takes to win.”
The group-stage and last-16 knockouts of Canada, Brazil and the United States saw three of the game’s biggest legends play in a World Cup for a final time. 
Megan Rapinoe, 38, who won the contest twice with the USA, called time on her 17-year career following her side’s loss on penalties to Sweden. 
And Brazil and Canada icons Marta, 37, and Christine Sinclair, 40, made their final appearances having each played in six World Cups. 
Bronze said: “Those players are unbelievable.
“They’re players that I looked up to when I was younger, even though I’m probably one of the older players now.
“They really changed the game and lifted it to another level, a level that means that we’re in the position that we are today. 
“Not just myself and this England team, but Nigeria and the other teams that are coming through like Jamaica. 
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“You saw when Jamaica played Brazil the kind of admiration players like Bunny Shaw had for Marta.
“It’s because we know what legends they are and what they’ve done for us as players now.”
Bronze hailed Brazil legend Marta for helping to transform and elevate women’s footballCredit: Getty More