Women’s World Cup 2023

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      ‘Everything that has been thrown at us we have dealt with’, says Lucy Bronze on England’s World Cup run

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      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

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      BBC gaffe as ‘awful’ commentator Jonathan Pearce heard muttering during national anthem at Women’s World Cup

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      FANS have slammed “awful” Jonathan Pearce after the commentator was heard muttering during the French national anthem.Pearce provided commentary for the BBC at the Women’s World Cup match between France and Morocco on Tuesday.
      France’s national anthem was disrupted by Jonathan Pearce’s mutteringCredit: BBC Sport
      Jonathan Pearce was branded ‘awful’ by viewersCredit: BBC
      However, he suffered an embarrassing gaffe prior to kick-off as the French players sang their national anthem.
      As the camera panned across the French team, he could be heard muttering away in the background.
      He was even picked up on the microphone asking “was I on air there?”
      Viewers were quick to spot the blunder as they watched the round of 16 tie.
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      One fan tweeted: “Talked over a national anthem, commentated on a replay thinking it was live, sounded disappointed when goals went in, Jonathan Pearce is awful.”
      Another added: “Jonathan Pearce gaffe bingo ticked off early today.”
      A third viewer also wrote: “Jonathan Pearce is terrible. TERRIBLE.”
      Meanwhile, another fumed: “Someone tell Jonathan Pearce it’s disrespectful to speak during a national anthem!”
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      Others could see the funny side, though, with one joking: “Quite a unique rendition of the French national anthem featuring Jonathan Pearce.”
      It is not the commentator’s first on-air gaffe either, having called Liverpool “champions” on Match of the Day in 2019, over a year before they won the Premier League.
      He also referred to the quarter-final clash between Brazil and Belgium at the 2018 World Cup as an FA Cup tie.
      Once the action got underway in Adelaide, France raced into a 3-0 lead with a trio of goals in the space of eight first half minutes.
      The winner of the final round of 16 match will face co-hosts Australia in the last eight on Saturday.
      Jonathan Pearce could be heard talking at the start of the French national anthemCredit: BBC Sport
      Jonathan Pearce has suffered from several on-air gaffesCredit: PA:Press Association More

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      Lauren James breaks silence after World Cup red card as England star apologises to rival, team-mates and fans for stamp

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      LAUREN JAMES has apologised to Michelle Alozie after being red carded for stamping on the Nigeria star.The England forward has also pledged to learn from her experience after the Lionesses squeezed through to the Women’s World Cup quarter-finals.
      Lauren James was sent off for stamping on Michelle AlozieCredit: Getty
      The England ace received a red card on 87 minutesCredit: PA
      James, 21, had a yellow card upgraded to a red following a VAR checkCredit: PA
      James, 21, has been in red-hot form for Sarina Wiegman’s side – scoring the winner against Denmark and two in the victory over China during the group stage.
      She produced a moment of madness yesterday, however, earning a red card for her 87th minute stamp on Alozie.
      The score remained 0-0 for the rest of the match, with the Lionesses going through on penalties.
      There appears to be no hard feelings between the two players, with Alozie tweeting: “abeg, rest.
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      “we are playing on the world’s stage.
      “this game is one of passion, insurmountable emotions, and moments.

      “all respect for Lauren James.”
      Chelsea star James has since quote-tweeted Alozie’s post, writing: “All my love and respect to you. I am sorry for what happened.
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      “Also, for our England fans and my team-mates, playing with and for you is my greatest honour and I promise to learn from my experience.”
      After watching her side’s 4-2 penalty shoot-out victory, England boss Wiegman said of James: “It’s a huge lesson for her to learn.
      “She would never want to hurt someone. She is the sweetest person I know. It was late in the game so players get a little tired.
      “She is inexperienced on this stage and in a split-second lost her emotions. It isn’t something she did on purpose. She apologised and felt really bad.”
      In an official statement, the Lionesses wrote: “Lauren is really sorry for her actions which led to the red card and is full of remorse. It is wholly out of character for her.
      “We will be supporting Lauren though-out and will be putting forward representation on her behalf. We fully respect Fifa’s disciplinary process and will not be making any further comment until after any decision has been made.”
      ITV presenter Laura Woods tweeted in support of James, writing: “We’re only through because of her! Please don’t start this narrative.
      “Yes, silly foul. But there’s a reason everyone’s been talking about her. Huge talent, first World Cup, enormous pressure. She’s human.”
      The Lionesses will be without James for their quarter-final against Colombia on Saturday.
      And fears have been raised that she could even miss the rest of the tournament, with Fifa possessing the power to increase her ban to three games, should a disciplinary panel see fit to do so.
      Fans on social media have been supportive of James following her social media post.
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      One replied: “It happens, you learn from the mistakes.”
      While a second wrote: “Still the best.”
      There are no hard feelings between James and AlozieCredit: Getty More

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      England vs Colombia: Stream FREE, TV channel, kick-off time, team news for Women’s World Cup quarter-final

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      ENGLAND face a huge Women’s World Cup quarter-final against Colombia this weekend. The Lionesses beat Nigeria on penalties on Monday morning to advance to the last eight.
      England beat Nigeria on penalties at the World Cup on MondayCredit: Getty
      Colombia beat Jamaica 1-0 in the World Cup round of 16Credit: Getty
      But their win came at a price as Lauren James was sent off for a stamp on an opposing player deep into the second half.
      James is suspended for the quarter-final but FIFA may still choose to extend her ban to two or three games.
      Colombia beat Jamaica 1-0 in their quarter-final clash on Tuesday morning.
      England will be hoping for a much easier game than the Nigeria one, which ended 0-0 after a tense 120 minutes, but Colombia have proved themselves very tricky opposition so far in the tournament.
      Women’s World Cup
      When is England vs Colombia?

      England’s clash with Colombia will take place on Saturday, August 12.
      The game will be held at the Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia.
      England vs Colombia will kick off at 11.30am BST in the UK.

      What channel is it and can it be live streamed?

      England vs Colombia will be shown live on ITV1 and ITV1 HD in the UK.
      Coverage will begin at 10.45am BST.
      You can live stream the action from the ITV X app, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.

      Can I watch for FREE?
      Yes, England vs Colombia is available to watch for FREE in the UK, so long as you have a TV licence.
      You can stream the action for free on the ITV X app as well.
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      Team news
      The big news for England is that Lauren James is suspended following her red card for a stamp in the last 16 clash against Nigeria.
      Keira Walsh returned to the side but came off late in the game, though it’s unclear if that was due to injury.
      Otherwise England are set to have close to a full squad available for the game. More

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      Fears Lauren James could MISS rest of World Cup with Fifa set to review England star’s red card stamp

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      SARINA WIEGMAN has backed Lauren James to learn “a huge lesson” following her red card for treading on a Nigeria player.The ten-player Lionesses still sealed a quarter-final spot with a dramatic 4-2 shootout win over the Super Falcons.
      Lauren James could miss the rest of the World Cup after stamping on Michelle AlozieCredit: Getty
      Sarina Wiegman defended James saying there was no malice in the stampCredit: Getty
      But Chelsea forward James could potentially face a three-match ban for stepping on Michelle Alozie’s back.
      Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman said: “It’s a huge lesson to learn but it’s not something she has done on purpose. She is the sweetest person.
      “Look, that happens sometimes with human beings, they are in such a high intensity, emotional game, and in a split second she lost her emotions.
      “She apologised and she felt really, really bad.
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      “But she doesn’t want to hurt anyone.”
      James, 21, has been among England’s best performers during the World Cup and one of the tournament’s standout young stars.
      She shone during their group stage defeat of Denmark and 6-1 thumping of China where she netted a brace in the contest for the first time in her career.
      The versatile forward gets an automatic one-match ban for her 87th-minute red card in the 0-0 draw.
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      But Fifa disciplinary chiefs have the power to extend that to three, meaning she would play no further part in the tournament.
      Wiegman said: “This was a moment, it was a split second. It was later in the game, so players also got a little tired.
      “She’s an inexperienced player on this stage and, yes, things happen like that.”
      Losing James — whose dismissal echoed David Beckham’s at the 1998 World Cup and Wayne Rooney in 2006 — will be a blow to the European champions as they bid to win their first-ever global trophy.

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      England will play the winner of Colombia vs Jamaica in the last eight after Euros hero Chloe Kelly smashed home the winning spot-kick.
      Wiegman said: “I’m proud of the team. We stuck together and showed resilience.”
      On the red card, ex-Prem ref Mark Halsey said: “James can have no complaints.
      “Although her foot did not come down with force on Alozie’s back, she knew exactly what she was doing and ran the risk by placing it there and got punished.
      “When it went to VAR, it was always going to be a red for violent conduct and James will regret it because she did not need to do that.” More

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      Laura Woods passionately defends England ace Lauren James after Nigeria stamp & says: We’re only through because of her

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      LAURA WOODS has come to the defence of England ace Lauren James after she was sent off against Nigeria.James was shown a straight red card following a VAR review for stamping on Michelle Alozie.
      Laura Woods has passionately defended Lauren JamesCredit: Getty
      Lauren James was sent off for a stamp on Michelle AlozieCredit: Getty
      Nigeria had identified James as the Lionesses’ biggest threat and targeted her throughout the match.
      The 21-year-old let her frustrations get the better of her late on as she trod on Alozie and was dismissed in the 87th minute.
      She has since been defended by Woods on social media, though, with the presenter hitting back at a fan who claimed it would be James’ fault if England went out.
      Woods replied: “We’re only through because of her! Please don’t start this narrative.
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      “Yes, silly foul. But there’s a reason everyone’s been talking about her. Huge talent, first World Cup, enormous pressure. She’s human.”
      She also agreed with a supporter who said it would be wrong to vilify the Chelsea starlet.

      “Exactly this,” wrote Woods. “Weird to put the blame solely on one player when we’ve struggled in this game throughout.”
      England boss Sarina Wiegman also defended James, who is playing in her first major tournament, after the match.
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      Speaking to reporters, she explained: “It was a moment of a split second. It was later in the game so players get tired.
      “She’s inexperienced on this stage and had done well but she lost her emotions. She doesn’t want to hurt anyone. She’s the sweetest person I know.”
      James has scored three goals and provided three assists for England at the Women’s World Cup, including the winner against Denmark.
      Her dismissal left her side down to 10 players for the remainder of normal time and extra time before the Lionesses secured a 4-2 victory in the penalty shootout.
      She will be suspended for Saturday’s quarter-final against Colombia or Jamaica and could still be banned for longer by FIFA.
      Sarina Wiegman has also defended Lauren JamesCredit: Rex More

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      Australia World Cup goal hero Hayley Raso thought she would NEVER play again after breaking her back in horror injury

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      HAYLEY RASO has continued to shine for Australia at this year’s Women’s World Cup.But just five years ago, she thought her football career was over.
      Raso has scored three goals for Australia during the Women’s World CupCredit: AP
      The winger has been one of the stars of the tournament so farCredit: Getty
      But just five years ago, she had to learn to walk again after suffering a broken backCredit: YouTube/Hayley Raso
      In August 2018, while playing for National Women’s Soccer League side Portland Thorns, the winger suffered a traumatic back injury during a match against Washington Spirit.
      The freak injury, caused by an accidental collision which saw the Washington goalkeeper’s knee dig into her back, left Raso wondering if she’d ever be able to play football again.
      Just two months after the incident, the Australia international told ABC: “I couldn’t do anything at that moment, I was just in so much pain, I couldn’t move my body.
      “I can remember just saying: ‘Help me, help me’. I knew that something bad had happened.
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      “My athletic trainer came onto the field and she was asking me: ‘Can you feel your legs, can you wiggle your toes?’
      “I was just thinking, you know, I have been hit in the back and I know these injuries can be serious.”
      At the age of just 23, Raso feared that she would never walk or play sport again.
      But in the days that followed the horrific ordeal – which saw her break three vertebrae – she received positive news from doctors.
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      She added: “A neurosurgeon came in and spoke to me and said: ‘You will recover from this, it’s going to be hard, but you will play again.’
      “In that moment I felt such relief because I had all these things in my head that I thought I was going to have to go through.”
      The winger spent a week-and-a-half in hospital before being moved to a local rehabilitation centre, where she gradually had to learn to walk again.
      Speaking about her rehab journey, Raso told ABC: “It was hard. I couldn’t even move or roll over in bed let alone stand up.
      “I had a few episodes where I passed out because of the pain and I went into shock.
      “Eventually I was able to get up, slowly and with a lot of help.
      “I was firstly in a wheelchair then I went to using a walking frame and I was just taking really small steps trying to get around the hospital.”
      Just six months after sustaining the traumatic injury, Raso returned to the pitch in a Cup of Nations match.
      And, she incredibly scored for Australia against New Zealand within a matter of minutes.
      Fast-forward four years and she is now one of Australia’s Women’s World Cup heroes.
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      She scored twice for the Matildas during the group stages of the tournament before helping them to the quarter-finals with a goal against Denmark.
      Raso joined European giants Real Madrid before the World Cup kicked off following an impressive two-year spell with Manchester City. More

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      England Lionesses duo get matching tattoos on Women’s World Cup duty as pair ‘complete’ each other

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      RACHEL DALY and Millie Bright have got matching tattoos at the Women’s World Cup.The England pair have celebrated their friendship by getting inked in Australia during the tournament.
      Millie Bright and Rachel Daly have got matching tattoosCredit: Getty
      The pals got matching ink at the Women’s World CupCredit: Rex
      Daly and Bright have been pals for years and always planned to get matching tattoos together.
      However, they have revealed they had not found the right one until heading Down Under.
      The pair have got the fraction “1/2” tattooed on their hands to signify that they are not complete without each other.
      Daly explained: “It took us ages to find the right one and we ended up going with a half on our hands because she is the other half of me, my life is not complete without her.”
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      Although they have never played together at club level, both Lionesses grew up in Yorkshire.
      Bright was raised in Chesterfield, with Daly born in nearby Harrogate.
      Their roots played a part as Daly claims she knew they would be friends for life from the moment they met.
      She added: “[Bright] first came into the squad, it was only a couple of camps after me, and we just hit it off straight away.
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      “It was probably that Yorkshire connection – loud. We always knew, we kind of knew each other when she was at Donny and I was at Leeds and we never looked back.
      “We always wanted to get a tattoo together, like a bestie tattoo.”
      Both players have starred at the Women’s World Cup, with Bright captaining the Lionesses at the tournament.
      As for Daly, she has shown her versatility by already appearing in defence, midfield and attack for Sarina Wiegman’s side.
      The Aston Villa star also netted from the penalty spot during England’s shootout victory over Nigeria on Monday.
      Her and the rest of the squad will now look ahead to a quarter-final clash against either Colombia or Jamaica this weekend.
      Millie Bright and Rachel Daly have been friends for yearsCredit: Rex More