Where Wednesday’s last-four clash between the Matildas and Lionesses could potentially be won and lost.
On Wednesday host nation Australia face England in Sydney in the second semi-final of this Women’s World Cup. The winner, in progressing through to the final, will make history: neither team has previously played in a World Cup decider. Who will prove crucial on Wednesday night at Stadium Australia? We run the rule over four key match-ups that could decide the game.
Lucy Bronze v Caitlin Foord
England right-back Lucy Bronze has had a mixed tournament in Australia, frequently finding herself caught out in transition in the group stage against Denmark and Haiti, and then again Nigeria in the last 16. But the Barcelona star was in sparkling form going forward against China and most recently in the quarter-final win over Colombia. She will be hoping for more of the same on Wednesday.
Bronze faces a tough defensive assignment against the Matildas, together with her defensive partner Jess Carter: nullifying Australia’s attacking sensation Caitlin Foord. The Arsenal forward has been Australia’s best player at the World Cup, stepping up in a big way after Sam Kerr suffered a calf injury on the eve of the tournament. Foord has been lethal down the left wing, with the ball at her feet and when speeding through defences to latch onto through balls. Her goal against Denmark – a box-to-box effort in combination with Mary Fowler – was a prime example of her danger.
If Foord can keep Bronze occupied on defensive duties, that could stifle England’s movement out wide. But if Bronze can contain Foord, a vital part of the Matildas’ attacking threat this tournament would be absent. Whoever gets the better of this critical match-up could push their nation towards the final.
Lauren Hemp v Ellie Carpenter
Australia’s right-back Ellie Carpenter is best known for her marauding runs forward, but the Lyon star has faced some tough defensive assignments at the World Cup. Against France she was up against two of her club teammates, Eugénie Le Sommer and Selma Bacha. While Carpenter looked shaky at times, she helped keep the French duo scoreless and still managed some of her trademark movement down the wing.
On Wednesday it will be more of the same for Carpenter, as she comes face-to-face with England’s Lauren Hemp. The Lionesses forward has been playing alongside Alessia Russo this tournament, often starting in the centre but floating out wide and cutting in from the wing as the game progresses.
Hemp is in form – she scored the second against China in the group stage and the equaliser against Colombia on Saturday, where her blistering pace was too much for the Colombian defence. The task for Carpenter, and the Matildas’ centre-back pairing of Clare Hunt and Alanna Kennedy, will be to contain Hemp without it congesting the Australians’ right-sided counterattacking movement that has been so dangerous this tournament.
Sam Kerr vs Mary Earps
England vice-captain Mary Earps is one of the best goalkeepers in the world – she was crowned the very best at the Fifa awards in February, having kept a clean sheet almost every second game for Manchester United throughout the last WSL season. But Matildas star striker Kerr has proven to be a nemesis in recent years.
Kerr scored the only goal when her club side, Chelsea, downed United in the FA Cup this year. She also netted in both of the encounters between the two teams in the WSL, and opened the scoring for the Matildas when they beat the Lionesses in April. Kerr chased down an awkward defensive header from England’s Leah Williamson, chipping the ball past Earps and into the net. It set the tone for the robust Australian victory, which was – and for now remains – the only game England have lost under coach Sarina Wiegman. Still recovering from a calf injury sustained on the eve of the World Cup, Kerr returned to action off the bench late in the Matildas’ round of 16 encounter, and then played more than 60 minutes as the quarter-final clash with France went to extra-time. Whether as a starter or off the bench, Kerr will be hoping to again get the better of Earps.
The central midfield tussle
One of the unexpected highlights of this World Cup for the Matildas has been a flourishing midfield partnership between Katrina Gorry and Kyra Cooney-Cross. Mini and KCC, as the pair are respectively nicknamed, are a decade apart in age but seem to have a natural connection on the pitch. Cooney-Cross, who currently plays her club football with Hammarby in Sweden, is understood to be on the radar of several European heavyweights after her breakout World Cup campaign.
But in the semi-final Gorry and Cooney-Cross will face off against two of England’s stars: Georgia Stanway and Keira Walsh. The English duo are close friends and spent multiple seasons together at Manchester City before Stanway departed for Bayern Munich and Walsh left for Barcelona. But the on-pitch fluency forged at club level has continued for the Lionesses, with the pair posing a formidable challenge to opposing midfields: Stanway has excelled in an attacking role while Walsh has pulled the strings further back.
After Walsh suffered a knee injury against Denmark there were concerns that her tournament could be over, but the 26-year-old bounced back to return against Nigeria in the last 16 and was commanding in England’s quarter-final win over Colombia. Whichever midfield pairing can rise to the occasion may have a major bearing on the ultimate outcome.
Story first published on The Guardian