Resilient Matildas chasing World Cup glory one game at a time | Kieran Pender

Having banished ghosts of the past, Australia are stronger than ever. Is it enough to get them past England and into the final? * How to watch the Matildas vs England semi-final * Every Matildas story; Golden boot tracker; guide to all 736 players; full WWC coverage Of course it had to end with penalties. It would have been hard to script a more fitting ending to the Matildas’ quarter-final clash with France. Four years on from the nightmare in Nice, when the Matildas exited the last World Cup on penalties to Norway, the ghosts of that heart-wrenching defeat could be found at every turn at Brisbane Stadium on Saturday. Just like Norway, France won the toss to shoot first – history shows that the team taking the opening spot-kick has a considerable advantage, statistically and psychologically. On both occasions the captain, Sam Kerr, was called upon in a clutch moment – four years ago with Australia’s first attempt, after Norway had converted theirs; this time as penalty taker number three, after the advantage had seesawed from Australia and then back to France. Continue reading...

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‘Emotional’ Leah Williamson to make first England start in almost a year

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