Millie Bright has said it is in the Lionesses’ “DNA to fight and be competitive” as the team prepare for a World Cup semi-final showdown with the co-hosts Australia after battling their way to the last four.
“The journey has been long and tough, but without those experiences you don’t learn,” Bright said. “It’s different for everyone. We have an ultra‑competitive group and it’s in our DNA to fight and be competitive.”
England have been made to work hard to reach the semi-finals of a fifth consecutive major tournament. Sarina Wiegman’s side laboured to 1-0 wins against Haiti and Denmark before a far more impressive 6-1 victory against China. A last-16 penalty shootout defeat of Nigeria and tight 2-1 win against Colombia in the quarter-finals followed. Now England face their toughest test, against the only team to have beaten them under Wiegman, 2-0 in a friendly in April, and in the home‑crowd cauldron of Stadium Australia.
“We thrive in these moments, it gives us energy, but ultimately it’s about sticking to tasks and executing the gameplan and embracing the moment,” Bright said. “It’s the semi‑final of a World Cup, you want that environment, you want it to be tense, you want it to be noisy. It’s a proud moment in the women’s game when people turn on the TV back home and see what an incredible atmosphere has being created. Credit to Australia for selling out the stadium and creating that atmosphere because, like we always know, the women’s game is still on a journey – but what a place to be.”
Wiegman said that despite her team’s superior world ranking, fourth compared to Australia in 10th, they were far from the favourites. “I don’t think they’re the underdog, they’re playing at home, the stadium will be really full, it’s two teams that are very strong and that have grown into the tournament. I think it’s going to be very tight and very, very competitive,” she said.
Asked whether she had spoken to the team about the sporting rivalry between England and Australia, Wiegman said: “I asked players and I asked the staff and for us and for them we don’t feel that rivalry that much, the main thing is that there’s a lot of rivalry in rugby and cricket, and last week with the netball.
“We just know it’s going to be a very competitive game. Lots of players from Australia also play in the WSL so they know each other really well. Of course, they want to beat us but we want to beat them so that’s the main competitiveness we will get in front of us tomorrow.”
