England advance to Women's World Cup final, eliminate Australia despite Sam Kerr's goal on return as starter

The winners face Spain in the final on Sunday

It will be an all-European final for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup as England eliminated Australia 3-1 in the semifinals on Wednesday to advance to face Spain. England manager Sarina Wiegman made no changes in her lineup from the quarterfinal, while Australia's Sam Kerr made her first start in the tournament after an early calf injury kept her out of the group stage. The Lionesses were heavy favorites heading into the semifinal, as 2022 Euro champions and winners of their World Cup group. Kerr provided the consolation goal for Australia, while England's attacking trio of Lauren Hemp, Ella Toone, and Alessia Russo each scored to book the Lionesses ticket to the final.

England has been projected as a contender since the beginning of the tournament, and they still look like the team to beat. So let's take a look at three things from England in the semifinal that will aid them in the World Cup final

A deep roster stepping up

Heading into the the World Cup, England was one of many teams dealing with injuries to key players ahead of the tournament. Beth Mead, Fran Kirby, and Leah Williamson were all starting caliber players for the squad during their championship run in the 2022 Euros but missed out on England's World Cup roster. Williamson and Mead sustained ACL tears, and Kirby underwent knee surgery months before the tournament began.

Despite the significant injuries ahead of the biggest stage, the hits didn't stop during the competition, Keira Walsh had a scare during the group stage and missed a match with a knee injury. The team has also been without forward Lauren James since the round of 16 after receiving a red card violation for violent conduct. Now that the group is headed toward the final, James' suspension is served and will be available for selection on August 20.

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Growth in tournaments

The squad is no stranger to a slow and steady build into tournaments. They grew into the Euro and they have done so again in the World Cup. The Lionesses opened up their group stage with a scoreless draw against Haiti but bounced back against Denmark and China. They were nervy and taken to penalties against Nigeria in knockouts, before eliminating Colombia in the quarterfinal and now Australia in the semifinal. 

While their goal-scoring was halted in various moments in the early phase of the group stage, it's now returned emphatically. Hemp, Toone, and Russo have been the attacking trio for consecutive matches now in the knockout rounds, and each scored or was involved in goal production in the semifinal. Toone has slotted back into the starting eleven in James' absence and she opened the goal-scoring against Australia. 

Hemp extended the lead and earned player of the match honors for a massive shift against Australia that included a go-ahead goal deep into the second half. She also provided the assist on Russo's goal to put the game on ice. Hemp ended the match with 46 touches, 93% pass completion, and three chances created.

Unparalleled coaching

Sarina Wiegman is the best coach in women's soccer right now. There is no better argument for the manager than a fourth consecutive international final. She coached the Netherlands to the 2017 Euro Championship where they won the title, and led the Dutch to the 2019 World Cup where they finished as runners-up. She was crowned Euro champion again with England in 2022 and is now returning to a second consecutive World Cup final. 

After the game, Wiegman simply said "I don't know" when asked how she keeps doing this with national teams. "I told Arjan [Veurink, Assistant coach] 'The chance that as a coach or as a player to make it to finals is really, really, special and we've made it to four already. I'll never take anything for granted, but, am I here in a little fairy tale or something?'"

She might be a bit lost for words off the pitch in tournaments but her results are there as proof. She knew her team could win in the semifinals and emphasized coaching the mentality of a big game going up against the host country instead of shaking up tactics. The team excelled in managing the magnitude of the game in their preferred three-back and identical starting lineup from the quarterfinal. Weigman's legacy is already cemented. She has handled the player curveballs with ease, establishing confidence in her players and roster to be ready for roles if and when needed. If she wins a World Cup with England she'll be a national hero. 

[Aug 16, 2023 at 6:03 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

Fulltime: Australia 1-3 England 

Alessia Russo provides the dagger in the 86th minute and puts England ahead 3-1 with just minutes remaining. 

[Aug 16, 2023 at 7:58 am ET · Sandra Herrera]

ENGLAND INTO THE WORLD CUP FINAL

What a match by England against the home side Australia. Each of England's attacking trio on the scoreboard as they head off to the World Cup final! Sam Kerr with a brief equalizer. But its goals by Alessia Russo, Lauren Hemp, and Ella Toone provided to lift England onto the big game against Spain on August 20.