Sign up to Miguel Delaney\u2019s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel\u2019s Delaney\u2019s free weekly newsletter <\/p>\n
England are into the World Cup semi-finals and Lucy Bronze has been here before. She was there in Canada in 2015 to be dealt the heartbreak as Laura Bassett turned the ball into her own net and gave Japan a ticket to the final; she was there for that night in Lyon four years ago where Steph Houghton\u2019s late penalty miss provided the customary anguish and the USA marched towards yet another title.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re English, there\u2019s a certain aura that surrounds semi-finals. Its near-certainty refuses to discriminate between men\u2019s and women\u2019s football and has long plagued records at the game\u2019s biggest tournament: England make it to last four and that\u2019s as far as they will ever go.<\/p>\n
Such an idea looks like it could be about to unravel \u2013 and there would be few better circumstances in which it could happen. In years gone by, getting to the semi-finals has been the highlight in itself, but this time around there\u2019s still some way to go to match what this team has already proven.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got past that hurdle last year in the Euros and finally made it to the final and got past that dreaded always getting beaten in the semi-finals so we\u2019ve got that in the locker,\u201d said Bronze, speaking after her side\u2019s 2-1 quarter-final triumph over Colombia.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany players in the squad were part of that so we know how difficult it is to get this far and also how to get to the final and how to win games\u201d<\/p>\n
A claim could be levied that England\u2019s performances have been unconvincing at this World Cup and that the displays at this tournament have been worlds apart from those which led to continental victory and it would be merited. But they\u2019ve had scrapes with the potential to be sent on an early flight home and \u2013 unlike other so-called \u2018bigger\u2019 teams \u2013 have reached what they see as the baseline.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we hadn\u2019t have gotten to the semi-final, I would have said that we would have underperformed,\u201d Bronze added.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people said that England were the team that were going to flop a little bit. Our performances haven\u2019t been our best granted but the results have been there and we\u2019ve got the semi final which is what this England team is known for doing\u201d<\/p>\n
England and Bronze are into their third World Cup semi-final <\/p>\n
(The FA via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Bronze\u2019s personal World Cup history stretches back eight years and the way in which this one has panned out carries similarities with her debut on the world stage \u2013 a competition where England conceded in every game and had to battle to make it to the semis..<\/p>\n
\u201cIt very much reminds me of 2015 – having to fight in every single game,\u201d she said. \u201c2-1 wins throughout the tournament or 1-0 wins against Germany. It reminds of the fights we had.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the difference with this team is that we have won trophies, we have won tournaments so we do know what to do. We knew coming into the tournament that it wasn\u2019t going to be easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a lot of outside noise about whether England were going to be able to cope well with everything thrown at us so far and the semi final is what is expected of us as the England team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bronze after England\u2019s defeat to the USA in the 2019 semi-finals <\/p>\n
(Getty Images)<\/p>\n
England have proved their mettle; now it\u2019s time for their toughest test yet. On Wednesday the Lionesses will return to Stadium Australia and be greeted by a sea of gold shirts, a nation having collectively come together to spur on co-hosts Australia in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
Players remained coy when quizzed about the sporting rivalry between the two countries after England\u2019s success \u2013 the Ashes spirit may not have creeped into football just yet \u2013 but the circumstances regarding the fixture will provide added pressure regardless.<\/p>\n
Fans gathered in their thousands and cross-code divisions were put aside with Australia\u2019s penalty shootout downing of France on Saturday night being shown inside of grounds at Australian Rules games. England, of course, know what it\u2019s like to have the home advantage, but playing against it will be different.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are positives and negatives for being that home nation and for being the team against,\u201d Bronze said. \u201cIt can be a lot of pressure to put on teams. I remember playing Canada in 2015 in that World Cup and there was a lot of pressure put on that team and it gave them a lot of fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was the same thing for us in the Euros last year. The 12th man as they say – it really helped us. It was a key part to us winning and I think that\u2019s been a key part for Australia when their backs have been against the wall this tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n
Talk of that regard will dominate the days to come but, for now at least, having got to this stage remains the most important achievement.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery single England player that\u2019s put on a shirt since forever has been part of that,\u201d surmised Bronze upon reaching the semis. Now it\u2019s time for them to prove they can go one step further.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sign up to Miguel Delaney\u2019s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel\u2019s Delaney\u2019s free weekly newsletter England are into the World Cup semi-finals and Lucy Bronze has been here before. She was there in Canada in 2015 to be dealt the heartbreak as Laura Bassett turned the ball […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n