LET’S FINISH OFF THE JOB
Bright has eyes on the last eight
MILLIE BRIGHT wants England to be ruthless and finish off the job with the Euro 2017 quarter-finals now in their sights.
England hammered Scotland 6-0 in their first game before Sunday’s impressive 2-0 win over Spain left them needing just a draw against Portugal to progress.
The Lionesses will be red-hot favourites to reach the last eight when they face the tournament’s lowest-ranked nation on Thursday night.
But Chelsea defender Bright, 23, says there’s no chance they will take their foot off the gas and will be gunning for a win.
Bright said: “We won’t sit back. We’ll stay switched on and aim for another three points to end the group on a high.”
Strikers Fran Kirby and Jodie Taylor netted against Spain to put England within touching distance of the knockout stages. ® from TONY LEIGHTON But the cornerstone of the latest win was Bright’s partnership with captain Steph Houghton at the heart of the defence.
England have yet to concede but had to thank the Italian officials for that.
Ellen White was penalised for handball but referee Carina Vitulano reversed her decision admitting she had made a mistake.
Bright said: “It was all a bit frantic. Ellen had slipped and there was nothing she could do about it – the ball came off her thigh then hit her hand. At 1-0 it was obviously an opportunity for them to get back into the game. But luckily the ref made the right decision in the end by correcting herself.”
Mark Sampson’s side survived a Spanish onslaught with England surviving off just 26 per cent of the possession.
But Manchester City full-back Lucy Bronze said: “The fact they had so much of the ball doesn’t bother me – there’s only one stat that matters.
“We’ve won twice and not conceded yet. Possession is nice but you need to put the ball in the back of the net. Our defensive solidity is impressive.
“It was one of the top defensive performances that I’ve been part of because of the opponents.
“We knew Spain would be good in possession and that’s what they were, but we limited them to that.
“They didn’t force any saves. Fortunately our strikers are in good form and they showed it.
“It’s a tournament – if you get ahead you need to see the game out.
“That’s what this England team are really good at.”