Fran dreaming of fourth time lucky in final four
FRAN KIRBY says she is desperate to avoid losing a fourth semi-final in a row as England look to end their hoodoo against Sweden tomorrow.
The Lionesses were beaten 2-1 by Japan in the 2015 World Cup, 3-0 by Sarina Wiegman’s Netherlands at Euro 2017 and 2-1 by the United States in the 2019 World Cup.
Kirby played in all three defeats and says it would mean ‘everything’ to finally reach a final, admitting that it has taken time to get over previous heartbreaks. ‘I don’t want to be another player that doesn’t get to a final of a major tournament with England,’ said Kirby. ‘We spoke about the semi-finals we have lost previously and it takes a long time to recover from losing a semi-final like that.
‘It’s not a case of you wake up the next day ready to go again, it takes a bit of time to assess what’s happened, evaluate it and see how you’re feeling. ‘I don’t want to experience having to take a month to get over not getting to a final. ‘It would mean everything to reach a final with this England team and, for us who have been part of it for a long time, I think it would top everything we’ve done so far.’
Kirby, 29, is also eager to give the country and England’s strong home support something to celebrate. ‘We have built such a momentum with everyone that’s behind us,’ she said. ‘I saw some amazing videos of people celebrating in Boxpark
and going crazy when we scored against Spain. ‘We’re going out for walks and people are clapping us, it’s never happened before — especially as all the tournaments have been away previously, so being able to have it at home and to get that buzz from the nation gets you excited and ready to go for the next game. You know that everyone is supporting you and cheering you.
‘The other thing is that if we get the chance to win in the semi-final and get through to the final, I think it will be incredible for people in this country to have something to celebrate and enjoy.
‘We want to put a smile on people’s faces. They may be going through a hard time in terms of the fuel costs and the cost of living now, and hopefully we can give people an escape for 90-plus minutes when they turn their TVs on and have something to cheer about. Hopefully it gives them a sense of pride and they can switch off from everything that is going on.’