Australia 1-3 England: Women’s World Cup semi-final player ratings
Mackenzie Arnold Tested early on as England dominated possession and chances. Pulled off a top save to deny Georgia Stanway, but could do nothing to stop Ella Toone’s strike which set England on their way. 6
Steph Catley Struggled to get forward in the face of England’s forward press and was beaten by Alessia Russo late in the match. 5
Clare Polkinghorne Came in for Alanna Kennedy and was caught out on a couple of occasions as Australia failed to clear the danger that led to England’s opening goal. 5
Clare Hunt Stepped up without her defensive partner Kennedy and was a commanding presence in the box in the first half, but struggled against Hemp and Russo in the second. 6
Ellie Carpenter One of the few Matildas players who managed to get forward in the first half, but poor crossing let her down. Caught out by Hemp in the second half to gift England the lead. 5
Kyra Cooney-Cross Dynamic as ever in the midfield but had her work cut out for her against Georgia Stanway and Keira Walsh. 6
Katrina Gorry Covered enormous ground and was so often there to pick up the loose ball but just ran out of steam as England took over. 6
Hayley Raso Started quietly but grew into the game. Australia’s main attacking outlet in the first half along with Carpenter. Replaced by Cortnee Vine in the second half. 5
Caitlin Foord Kept quiet by Lucy Bronze in the first half. Did well to track back in defence, but offered little going forward. 5
Mary Fowler Struggled to get a foothold on the game in the first half, too often going missing. Showed glimpses in the second half, but didn’t have the same impact as in previous matches. 5
Sam Kerr Began with drive and took it upon herself to get Australia back in the game. Beat three England defenders on the run before unleashing a stunning strike from outside the box. Should have drawn the Matildas level late in the game with a header from close range that flew wide. 7
Substitutes
Cortnee Vine Came on for Raso with about 20 minutes of the game remaining. 6
Emily Van Egmond Replaced Polkinghorne with 10 minutes remaining as Australia threw everything at the game. 6
Alex Chidiac Came on in the dying minutes, but not enough time to anything of note. 6
England
Mary Earps Barely tested in the first half, but beaten by Kerr early in the second. Top save to deny Vine late in the match. 7
Jess Carter Her boot into the face of her Chelsea teammate Kerr was a reflection of England’s uncompromising physical start to the match. Worked tirelessly to prevent Australia from scoring late on. 7
Millie Bright Had a huge chance to double England’s lead when she rose up to meet a corner, but she couldn’t get her header on target. Solid match, but couldn’t always keep up with Kerr. 6
Alex Greenwood Booked early for a cynical challenge on Kerr. Physical all half, and put in a lovely ball over the top that Stanway nearly turned into a goal. 7
Lucy Bronze Some hefty challenges and an aerial presence in the box, snuffing out Australia’s opportunities. Had Foord’s number all match. 7
Georgia Stanway Denied early on by Arnold and frustrated Australia all match with her solid midfield presence. 7
Keira Walsh Commanded the midfield and was instrumental in helping England play out from the back. Classy performance. 7
Ella Toone Caused all sorts of problems with her runs in behind long before she scored, but her stunning strike into the top corner of the net capped off a quality first half. 8
Rachel Daly Full of energy with plenty of touches and won telling turnovers. Defended well, while also adding plenty in attack but was sometimes forced inside too much. 7
Alessia Russo Took a while to get into the match, but came so close to putting England back in the lead with a header that went just wide. Eventually got her reward with the goal to seal England’s place in the final. 8
Lauren Hemp Got the better of Carpenter and did well to keep the ball in the danger zone to set up Toone’s goal. Turn of pace troubled Australia’s defenders, before she capitalised on a blunder by Carpenter to score England’s second. A player of the match performance. 9
Substitutes
Chloe Kelly Came on for Russo late in the match. 6
Niamh Charles Replaced Ella Toone late on. 6