29 June,2015 07:43 AM IST | | AFP
England's 'Lionesses' bared their claws once again as they brutally ended the campaign of hosts Canada 2-1 to advance to their first semi-final at the Women's World Cup where they]meet champions Japan
England's Jodie Taylor (left) celebrates after scoring against Canada in the Women's World Cup quarter-finals in Vancouver on Saturday
Vancouver: England's 'Lionesses' bared their claws once again as they brutally ended the campaign of hosts Canada 2-1 to advance to their first semi-final at the Women's World Cup where they]meet champions Japan.
England's Jodie Taylor (left) celebrates after scoring against Canada in the Women's World Cup quarter-finals in Vancouver on Saturday. Pic/AFP
Mark Sampson's revamped squad have now won two knock-out games for the first time in a World Cup, following on from their 2-1 win over former winners Norway in the last 16. The team have delivered despite starting their campaign with a 0-1 loss to France.
"We still had that confidence after that first defeat," said Sampson, after Saturday's win built on early goals from Jodie Taylor (11) and Lucy Bronze (14) which shocked a capacity 54,027 crowd in BC Place Stadium. "I think that was our big moment of the tournament, the way the players bounced back from that defeat.
So many teams would have struggled with that, doubted themselves, this team stayed strong, stayed together and stuck to the plan and now we find ourselves in a World Cup semi-final."
