Walsh insists Lionesses are ready for raucous atmosphere in crunch Aussie clash

14 August 2023 , 12:13

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Keira Walsh says England are ready to take on Australia

England star Keira Walsh insisted the Lionesses were 'ready for the fight' against arch rivals Australia in their World Cup semi-final showdown.

Sarina Wiegman's side must overcome the Matildas to make history on Wednesday. If they win after the heartbreak of losing semi finals at the last two World Cups, they will reach our first ever women's World Cup final. Keira, the most expensive women's footballer in the world at £400,000, insisted: "We are ready for the fight.

"The Nigeria and Colombia games were not easy. We are aware of what the game will be like, what it will be like in the stadium. We are ready for that."

Rochdale-born Keira, who signed for Barcelona from Man City last year, added: "We want to make the nation proud back home. There is an opportunity to make a World Cup final so we are going to give it everything.

"When you can quieten the crowd, it is a very nice feeling, you try to take the momentum out of the game. That is going to be important."

Her parents Peter and Tracy have flown out from the UK to see her in the 75,000 crowd at the Stadium Australia. She added: "They came the day before the Nigeria game. So I was nervous that they might have to fly back the next day!

"It wouldn't have been the nicest after penalties. I'm really glad they've had the chance to visit Australia and hopefully we can celebrate after the game. It was always my dream to be at a World Cup and they are really proud to be here."

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Keira confirmed injured Lioness captain Leah Williamson had flown to Australia to see their quarter final against Colombia. She visited their camp in Terrigal, New South Wales before the thrilling 2-1 quarter final victory in Sydney.

"She gave us a wave at the hotel," she said. "She didn't want to distract us on game day. It was nice to get the win and celebrate after. I think it's not easy for her to watch, she would have wanted to be playing, so we appreciate her support. It shows what a good character she is to be able to that for us."

The semi-final will be shown live on BBC 1 at 11am UK time on Wednesday.

Hollie Bone