We’ve Nothing Left To Prove, Says Lucy Bronze As Lionesses Reach Third Straight Final

Lucy Bronze has said England person “nothing to prove” aft reaching a 3rd successive awesome tourney last pinch a melodramatic extra-time triumph complete Italy contempt immoderate unconvincing performances.

“Do we person thing to prove? Not really,” nan Chelsea right-back said. “That’s group from nan extracurricular reasoning that teams person to triumph each azygous game. We’ve done six consecutive semi-finals, 3 consecutive finals, who other has done that? Nobody. [The current] Spain and Germany are awesome teams but moreover they haven’t managed that feat.”

Germany did triumph 5 successive Euros and World Cups betwixt 2001 and 2009 but they person not reached six consecutive semi-finals. However, a batch has changed since past and nan remainder of European football, and world football, has caught up.

“It’s difficult to enactment astatine nan apical successful world football, there’s truthful galore teams, it’s up and down, they develop, but this squad conscionable keeps fighting until nan end,” said Bronze. “I consciousness for illustration we don’t person thing to beryllium because we’ve been there, we’ve done it many, galore times, and it’s conscionable a truth that nan game’s getting amended and world football’s not arsenic easy arsenic it utilized to be. Everybody’s fighting and everybody wants to triumph and everybody feels for illustration they tin win.”

England near fans sweating connected Tuesday night, Michelle Agyemang’s stoppage clip equaliser ensuring nan crippled went to other clip astatine 1-1 earlier Chloe Kelly’s punishment successful nan 119th infinitesimal was saved but she was alert and turned successful nan rebound.

England’s opening group shape conclusion to France had sounded siren bells but that disjointed and sloppy capacity was turned astir against nan Netherlands and Wales arsenic they escaped nan group of death. However, worries astir England’s cohesion returned successful nan quarter-finals, nan squad forced to retrieve from 2 goals down pinch 10 minutes remaining against Sweden earlier other clip and penalties saw Sarina Wiegman’s broadside progress. Against Italy successful Geneva connected Tuesday nighttime they were again unconvincing for overmuch of nan 90 minutes of normal clip earlier nan ace subs delivered.

“I don’t deliberation america doing it nan difficult measurement is simply a concern,” said Bronze. “We’ve besides sewage to springiness in installments to nan teams that we’re playing against. Sweden showed a batch of fight, Italy were a really bully team. It’s not conscionable astir 1 squad conscionable winning each azygous game. We saw that successful this tournament, and truthful galore teams are astatine specified a precocious level, and you move disconnected for a infinitesimal and you’re 1-0 down. We’re conscionable showing that we’ve sewage fighters successful this squad and that’s what you request successful a tournament.

“To show that we tin do that successful different scenarios gives you a batch of belief because we cognize we tin play bully shot arsenic well, we cognize we’ve sewage nan performances successful us. Now we cognize going into nan last that we’re tin of truthful galore different ways of playing and winning and digging in.”

Kelly and Agyemang were erstwhile again captious to England’s occurrence successful this competition. Left-back Alex Greenwood said: “Michelle was truthful bully erstwhile she came on. She caused them truthful galore problems and past Chloe goes and scores nan rebound from nan punishment - that takes a batch of courageousness to measurement up to return that. I asked her, she had nary uncertainty successful her mind, she was assured capable to return it.”

Bronze echoed Greenwood’s praise for nan effect players. “What a tourney from Michelle, particularly coming successful pinch nan seniors conscionable a mates of months ago,” she said. “What a awesome player, what a agleam early she’s got. She’s specified a humble, beautiful down-to-earth girl. Honestly couldn’t deliberation of a nicer person, and past Chloe’s conscionable attitude, sass, confidence.

“I deliberation Chloe’s 1 of those players who, erstwhile she’s connected nan pitch, nary matter what nan infinitesimal of nan crippled is, aliases really she’s emotion aliases really nan crowd is, is going to push her shoulders back, large up her thorax and spell for it. They’re some cardinal players successful this team, evidently they haven’t started successful this tourney but it conscionable shows nan spot of our squad, I don’t cognize galore teams that person that.”

The cardinal for England now is recovery, said Greenwood, pinch nan squad having had to travel done 2 120-minute games, and penalties against Sweden to scope nan final. They do person nan advantage of an other day’s remainder complete Germany and Spain, who meet connected Wednesday evening, earlier Sunday’s final.

“I’ve played this crippled agelong capable to cognize really to retrieve from games but it’s going to beryllium important from now until Sunday,” said Greenwood. “The biggest connection is recovery. We’ll do that properly. We’ve sewage a awesome support web and nan unit and they activity truthful so difficult to make judge we’re fresh for each game. The girls are successful a Euro last connected Sunday and we’ll make judge we do everything we tin to beryllium fresh for that.”