England reached their second consecutive Women’s World Cup semi-final as they produced an excellent performance to beat Norway in Le Havre.
Lucy Bronze’s brilliant second-half strike capped a fine night that saw the Lionesses become the first senior England team to reach the last four at three consecutive major tournaments.
Two slick team moves had given them a deserved 2-0 half-time lead, as Jill Scott and Ellen White found the net from close range either side of White hitting the post.
Nikita Parris saw a late penalty, awarded for Maria Thorisdottir’s foul on England captain Steph Houghton, well saved by Ingrid Hjelmseth.
But that did not dampen England’s jubilant mood at full-time, as they celebrated with sheer joy after moving within one win of their first major final.
White’s tap-in took her goals tally to five for the tournament, putting her joint leader in the race for the Golden Boot alongside the United States’ Alex Morgan and Australia’s Sam Kerr.
Backed by thousands of delighted travelling fans, the Lionesses will now face either France or the US in the semi-finals on Tuesday in Lyon.
The hosts and the holders meet in their highly anticipated last-eight tie on Friday at 20:00 BST.
England’s well-deserved progression also boosted their hopes of representing Great Britain at the 2020 Olympics, with the three best-finishing European teams qualifying for next summer’s Tokyo Games.
England’s three fine goals entertained the 21,111 fans who were at Le Havre’s Stade Oceane near the English Channel, including delighted former men’s internationals David Beckham and Ian Wright, who witnessed a memorable performance.
The Lionesses, who reached the last four at the 2015 World Cup in Canada and 2017 European Championship, arrived in France with realistic ambitions of winning a first major title and they showed their true potential on Thursday.
Wins over Scotland, Argentina and Japan saw England top Group D without finding their best form, while a victory over an unruly Cameroon side followed in the last 16. The quarter-final against Norway was without doubt the Lionesses’ strongest display of the finals so far.
