England midfielder Keira Walsh says that the Lionesses were given a huge boost by injured captain Leah Williamson flying out to the team’s training camp north of Sydney.
Williamson was the first major confirmed absence for the World Cup for England, after rupturing her ACL in Arsenal‘s 1-0 defeat to Manchester United in the Women’s Super League in April, robbing Sarina Wiegman‘s side of their first-choice central defender and on-pitch leader.
However, Williamson flew into Australia ahead of England’s quarter-final against Colombia on Saturday and watched the game from the stands. Following the game, William posted a video on Instagram singing “Sweet Caroline” with former England teammate Jill Scott. She also posted a picture on Twitter with three of her teammates, including Walsh.
“It was a massive boost,” Walsh said. “For the team to see her supporting us, it’s the other side of the world, it’s not an easy flight and that shows what she feels about this team.
“The first time I saw her she was outside my hotel window waving. 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 do that for us.”
Walsh, who has recovered from a knee injury herself during the course of this World Cup, also believes that the pressure will be on Australia in the semi-final, given the rapid rise in national interest in the Matildas.
England know that feeling only too well after their European Championship victory last summer. Throughout this tournament, the Lionesses have been the favourites for every fixture.
But, for probably the first time since their World Cup semi-final defeat to USA in 2019, the pressure is now more on their opponents than them.
“The pressure is on Australia, that is a different thing to cope with,” Walsh said. “But they are a great team, whether they feel the pressure or not.
2-1 and into the semis. I’ve seen this film before…
— Leah Williamson (@leahcwilliamson) August 12, 2023pic.twitter.com/G5GTHVfSg7
“The way they play they don’t look like they feel it. They are very physical and we have to be ready for that. It’s just about going in confident and playing on the front foot.
“Australia have players who have played in massive games for their club – Ellie Carpenter, Sam Kerr – have played in many Champions League games. They will be drawing on those experiences.
“They’re playing in a home World Cup, we played in a home Euros, most of us had never played in a final for our country before. We weren’t thinking about that too much and I’m sure they won’t be either. We can draw on those experiences from the past and go one better on Wednesday.”
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