Lauren Hemp spearheads an England heavy Semi-Final Best XI
Spain booked their place in the final of the Women’s World Cup final with a late goal from Olga Carmona, sealing their spot where they will face England’s Lionesses who overcame hosts Australia 3-1 at Stadium Australia.
First up is Spanish stopper Cata Coll. She made two important saves against Sweden at Eden park. She also made two claims and boasted a pass success rate of 78% and with a rating of 6.92 was the highest rated goalkeeper in the round.
The first of many England players to feature is Lucy Bronze. She was solid throughout the Lionesses semi-final win. She made at least double the interceptions than any other player in the fixture alongside; three clearances, three aerial wins and three tackles.
Millie Bright (England) – 7.28
Another England player that makes it into the best XI’s defence is Millie Bright. Not only did she assist Lauren Hemp’s 71st minute goal but she also made a total of 71 passes, as well as; one tackle, two aerial wins and two shots. With a rating of 7.28 she is deserving of her spot.
Alex Greenwood (England) – 7.56
Alex Greenwood has been fantastic for England throughout the campaign and leads the competition for the highest pass accuracy (500+ mins) with 89.7%. She made 73 accurate passes, including five key passes, in the semi-final with an accuracy of 95%.
Olga Carmona sent the Spaniards into elation when she fired home in the last minute of normal time against Sweden and sealed their spot in the Women’s World Cup final. The 23-year-old claimed a rating of 7.81 for her performance which also included three shots, one successful dribble and one aerial win.
Ella Toone opened the scoring for England when she rifled one into the top corner in the first half. She made two key passes in the game and had a pass accuracy of 88%. With a WhoScored.com rating of 7.41 she is well worthy of her spot in the best XI.
Teresa Abelleira (Spain) – 7.94
Teresa Abelleira is no stranger to the team of the rounds at the Women’s World Cup and has been a regular feature throughout the tournament. The third Spanish representative made a total of two key passes against Sweden taking her tournament total to 23, at least nine more than any other player. She also made four tackles and completed two dribbles on top of assisting Carmona for La Roja’s winner.
Georgia Stanway (England) – 7.21
England’s Georgia Stanway is in with a commanding performance against the hosts. No player, in the fixture won more tackles than the England midfielder (4), who also attempted three shots and made one successful dribble.
Lauren Hemp is the WhoScored.com player of the round with a rating of 8.86. Just as the Australian crowd were at their loudest after the Matildas’ equaliser, Lauren Hemp silenced the crowd when she put England back in front with her second half goal. She also played provider when she set up Alessia Russo, who made no mistake putting the tie to bed and securing England’s World Cup Final spot.
The only losing semi-finalist to make the cut is Australia’s Sam Kerr and rightfully so as she was Australia’s stand out performer in the semi-final. Her goal pulled the Matildas level with England but they could not capitalise. She was a menace for the England defence throughout and she made more aerial wins (6) than any other player across the two semi-finals.
Alessia Russo (England) – 8.16
Alessia Russo completed England’s victory when she doubled the Lionesses lead against Australia in the 86th minute and put England 3-1 up. She attempted five shots on goal, a total that only Sam Kerr could beat (6) in the round.
