England 2-1 Colombia: Player ratings as Lionesses advance to World Cup semi-final

England narrowly beat Colombia 2-1 to reach the semi-final of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup where they will face co-hosts Australia.

England started the clash with Colombia well, playing through the press and dominating early possession. Alessia Russo and Rachel Daly saw headers land straight into the gloves of Catalina Perez within the first half an hour, however several wayward long-range efforts epitomised England's waning influence as the half went on.

Colombia grew into the game, looking particularly dangerous when Linda Caicedo and Mayra Ramirez got on the ball, and eventually got the breakthrough on the 44th minute when Leicy Santos' looped effort beat Mary Earps.

However, England managed a quick and fortuitous riposte as goalkeeper Perez spilled the ball inside her penalty area, with Lauren Hemp eventually poking into an empty net just before the break.

Despite a slow start to the second half, Arsenal forward Russo was able to fire England in front after some poor defending from Daniela Arias, rifling a low drive into the bottom corner after 62 minutes.

Earps was called into action shortly after following Lorena Bedoya's excellent effort from distance, with Colombia starting to put some pressure on the England goal. However, the Lionesses saw the result out fairly comfortably in the end, booking their spot in the World Cup semi-final.

England player ratings (3-4-1-2)

GK: Mary Earps - 5/10 - Could have done better with Santos' opener, but did make a good stop from Bedoya's long-range strike.

CB: Jess Carter - 7/10 - Calm and assured in everything she did and mostly kept Caicedo quiet. Confidence is clearly high after a strong performance against Nigeria.

CB: Millie Bright - 7/10 - Good range of passing from the back and organised the defensive unit well. Some excellent and crucial blocks late in the match.

CB: Alex Greenwood - 7/10 - Really composed in possession and performed admirably against Ramirez and Co. Some quality set-piece deliveries as well.

RM: Lucy Bronze - 6/10 - Typically busy down the right flank, but uncharacteristically lacked a little quality in advanced positions.

CM: Georgia Stanway - 5/10 - Not her most fruitful game and was sometimes sloppy in possession.

CM: Keira Walsh - 6/10 - Dictated play well in that holding role and seems to have fully recovered from that early tournament injury.

LM: Rachel Daly - 6/10 - Positive down the left-hand side as Colombia tried to target her defensively. Had a couple of headers that were comfortably saved by Perez.

AM: Ella Toone - 5/10 - Struggled to fill Lauren James' shoes and was fairly quiet throughout.

CF: Lauren Hemp - 7/10 - Sharp in reacting to Perez's error to get her goal and was a constant menace. Strong performance in a free role supporting Russo.

CF: Alessia Russo - 8/10 - Led the line well and was a significant focal point for England with her hold-up play and runs in behind. Wonderful finish for England's second.

Substitutes

SUB: Chloe Kelly (84' for Russo) - N/A

SUB: Bethany England (93' for Hemp) - N/A

Manager

Sarina Wiegman - 6/10 - Left it late to make substitutions yet again despite England not performing at their best, but ultimately got her side over the line.

Player of the match for England: Alessia Russo

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