England has made more history by reaching their first Women’s World Cup final, defeating Australia 3-1 to set up a match against Spain on Sunday.

The pre-match stroll centered on who would be regarded the underdog – the Euro 2022 champions or tournament co-hosts – as well as the two countries’ strong sporting history.

And it all added up to an exciting semi-final at Stadium Australia. Ella Toone (36) curled in a beautiful attempt as England drew first blood after the Matildas conceded their first World Cup goal since the second group game against Nigeria – a stretch of well over five hours.

Australia’s talismanic captain, Sam Kerr, returned to the XI and had her inevitable say in the 63rd minute, blasting home a spectacular shot from roughly 25 yards.

But England’s tournament pedigree began to shine through shortly after, with Lauren Hemp (71) putting the Lionesses back ahead before Alessia Russo (86) secured their place in Sunday’s showpiece final against Spain.

While co-hosts Australia, who had a fantastic home crowd in Sydney, can no longer win the tournament, they can finish third when they meet Sweden in the play-off on Saturday.