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A superb display ensured the Lionesses reached their first ever World Cup final – dumping the old enemy and host nation Australia out of the tournament in the process. Goals from Ella Toone, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo gave England a 3-1 win over the Matildas in Sydney on Wednesday. Thousands of fans across the UK took time off work to watch the game – with many singing, dancing and slamming tables at fan parks. England cricket fans took great delight in the Lionesses getting one over the Aussies, with the Barmy Army tweeting: “Oh bye bye Aussies, bye bye” towards the end of the game. Fans at BoxPark Croydon had a few nervy minutes after Sam Kerr’s stunning strike levelled the tie in the second-half. But there were jubilant scenes as the final whistle blew and many fans embracing each other ahead of the final against Spain on Sunday. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Ella Toone struck a magnificent opener for England against Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-final. The Manchester United star smashed the ball high into the top corner before wheeling away in delight with her teammates. The 23-year-old, who has grabbed her opportunity in place of the suspended Lauren James, explained her celebration ahead of time. FOLLOW LIVE - Australia vs England LIVE: Women’s World Cup semi-final score and updates "Yeah, I'd do an absolute madness,” Toone told BBC 5 Live. “I definitely do think about that and in tournament football, moments fall to different people, and if you take them moments, and we've definitely had a lot of them throughout the tournament. “I'm sure if it falls to me in the box then I'd be buzzing to put it away. Well, usually anything happens! “But I'm on strict orders that my mates, we all got matching tattoos before I came out. They want me to kiss it and do a little love heart. so I promised them I'd do that.” BBC pundit Alex Scott praised Toone’s impact, saying: “She lost her place to Lauren James, she’s saying, ‘don’t forget about me,’ what a goal it was.” While Ellen White added: There’s a bit of bite behind that, I’m still here, I’m here for a show, I’m not going anywhere and I’m taking this team to a World Cup final.” Read More Australia vs England LIVE: Women’s World Cup semi-final score and updates after stunning Ella Toone goal Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today How many games will Lauren James miss at Women’s World Cup after red card?

Liverpool are stepping up their efforts to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure. Jurgen Klopp has insisted on a number six to bolster his squad after missing out on Moises Caicedo to Chelsea, with Romeo Lavia set to follow the Ecuadorian to Stamford Bridge. The Anfield club have had to search for alternative options, with Doucoure likely to be cheaper than both previous targets. Doucoure’s final price could come in at under £60 million, although Palace are wary of losing too many players this summer. The Malian midfielder is understood to be keen to move to Anfield, and personal terms would not be an issue. Liverpool are also looking at Fulham's Joao Paulinha and Nice's Khephren Thuram but the 23-year-old Doucoure is seen as a more viable option to do right now. Klopp is keen to “reload” in the coming weeks as the Reds revamp their squad and starting options. The German said: “We don’t have to always say ‘Milner would have said that and Henderson would have said that and Firmino would have smiled here.’ We should not do it like that. That makes no sense. “We have this kind of new start with this Liverpool reloaded, it’s an exciting thing. Everybody was asking for changes, rightly so, because we were together for a long time. “It’s a new chance for everybody, everybody has to step up. We all share responsibility and it’s not that we should give ourselves too much time to grow into it, let’s do it. “Let’s take the responsibility and go from there and don’t try to be like somebody. Be the best version of yourself and then you have a good chance to help the team in the best possible way.” Read More Big-spending Chelsea close to completing deals for Romeo Lavia and Michael Olise Moises Caicedo completes Chelsea’s dream midfield — but £115m deal could haunt them Chelsea-Liverpool chaos was the perfect result for one team: Brighton

Harry Maguire’s £30 million move to West Ham is off, with the England defender now likely to stay at Manchester United. The two clubs had agreed a fee for the centre back, who had been stripped of the Man United captaincy this summer. But Maguire would have had to take a substantial cut in his wages to leave Old Trafford, with his Man United salary going up this summer after Erik ten Hag’s team qualified for the Champions League, and no pay-off was agreed. Ten Hag has always said that he regards Maguire as a valuable member of his squad and wanted the former Leicester, Hull and Sheffield United player to stay and fight for his place. He was on the bench for Monday’s 1-0 win over Wolves, though Ten Hag brought on Victor Lindelof ahead of him. Man United were also concerned that Maguire’s departure this late in the window would not have given them much time to find a replacement, though Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard would have been one contender. West Ham, who have signed midfielders Edson Alvarez and James Ward-Prowse with the proceeds of Declan Rice’s £105million sale to Arsenal, are now expected to switch their attention to other defensive targets. The former Man United midfielder Jesse Lingard, who had a successful loan spell under David Moyes in 2021/22, is also training with West Ham and available on a free transfer after leaving Nottingham Forest. Read More Football rumours: Crystal Palace unhappy with Chelsea over bid for Michael Olise Harry Maguire looking set to remain with Manchester United Harry Maguire’s move to West Ham in doubt

Chelsea are set to take their spending under Todd Boehly to a whopping £1billion if they can get deals for Romeo Lavia and Michael Olise over the line. The American has splashed the cash since taking over at Stamford Bridge, backing Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino heavily in the transfer market. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the biggest deals. Moses Caicedo (£115million) The Blues beat off competition from Liverpool for the signature of the highly-rated Brighton midfielder, who is the third most expensive under-21 player in the world behind Kylian Mbappe and Joao Felix. They paid £100m up front, but that could rise to £115m depending on certain criteria. Enzo Fernandez (£106.8m) Chelsea smashed the British transfer record when they signed the World Cup winner from Benfica in the January transfer window for an outright £106m, surpassing Jack Grealish’s fee for his move from Aston Villa to Manchester City. Mykhailo Mudryk (£88.5m) The Ukraine star cost £62million up front when he joined from Shakhtar Donetsk in January, but that fee could rise to £88.5m with possible add-ons. Wesley Fofana (£75m) Chelsea were after defensive reinforcements when they signed Wesley Fofana from Leicester. The France international cost £70million, with a possible further £5m to be paid to the Foxes in add-ons. Marc Cucurella (£63m) Chelsea have looked to Brighton on a number of occasions and, a few months before Graham Potter made the move from the Amex, the Blues signed left-back Cucurella for £56m, with a further £7m due in extras. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Romeo Lavia to have Chelsea medical as Hakim Ziyech nears Stamford Bridge exit Alex Cuthbert and Johnny Williams handed Wales starts against South Africa Ben Stokes comes out of ODI retirement ahead of World Cup bid

Midfielder Romeo Lavia will undergo a medical on Wednesday ahead of his move to Chelsea, while Hakim Ziyech is close to exiting Stamford Bridge. The Blues agreed an initial £53million fee to sign Lavia from Southampton on Tuesday, which could rise to £58m in add-ons, the PA news agency understands. Lavia is now in London to go through his medical tests but Ziyech will be the latest player to go through the exit door at Chelsea after an agreement in principle was reached with Galatasaray for his transfer. It has been a whirlwind few days for Mauricio Pochettino’s team, with the British record capture of Moises Caicedo from Brighton completed on Monday. Caicedo’s transfer could eventually total £115m and a day later the Blues closed in on the signings of Lavia and Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise. After Lavia made it known to Southampton on Monday that he favoured a move to west London, Chelsea and the recently-relegated Saints reached an agreement for his transfer on Tuesday night. Lavia will sign for an initial £53m with Southampton able to receive a further £5m in add-ons. The spending under owner Todd Boehly shows no sign of slowing down though, with Olise’s £35m release clause activated on Tuesday, PA understands. It allows Chelsea to now negotiate personal terms with the highly-rated Crystal Palace winger. Olise is currently out injured with a hamstring issue and his current club Palace are reported to be unhappy with Chelsea’s conduct during their pursuit of the France Under-21 international. PA understands Chelsea are comfortable they have done nothing untoward and Olise is expected to finalise his move this week. Ziyech should leave after Chelsea and Galatasaray reached an agreement for his transfer on Wednesday, but the Morocco forward still has a medical to complete after moves to Paris St Germain and Al Nassr collapsed earlier this year. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

England face hosts Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-finals as the Lionesses come up against not just the Matildas but an entire nation in Sydney, with a place against Spain in Sunday’s final up for grabs. The stage for the latest chapter of England and Australia’s historic rivalry could not be bigger as both teams aim to reach their first-ever Women’s World Cup final, with the hosts gripped by Matildas fever and set for their biggest sporting occasion since the 2000 Olympic Games. The Lionesses rode the wave of home support as they won the Euros last summer but will now look to spoil the party as Sarina Wiegman’s side look to make history of their own. England have overcome several challenges to reach the semi-finals now faced with their biggest yet as they take on a near-80,000 capacity crowd at Stadium Australia. Follow LIVE: England face Australia in World Cup semi-final clash Tensions are set to be high as the Lionesses face the Matildas, although players from both sides played down the traditional rivalry that is played out across sports like cricket and netball. I wouldn’t say this is a major rivalry in football,” England midfielder Keira Walsh argued ahead of the match. “They are a great team and it is a semi-final. Whoever you’re playing it is going to be an intense game. So for us that is one of the last things we’re thinking of.” Who is the referee for England vs Australia? England’s semi-final with Australia will be refereed by American Tori Penso, who is one of the leading officials in the game. Penso regularly takes charge of Major League Soccer matches in the United States after becoming the first woman to referee in the US top-flight in 20 years when she officiated a game between D.C. United and Nashville in September 2020. The World Cup semi-final will be Penso’s fourth match of the tournament. Penso, who has been a Fifa-rated referee since 2021, took charge of Germany’s 6-0 win over Morocco and Switzerland’s 0-0 draw with New Zealand in the group stages, as well as France’s 4-0 win against Morocco in the last-16. Penso only gave out two yellow cards across her first three games at the tournament. When is England vs Australia? The Women’s World Cup semi-final will kick off at 11am UK time (BST) on Wednesday 16 August, and will be played at the Stadium Australia, Sydney. How can I watch it? England vs Australia will be shown live on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer, with coverage getting underway from 10am. Read More Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today England and Australia’s old rivalry on a new stage for World Cup semi-final Who and when do England play next? Lionesses’ route to the World Cup final

Olga Henderson, 91, has been reunited with a quilt she made with her fellow child prisoners.

England face hosts Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-finals as the Lionesses come up against not just the Matildas but an entire nation in Sydney. The stage for the latest chapter of England and Australia’s historic rivalry could not be bigger as both teams aim to reach their first-ever Women’s World Cup final, with the hosts gripped by Matildas fever and set for their biggest sporting occasion since the 2000 Olympic Games. The Lionesses rode the wave of home support as they won the Euros last summer but will now look to spoil the party as Sarina Wiegman’s side attempt to make history of their own. England have overcome several challenges to reach the semi-finals and are now faced with their biggest yet as they take on a near-80,000 capacity crowd at Stadium Australia. A place against Spain in Sunday’s final is up for grabs, with ‘La Roja’ defeating Sweden 2-1 yesterday. Follow live updates from England vs Australia in the semi-finals and get all the latest Women’s World Cup odds here Read More How to watch England vs Australia: TV channel and kick-off time for Women’s World Cup semi-final England and Australia’s old rivalry has new stage as World Cup arrives at its biggest moment The Lionesses will need to beat an entire nation in the grip of World Cup fever

Watch live as supporters arrive at Stadium Australia for the Women’s World Cup semi-final between Australia and England. A place in the showpiece final is up for grabs, in what could be one of the biggest football matches of the year so far. For Australia, they will hope star striker Sam Kerr will be fit enough to feature from the start. She picked up an injury ahead of the tournament and has been limited to appearing as a substitute so far. England boss Sarina Wiegman, though, believes simply nullifying the threat posed by Kerr will not be enough to see the Lionesses through to a first-ever World Cup final. The Australia captain is her country’s leading goal-scorer of either gender but has not yet started a match in the global showpiece after injuring her calf. European champions England take on the Matildas at 11am BST in Sydney, where the majority of the 75,000 in attendance will be backing the co-hosts. Read More ‘Mystic meerkats’ predict winner of England vs Australia World Cup semi-final England forward Rachel Daly among six World Cup stars shortlisted for PFA award England vs Australia: Key stats ahead of crunch World Cup semi-final

Referee-turned-pundit Mike Dean says he will not have any issue in telling former colleague Simon Hooper how badly he got things wrong by not giving Wolves a penalty in their defeat at Manchester United on Monday. Hooper and VAR officials Michael Salisbury and Richard West have been stood down for this weekend by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) boss Howard Webb after they collectively failed to award Gary O’Neil’s side what looked like a blatant spot-kick in added time of the 1-0 loss at Old Trafford. Dean quit his role as a dedicated VAR and coach of up and coming officials in the summer in order to move into a role as a pundit on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday. And the 55-year-old, who made his debut on the show last week, has warned his former colleagues that he “won’t be sitting on the fence” when it comes to discussing controversial decisions. “I’ve had a chat with a few of the referees and made it clear that if they make a bad decision, I won’t be sitting on the fence or defending the indefensible and they were OK with that,” he told the PA news agency. “I want to be able to do the job properly and give proper insight. “Equally, I’ll be happy to highlight good decisions as it will be good to give refs some credit.” Dean was an on-field referee for 27 years – 22 of those in the Premier League – and was undoubtedly one of the biggest characters in the game, with his antics and exaggerated facial expressions prime content for online memes. His final year for the PGMOL was spent at Stockley Park as a dedicated VAR and he admits he did not get the same satisfaction. “For me refereeing was the best job in the world, and I felt lucky to be able to be paid for basically doing my hobby,” he said. “But after 27 years of refereeing, and 22 in the Premier League, I felt like I had done my time and wanted to start the next chapter of my life. “It didn’t take long for me to realise that being on VAR wasn’t for me. Having to travel down to London to then be stuck in a room, telling on-field referees whether their decisions were right or wrong didn’t give me the same enjoyment. “I spoke to Howard about this and luckily he supported me in my move away from the role. “I only ever tried to be the best referee I could be. I don’t shy away from the fact I did the job in a different way to some others, but this just came from my enjoyment of it. “I loved my career, seeing Premier League football every weekend from the best seat in the house. I got to referee some amazing games like Man City against QPR when they won the league in the last minute, and make some great mates.” Webb has had a tough induction to the top job at the PGMOL since taking over from Mike Riley in December but has been committed to making his officials accountable for their errors and also improved communication. Dean insists the former World Cup final official is the “best man for the job”. He added: “I have no doubt that Howard is the best man for the job, he has a real presence and is respected in the game. It didn’t take long for me to realise that being on VAR wasn’t for me Mike Dean “He’ll be in contact with Premier League managers this year and will have no problems being up front and honest with them – this communication should only help this season. “Premier League football and decisions in big games will always get attention, and it is the nature of being a referee that you will get criticised when you make mistakes just like players. “The difference for referees is that you will rarely get called out for refereeing a game well, or making good decisions. That’s why I’m not a fan of the idea of refs being interviewed after games, as they’d only want to be spoken to when they’ve made an error.” :: Mike Dean has a new role as the face of the Family & Friends Railcard. Research from Railcard.co.uk reveals that fans opting to travel by train to football matches can save over £50 per adult and child just by using the Family & Friends Railcard. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live England forward Rachel Daly among six World Cup stars shortlisted for PFA award Football rumours: Crystal Palace unhappy with Chelsea over bid for Michael Olise On this day 2009: Usain Bolt breaks WR for World Championship 100m gold in 9.58

England’s Rachel Daly is one of six World Cup stars who have been shortlisted for the Professional Footballers’ Association Players’ Player of the Year award. Forward Daly hit 22 goals in the Women’s Super League for Aston Villa last season – a remarkable achievement for a player who featured at left-back in the Lionesses’ successful Euros campaign last summer. Her form last season has made her a first choice up front at the World Cup for England manager Sarina Wiegman. The 31-year-old from Harrogate is joined by five other illustrious WSL names on the nominees list, including Australia striker Sam Kerr, Norwegian duo Frida Maanum and Guro Reiten, Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw and Spain’s Ona Batlle. Kerr and Reiten were key components of a Chelsea team which secured a sixth WSL title last season, with Kerr scoring the winner as the Blues claimed the domestic double with victory over Manchester United in the FA Cup final. Reiten’s international team-mate Maanum was a major asset to Arsenal last term. Her versatility in midfield has made her a vital part of Jonas Eidevall’s Gunners team since her arrival from Linkoping in July 2021. Full-back Batlle was part of a Manchester United squad which pushed Chelsea close in the league all season and helped the team qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history. She returned to Barcelona earlier this summer when her United contract expired. Shaw was a shining light in what was a disappointing season on the whole for Manchester City, scoring 31 goals in 30 games in all competitions. Her performances earned her a contract extension through to 2026 earlier this summer. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live