Kerr felt the full force of England's hostility. Photo: AP/Abbie Parr
This was the backyard of Australia; their land, their land, their world championship. You never win easily here, and you definitely don't expect to be loved when you play for England in this part of the world.
It made it all the more special that England won by knocking the hosts out of their own tournament, crushing their spirit and dreams. England dismantled them, outplayed and outclassed them, and they did it all very far from home.
They put on a nasty streak that perhaps even they didn't know existed until Australia brought — or should have to provoke is outside of them.
Lionesses were poked, kicked, elbowed, and even spied on by their owners; the national newspaper incited them, inviting them «to the jungle», warning that nothing was forbidden. It was designed to intimidate. It didn't work, like so much of what Australia has tried on the field.
England was booed and ridiculed everywhere. It was hostile and unfriendly. That was all there was to it in a high-stakes, high-pressure clash between the two countries. It was unwavering, intense and sometimes brutal. It was great. Sports theater in all its glory.
The English were villains, they had to hate and thrive in this role. They fought fire with fire. They were not intimidated or intimidated. They got stuck, they crashed into Australia, they left their mark. The lionesses sharpened their claws and made it clear that Australia feels them.
United by history, separated by sports. It was Australia against England, the old world against the new. They are our friends and allies — we really love each other — but on nights like this they seem very different.
England understood and smiled back. Then they hurt, they hurt Australia long before they were beaten. It's what all the best villains do, they do it with flair and panache.
From the moment Kyra Walsh, who is not known for her malevolent intentions or even physical strength, looked up and saw Australian star player Sam Kerr approaching her in the first minutes. The look was obvious, she knew who would come to compete for the ball. Walsh's eyes widened a little, and then she made sure Kerr sensed her spikes and sent her to the lawn. There was even a rugby-style head pat. A fake act of apology meant to send a message. There is something else where it came from. And that happened too.
Walsh slayed Kerr at the beginning of the article 
The tackle looked like a statement of intent. Photo: Getty Images/SAID KHAN
Bronze threw Steph Catley to the ground and almost crashed into the billboards, and she seemed to be holding back a laugh as she ran away. Jess Carter wrapped her leg and knee in Kerr's side, causing her Chelsea teammate to flinch in pain.
Alex Greenwood got a yellow card for cutting down Kerr in the same cynical manner as you, you will probably see. Kerr had a shin injury and England checked to see if it had healed or not.
Greenwood's fight with Kerr also looked like a test of Australia's character. Photo: AFP/DAVID GRAY
But what England actually did was silence the crowd, anger and upset them. Slow down the game when they need it and speed it up when they need it. They took their hostility and used it as motivation.
«The crowds were against us in the last game as well,» said Ella Toon, whose first goal made it impossible for Australia to simply play a counter-attack. “In almost every game we played in this tournament, they were against us. It doesn't bother us at all. We just get through it and keep pushing for the win.
“I think we're feeding that hostility a little. Shutting up the crowd was a big part of tonight, we did it by scoring three great goals and by the end the crowd was pretty quiet.
«We just faced the host country and beat them 3-1 in front of their crowd, this is our mentality. Nothing is stopping us.”
Australia tried to stop England. They did their best. They gave him everything they could. But they failed, they lost and in the end they lost.
We know this England team will always find a way out. They are not a good team not to collide anyway. They are not going to be bullied or intimidated, even by a nation that has traditionally done so well in so many different sports arenas in the past, especially at home.
Lionesses. who can not be messed with — and they are one game away from conquering the world.
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