Fran Kirby insists England are ready to end the Lionesses’ semi-hoodoo by knocking out Sweden to reach the Euro final
FRAN KIRBY believes England’s current crop of stars are poised to overcome their tournament semi-final by knocking out Sweden to reach this year’s European Championship final.
But the Lionesses playmaker is refusing to get carried away with dreams of lifting the trophy, with the hosts set for a tough test at Bramall Lane on Tuesday night.
On Tuesday, England face Peter Gerhardsson’s team for a place in a sold-out Wembley final against France or record European Championship Germany.
And Kirby hopes the team can overcome a major semi hurdle after suffering heartbreak at this stage in Euro 2017 and under Phil Neville at WC 2019.
Kirby said: “I don’t want to be another player who loses in another semi-final and doesn’t make the final of a big tournament with England.
“I wouldn’t say we’re too focused on it, but it’s something that we all want to achieve and it’s always been talked about from the beginning.
“But we know we have to win the semi-final first. We can’t focus on getting to the final until you beat Sweden. It won’t be an easy game.”
Sweden, whose squad includes Chelsea skipper Magda Eriksson and Arsenal striker Stina Blackstenius, have won three of their last six games against the Lionesses dating back to June 2005.
Victories include a 2-1 third place play-off defeat by England – then coached by former boss Neville – at the 2019 World Cup in France.
Kirby, who scored for the Lionesses in that match, was also on the scoresheet the last time the hosts dispatched their Swedish opponents.
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And she is very familiar with the threat posed by some of their senior players, including skipper Caroline Seger.
Kirby added: “Caroline Seger has so much experience and she’s led that team to multiple medals, tournament finals and semi-finals. She’s what makes the team tick and glue together.
“And then there is Kosovare Asllani with the quality she has on the ball with the chances she creates.
“If they’re hesitant to play, that’s good for us, but not good for everyone else watching because they bring great qualities to the game that everyone wants to see.
“Sweden are the highest ranked team left in the tournament and they have done amazingly well to get to this point in a semi-final.
“Like us, they didn’t get past the semis in the last World Cup. But we don’t allow pressure to get into us [and our camp] from the outside.”
England’s 8-0 thrashing of Norway and struggling 2-1 quarter-final defeat to Spain has seen expectations of a Lioness trophy win rise among fans and commentators.
However, Kirby, who has netted 16 times in 60 senior internationals, is keeping his feet firmly on the ground when it comes to dreams of winning the competition.
The England star added: “To be honest I haven’t thought about it, I’m quite cool and calm.
“I wouldn’t say that if you are classified as a good team you have to win a trophy. But for us now we know what our ambitions are and we want to get there.”