Australia v England: Women’s World Cup 2023 semi-final – live updates

15 mins: England are growing into the contest, moving the ball nicely through the lines in midfield with Russo and Hemp dovetailing in the final third. Good defending from Hunt forces Hemp wide near the byline and the Lionesses recycle.

14 mins: Catley is adamant she should be awarded a free-kick for a robust aerial challenge by Bronze in the Australian box, but no whistle is forthcoming and England have a third corner. This one also comes to nought with a header glancing harmlessly over the bar.

13 mins: It’s a classic possession v counterattack proposition with England dominating the ball and looking to move methodically through an Australian side lying in wait for the ambush and rapid strike the other way.

12 mins: Australia make the first of what are sure to be many raids down the left but the nearpost cross is just to high for the leaping Fowler.

10 mins: England make little of the first – and second – corners of the night. From the latter Kerr again finds herself winning possession in midfield in broken play, and this time Greenwood hacks her down – and the American referee isn’t having any of it. Yellow card to Greenwood.

9 mins: Now it’s Arnold’s turn to rescue her team! Stanway times her run to perfection, the ball over the top is inch perfect but the midfielder’s first time effort is deflected away by Arnold’s legs. The first good legal chance of the night.

7 mins: Close for Australia! Eventually the ball moves downfield and Gorry – earning her 100th cap, on the occasion of her daughter’s second birthday – wins possession in midfield. She quickly releases Kerr who only has Earps to beat with 40m to run into, but the England goalkeeper stands up bravely and repels the shot. The offside flag was later raised, but that was a close call.

7 mins: It is a curious start with England seemingly happy to take time off the clock and sting out of the game by passing the ball around their back three, and Australia resisting the urge to step out of their structure and force a decision.

6 mins: There’s still not a lot to get excited about, but there was a loud chorus of boos when Caitlin Foord was denied a throw-in, and cheers of a similar volume when goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold takes her first touch. Her penalty shootout heroics have made her an instant heroine.

5 mins: England’s back three are taking their time on the ball, looking for Walsh and Stanway ahead of them but Australia’s forward press is doing well to block the passing lanes. Then, just as Aloisi predicted, there’s almost a turnover with Bright looking for a low-percentage ball.

3 mins: Neither side have properly settled into a pattern of play but Hemp and Russo both show some nice touches to urge the ball forward down England’s right.

1 min: England get the ball rolling and send an early long ball downfield that Clare Polkinghorne meets with a towering header. Not long afterwards, in broken play, Sam Kerr gets to the ball first but Kiera Walsh brings her down with a smart professional foul.

Kick-off!

More smiles among the Matildas as they go for a controversial 7-4 formation for their team photo. They are wearing gold jerseys, green shorts and white socks. England are top to toe in blue.

Both teams looked to be soaking in the experience during the anthems with many players struggling to stifle awestruck smiles. Tony Gustavsson was grinning like a Cheshire cat, belting out Advance Australia Fair. The mascots couldn’t have been giddier. What a night.

Out come the two sides to a wall of noise and a blizzard of dry ice. Stadium Australia is a picture.

As the countdown to kick-off hits ten minutes, it’s time for the prematch formalities, beginning with the traditional Welcome to Country.

Peek behind Oz’s mighty curtain with Jonathan Liew, in situ in Stadium Australia.

Palpable tension in the media room before the game, where an uneasy truce appears to have broken out between the Australian and English journalists. The losers have to go to Brisbane for the third-place playoff. As if the stakes weren’t already high enough.

A member of the stadium catering staff walks around the room handing out something described as “Aussie pies”. What makes them Aussie? “The beef,” she replies. Or, as one English hack points out, the fact that they’ll be gone by the end of the night.

There will be more from Jonathan after the final whistle. You can keep up with his output, and everything else from the Guardian this World Cup by signing up to the Moving the Goalposts newsletter.

“For both the tournament’s and her sakes, I’m thrilled to see Sam Kerr finally start,” emails Adam K from the USA. “Early on in the tournament I was worried she wouldn’t appear at a home World Cup, and it’s great to see her back. The battle with Millie Bright will be crucial, as you say, although I’m also interested about her fitness levels if we go to extra time or penalties. I know Gustavsson is in a tricky situation (keep her as an impact sub or use the psychological advantage of having her start knowing she may have limited minutes) so I’m not disagreeing with him, rather I’m curious to see how it all unfolds – which I guess is the whole point of football.

“5am thoughts with Adam today include how amusing it is that there are certain footballers who always carry around particular adjectives before their names – as an extension to footballers who are always referred to by their full names. As examples of the latter we have “Kerry Dixon” or “Shaun Derry,” and for the former “the experienced Clare Polkinghorne.” I don’t know why this tickles me so much — possibly the time of day? — but I thought I’d share.”

I can’t believe Kerry Dixon’s made it on to the MBM. Scenes.

What about the weather? Dry and cool with a slight northerly breeze in Sydney. AKA perfect.

Tonight’s referee is Tori Penso from the USA. This is her fourth match of the tournament, and second of the knockout phase after overseeing France’s victory against Morocco in Adelaide in the round of 16.

Former Portsmouth and Coventry striker (and Australian international legend) John Aloisi is on the Australian TV coverage, and he is bullish about the chances of the Matildas.

We will win the game in transition. Bright likes to play passing into the midfield, sometimes straight balls. If our midfielders are ready for that and can win the ball and get their players forward quickly, with Foord, Raso, Kerr, we will hurt them.

Half-an-hour to go… Time for David Squires’ take, including a public service announcement for any rural publicans broadcasting what they think is tonight’s match (and the politicians bending their elbows nearby).

“No matter the result, the way that Australia has embraced the Matildas in such an unprecedented way is groundbreaking for football in Australia. I booked tickets to games a few months ago, assuming it wouldn’t be part of the national consciousness. I was part of sellout crowds at AAMI Park for three out of four matches.

“Today, everyone is talking about where they’re watching the match. It’s an amazing development that most of us long-term fans would never have expected. Here’s hoping we build on this. No matter the result, the Matildas have emblazoned their brand on Australia.” Andrew James on the email capturing the mood of a nation.

I know it’s low-hanging fruit, but the significance of Sam Kerr starting cannot be overstated. She has terrorised English defences for the past three seasons with Chelsea, and her presence will force that back three/five to adjust their approach and create space for Foord, Raso, and Fowler.

Moreover, Australia have looked a different side after scoring early. If Kerr isn’t fit for a full 90 minutes, her value is arguably at its highest early on, so it makes sense for her to start rather than come off the bench.

Elsewhere, I think tonight could rest on the performances of the full-backs.

We haven’t seen too much of Ellie Carpenter belting down the right flank this tournament – compared to Steph Catley on the left – but each will be required to put in a shift in both directions to combat England’s 3-5-2 structure. If Carpenter can support Raso, and Catley can continue her partnership with Foord, that’s going to stretch England’s central defensive trio and put a lot of pressure on the wingbacks to prioritise defence, denying Wiegman’s side bodies in transition.

Kieran Pender’s key match-ups: Foord v Bronze, Hemp v Carpenter, Kerr v Earps, and Gorry & Cooney-Cross v Stanway & Walsh.

Not for the first time, an England dressing room contains a germane pennant.

For what it’s worth, I think Georgia Stanway is England’s key player tonight. She’ll see a lot of the ball and her bravery in possession and ability drive at the heart of Australia’s defence from central areas will be crucial if the Lionesses are to prise open the Matildas in open play.

Here she is talking to Suzanne Wrack about her tournament so far and her mentor Luke Chadwick.

“The Crooked Spire, alias Millie Bright, she is the key to this game,” emails Peter Pettit. “Rest assured everyone in Chesterfield is behind her. She’s a winner.”

Godspeed; she’ll have her hands full with clubmate Sam Kerr.

Here’s a look at England from an Australian perspective.

The England squad at full strength is one of the strongest in world football, but the Lionesses travelled to Australia depleted due to long-term injuries to several key players. Forward Beth Mead was joint top scorer at the Euros last year, but ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament during the club season and is still recovering. The captain, Leah Williamson, is another missing through an ACL injury, while Fran Kirby was ruled out after undergoing knee surgery in May.

England are wearing their change strip of all-blue tonight. Not dissimilar to the French uniform Australia faced on the weekend.

Anita Asante looks at the battle in the dugout between Gustavsson and Wiegman.

As the co-hosts this is a massive, historic occasion for Australia and much hinges on how they handle the attendant expectations and enormous stress. Gustavsson’s players do not just have to cope with England, they need to manage their emotions, too. As much as the Lionesses want to reach the final they are under less pressure and could well thrive on the hostility in Sydney. They clearly enjoyed playing in front of a largely Colombia-supporting crowd in their quarter-final and I expect them to embrace the atmosphere and be fearless on Wednesday. Even so, something tells me it’s going to be an extremely tight semi-final.

Karen Carney has been impressed with England’s resilience but warns Australia, with a massive home crowd behind them, will pose the biggest threat so far.

England have reached three consecutive World Cup semi-finals and hopefully this will be third time lucky. To go from losing five of the European Championship final starting lineup in 12 months – forcing a change of shape, look and feel to the side – to being in the final four this summer is an incredible achievement for this headstrong squad. They will not fear what lies ahead.

Welcome to those of you just tuning in. I’m sure there’s plenty of people in the UK now following along with a tab open during office hours, while people in Australia settle in after dinner (or during, in my case).

We’re moving into the final hour before kick-off so it’s time to drill down on the football specifics.

Kieran Pender sets the scene from Sydney

Following the Matildas’ opening match of the tournament, a nervy win against Ireland, a journalist commented to Gustavsson that it was a case of one down, six to go. Almost a month later, the equation has become more favourable. Five down, two to go. But in that time, the ground around them seems to have shifted as the Matildas have captivated an entire nation.

The teams are in, the gates are open, the hype dial has been turned to 11. Time for a Duggee break.

Australia’s captain Sam Kerr is starting for the first time this World Cup, along with veteran defender Clare Polkinghorne.

We’ve been provided some clarity on Alanna Kennedy’s absence with the Australian team stating: “This morning Alanna Kennedy was ruled out of tonight’s clash due to illness. Alanna will not be in attendance tonight.”

We’ve also had confirmation that it’s neither Covid or concussion related. Hopefully she’s well soon.

I’m sure a roar will have gone up when Australia announced Sam Kerr’s name in the starting XI.

England XI