Australian fans raged against England’s aggressive approach in the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup.
The Lionesses presented their stand at the start of the contest in Sydney on Wednesday night, with a number of robust first-half challenges.
From the first exchanges, England seemed determined to stop Australia as high as possible with Ella Toone and Lucy Bronze both penalized by referee Tori Penso.
Matildas full-back Steph Catley was sent to the turf twice as the Lionesses managed to disrupt Australia’s pace and never allowed the hosts to settle.
England gave Australia nine fouls in the first 45 minutes, with Lionesses defender Alex Greenwood the only player cautioned in the first half.
Australian fans were angry at England’s aggressive approach in the World Cup semi-finals
Matildas skipper Sam Kerr (right) was at the end of bruising treatment from England
Unsurprisingly, the physical approach didn’t sit well with Matildas fans, who took to social media to vent their frustration.
“Real lionesses are brave. I don’t know what this England team think they are but they hit me more like loose dogs,’ one Australian fan tweeted.
Another added: “I didn’t know you could kick someone in the face or throw them a knee.”
One fan, meanwhile, suggested the Lionesses’ approach would be more suited to the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
“Looks like the England women’s team have brought their rugby skills to the football pitch!” the tweet read.
Some fans, meanwhile, have suggested England are deliberately targeting Matildas skipper Sam Kerr, who made his first tournament start on Wednesday night.
“Although I’m ambivalent about who I want to win, I’d rather #England didn’t tear Sam Kerr to pieces so much,” one tweeted.
Another added: “England are out for Sam Kerr tonight.”
Matildas fans accused the Lionesses of being cowardly in their approach on Wednesday
Another fan complained that Australia weren’t getting any protection from referee Tori Penso
As another fan joked, England had taken a rugby approach
Kerr entered the Matildas starting XI for Emily Van Egmond, despite having played just 75 minutes of World Cup football so far.
The 29-year-old suffered a left calf injury on July 19, a day before Australia’s tournament opener against the Republic of Ireland.
As a result, the Chelsea striker was forced to miss all three group stage matches but came off the bench for the final 10 minutes of the 2-0 win over Denmark in the round of 16.
Kerr was introduced 55 minutes into the quarter-final against France on Saturday and converted her penalty in the shootout.
On Monday, the Matildas skipper revealed she ignored the calf injury she suffered in training ahead of the tournament but revealed the plan was still to get her back in shape for the semi-final.
“When I injured my calf, the plan was to always (try to) be ready for a semi-final, the final.
‘So I could have (started against France), but who knows what could have happened?
England defender Alex Greenwood (right) was the only player booked in the first half
Some Matildas fans have claimed England are desperate to stop Kerr any way they can
The sentiment was shared even by some of the neutrals, who noted the punitive treatment inflicted on the skipper of Matildas
“The girls smashed it and absolutely dominated.
“I was ready to go, but we had a plan for the whole tournament and we just had to stick to it.
“It was part of the plan, getting 20 minutes against Denmark to make me feel better for this game and now with another, what, 65 minutes, I feel better and will have more training under my belt.
‘So I feel ready to leave. I think with everything that happened, the best thing for (the France game) was the plan we made and the plan we followed.
