By Lori Ewing
BURTON UPON TRENT, England (Reuters) – Less than a year after they hoisted the Women’s European Championship trophy in front of a record crowd at Wembley, England’s Lionesses hope to recreate some magic when they host Brazil in the inaugural Women’s Finalissima on Thursday.
Tickets for the match between the European and the South American champions have been sold out since early October, with Wembley set to host a capacity crowd.
“It’s really exciting to have that much demand that quickly, the game is in a good place, and obviously we want to build on that,” said Lucy Parker, who hopes to make her senior debut for England on Thursday. “Every time we can have this sort of exposure is really good.
“Winning is a habit and the girls are very good at it. So hopefully we can continue.”
The Lionesses trained for the first time in this international break on the pristine Bobby Charlton Pitch at St George’s Park on Tuesday.
The Lionesses also host Australia on April 11th, with both games key to their Women’s World Cup preparations.
Lauren Hemp was part of the team that beat Germany 2-1 in the thrilling Euro 2022 final last July in front of 87,192 fans, the largest crowd to watch a European women’s game.
The raucous Wembley atmosphere can be overwhelming, Hemp said.
“As players you want to obviously absorb every single moment and you want to feel that from the fans, but it’s also important to remember what you’re setting out to do,” Hemp said.
“But as players we can definitely feel the fans and that’s what you need throughout the games because sometimes if I’m knackered or lost focus for a minute, it’s the fans that really help me carry on. In the last few minutes, it helps us massively because they sort of give you that last bit of breath that you need to keep pushing to the end.”
Brazil and Australia present unique challenges for the Lionesses. They’ve prepared well for their South American opponents, Hemp said, but no Brazilians play in the Women’s Super League, compared to the Aussies.
“I think that’s also what makes it more exciting, that you’re not necessarily going to know what you’re going to come up against,” Hemp said. “It’s something new and something unique and something exciting that we’re going to come up against.”
“We know both games are going to be a challenge. And it’s one that we’re like really up for and hopefully will put us in good stead for the summer.”
England will be in Group D with Haiti, Denmark and China for the Women’s World Cup, which kicks off on July 20 in Australia and New Zealand.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; Editing by Toby Davis)
