England v Colombia preview: Lionesses target World Cup semi-final

The Lionesses managed to prevail on penalties after what was already the ninth 0-0 draw of the tournament - more than the entire eight previous editions combined.

It also extended England's remarkable unbeaten record in competitive fixtures to 27 matches (W25, D2), so they should be confident of reaching a third successive WWC semi-final, where they will be looking to make amends for a last-four defeat to eventual champions USA in 2019.

Standing in their way are Colombia, who have already made history by qualifying for the last eight of a WWC for the first time. Tuesday’s narrow 1-0 win over Jamaica, secured thanks to a second half strike from captain Catalina Usme, continued the South American outfit’s fine record at this year’s tournament, where they have now won three of their four matches (L1).

A proud manager Nelson Abadía has already described his side’s remarkable run as a "unique moment in the history" of his country. Indeed, the only blot on their copybook so far is a 1-0 defeat to Morocco in their final group game, by which point they had already reached the knockout stages, so he ought to be confident they can record a 17th victory in their 25th match (D4, L4) since July 2022.

Players to watch: England may be hoping Alessia Russo can find her shooting boots, as they have won each of the nine games in which she has scored, including a 6-1 demolition of China in the group stages. Looking to outscore her may be Linda Caicedo, who has bagged the first goal in four of her seven scoring appearances for Colombia (W7).

Hot streak: England have not conceded the first goal in any of their last 12 competitive internationals (W12).