Ella Toone scored a magnificent opener for England against Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-final.
The Manchester United star smashed the ball into the top corner to set the Lionesses on their way to beat the host nation 3-1.
Toone says it was the “best shot” she’s ever hit in her life as it helped England set up an eagerly awaited final against Spain.
It was Toone’s first goal of the World Cup and it was a fantastic first-time attempt on goal as she collected Alessia Russo’s pass and hammered it past Mackenzie Arnold.
“It felt straight to me in the box and I thought ‘why not just smack it?’ Honestly, that’s the best shot I’ve hit in my life,” Toone said, as per ESPN.
“Sometimes when you hit the ball, you just know, ‘yeah I’ve caught that perfectly’ and that was like ‘wow, that was alright that’. I think I knew as soon as it left my boot that it was going to end up in the back of the net.”
England will play Spain on Sunday, with both teams looking to win their first World Cup. It will be a rematch of last year’s European Championship quarter-final, which England won 2-1. The Lionesses went on to win the Euros and they will be hoping to do the same with the World Cup in Australia.
Furthermore, it will be the first all-European final since 2003, when Germany beat Sweden.
Ella Toone celebration explained
Speaking to BBC 5 Live, Toone explained her celebration ahead of time.
“Yeah, I’d do an absolute madness,” Toone said. “I definitely do think about that and in tournament football, moments fall to different people, and if you take them moments, and we’ve definitely had a lot of them throughout the tournament.
“I’m sure if it falls to me in the box then I’d be buzzing to put it away. Well, usually anything happens!
“But I’m on strict orders that my mates, we all got matching tattoos before I came out. They want me to kiss it and do a little love heart. so I promised them I’d do that.”
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