BACKBONE OF ENGLAND

Bethany calling on Lionesses to show their bravery

- NEIL MOXLEY

BETHANY ENGLAND says the Lionesses will not stand toe-to toe with Colombia – but will let their football do the talking. 

The South American side caused a stir when their pre-World Cup friendly against Ireland was abandoned for overzealous behaviour.

The Colombians have not shown any signs since then that they are going to mix it but England says the referee needs to act if there are problems.

She said: “There was a lot of talk about that but we’ve also seen them in this tournament and no game has been abandoned yet.

“Every game is physical. I think if it gets too physical, referees will step in when it comes to a player’s safety. It’s down to their discretion as to how many cards they want to give.

“Ultimately, I think that the biggest danger is not to underestimate them.