Lionesses power into World Cup final after beating Australia

Poise and adaptability put England into the final

- Jonathan Liew

The girl in the Sam Kerr mask was weeping. No tears were actually visible. The cardboard surface itself remained impassive, but you could tell what was going on from the way the chin quivered, from the mother's arm draped around hunched shoulders. For Australia, the co-hosts and the stirring soul of this tournament, the party is over.

Then again, nobody ever reached a World Cup final without breaking a few hearts along the way. And on a crisp Sydney night, England moved one step closer to a peak they have been trying to scale for 30 years. Their 3-1 victory was not flawless, and nor was it entirely free of dread or drama. But it was nerveless and efficient in all the right places: a performance carved from the austere gospel of Sarina Wiegman, the brilliant Dutch coach who has now overseen the two greatest tournament showings in the history of England women's football.

The phoney war and the slightly tiresome jokes about cricket can be safely stowed away. The champions of Europe are a game away from becoming champions of the world.

And ultimately this was the difference between the two sides. Australia: proud and passionate, fuelled by an extraordinary wave of national fervour and the world's greatest striker in Kerr, but fatally lacking in composure at the key moments. England: calm and dispassionate, clinical on the counterattack, relishing their role as spoilers and assassins. Of course you want a capacity crowd and the hand of history on your side. But on balance, you would probably rather have a functioning defence.