ENGLAND'S Ella Toone set the World Cup semi-final strike against Australia alight with a stunning first-half strike.

The Lionesses took the lead against the Matildas at Stadium Australia in the first half, with the Manchester United star, from Tyldesley, picking up the ball in space in the box before firing it into the top corner.

England went on to win 3-1 and book a place in Sunday's final against Spain, with Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo adding goals in Sydney after Sam Kerr's equaliser for Australia.

 

The superb goal was Toone's first at this summer's World Cup and underlined how she rises to the big occasion.

Last year she opened the scoring against Germany in the Euros final.

Toone's record

The BBC reports the 23-year-old is now the first England player, for both the men's and women's teams, to score in a quarter-final, semi-final and final of major international tournaments.

 

Hometown hero

Ella is a former Fred Longworth student and has a close-knit group of friends and family in Tyldesley. 

Following Ella's heroics in the Euros, the Union Arms pub painted a huge mural of her on its wall to celebrate her achievements.

Goal celebration

Following the stunning 36th-minute opener, Toone kissed a tattoo to fulfill a promise to her friends - and the celebration was widely reported by national news outlets.

Toone’s friends asked her to kiss the marking and make a heart sign with her hands and she duly obliged as England went ahead.

“I got a tattoo with my mates back home and they made me kiss it and do the heart celebration,” she said, according to the Telegraph.

“That was for them, I thought of it straight away, probably because they have reminded me before every game to do it so I wasn’t going to forget. It’s a very small and delicate tattoo. It’s also going to be my first and last one too.”

Earlier in the tournament, she told BBC Radio 5 Live how she would celebrate, saying: “I’m sure if it falls to me in the box then I’d be buzzing if I put it away. Usually [with celebrations] anything happens. 

Leigh Journal: Ella Toone celebrates her stunning goal

“But, I’m on strict orders from my mates. We all got a matching tattoo before I came out [to Australia].

"They want me to kiss it and do a little love heart. I promised them I’d do that.”