Saturday 4 July 2015 09:47, UK
England Women's head coach Mark Sampson has challenged his team to beat Germany once and for all, and return from the Women's World Cup as Europe's best side.
The Lionesses, who were beaten by Laura Bassetts's dramatic stoppage-time own goal in their semi-final against Japan, take on the Germans in the third-place play-off on Saturday having never beaten the two-time world champions.
With the 2017 European Championships now on the horizon, Sampson told Sky Sports News HQ that it is about time they broke the barrier and avenge last winter's heavy defeat at Wembley.
"If we want to win a major tournament then the likelihood is we’re probably going to have to beat the Germans," he said.
“This is game seven of a long tournament. They have to dig deep and find the motivation they need because England Women have never beaten Germany Women before.
“This is a line we've got to get over so let’s do it now. Let’s give ourselves black and white evidence that if we need it in future then we can say ‘we've done it before’."
England could make changes but Sampson has confirmed that Bassett, whose prod into her own net gave Japan a 2-1 win, will start at centre-half.
Sampson could also include the likes of Karen Carney and Fran Kirby, who is on the verge of joining Chelsea, and he backed Bassett to show she is a world-class defender.
“Laura will start at centre-back and produce another performance which we expect from her," he said.
“She’s been outstanding over the course of the tournament and there’s no shadow of a doubt she won’t stand up again and put in another one.
“She’s good to go. When the time comes and the game starts, she’ll have forgotten about that moment and be focused on a huge performance for the team. She’s got the evidence behind her, she’s shown she’s a world class centre-back."
