England just need to stick to its game plan to avoid being the latest top-ranked casualty in a FIFA Women’s World Cup full of stunning upsets, midfielder Katie Zelem said as the Lionesses prepares to face Nigeria in the last 16 on Monday in Brisbane.
Some of the biggest shocks so far have been Canada and two-time champions Germany crashing out in the group stage, with lower-ranked teams surprising the game’s heavyweights.
“We know that every opposition we come up against have worked so hard to be there and deserve a place,” Zelem told reporters on Saturday when asked what England can do to avoid being on the end of an upset.
“It’s been about executing our game plan.”
Nigeria, who is playing in its ninth World Cup, played above its No. 40 ranking with a win and two draws to finish second in Group B.
The fourth-ranked Lionesses won all of their games by a combined score of 8-1 to top Group D.
“It’s the first World Cup where the teams have been expanded (from 24 to 32) and I think it shows it was the right decision,” Zelem said. “There really is that quality in the lower-ranked sides. Every nation has worked so hard and it’s really showing.”
Read: Five talking points from WWC 2023 group stage
Zelem made her World Cup debut in England’s 6-1 rout of China on Tuesday, as a replacement for injured midfielder Keira Walsh - not how she would ideally have had her moment in the spotlight.
“You never want to be playing because of someone else’s misfortune,” Zelem said.
“Before the game it was a mixture of excitement and nerves. I couldn’t wait to get going,” added the Manchester United captain. “We forget that we’re here because we perform well for our club every single week. Really proud for myself and my family that we had that moment.”
Walsh injured her knee in England’s 1-0 win over Denmark and her status for the rest of the tournament is unknown.
But the Lionesses’ impressive win over China definitely displayed the enviable depth of a squad already missing three key players to major knee injuries in captain Leah Williamson, Euro 2022 Golden Boot winner Beth Mead, and Fran Kirby.
“We knew we had the quality and that’s why we train so hard every day,” Zelem said. “I think you could see that on the pitch the other night.”
Asked how intense games and training have been so far in England’s sixth World Cup appearance, Zelem said her side’s camaraderie makes it easier.
“There are players who have grown up together, who have played together at club level,” the 27-year-old said. “You can see the impact the players make and we want to strive for the best as a group.
“We go into every single game the same. We can compete on all aspects, have a real variety of strengths within the squad. We just want to play our normal game and get the win.”
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