'I can imagine it's not easy' - England's Keira Walsh reacts to support from injured Lionesses captain Leah Williamson ahead of Women's World Cup semi-final against Australia

• Walsh says watching England isn't easy for Williamson
• Thanks captain for support in Australia
• England face Matildas in semi-finals

WHAT HAPPENED? Williamson captained the Lionesses to European Championship glory last year, but has missed this summer's World Cup with an ACL injury. She flew out to Australia to see her team-mates advance to the semi-finals with a win against Colombia, something Walsh says can't have been easy for her.

WHAT THEY SAID: "It's a massive boost for the team to see her supporting," Walsh said to the BBC, after suffering a knee injury scare of her own during the group stage. "It's the other side of the world, it's not an easy flight and that shows what she feels about this team. The first time I saw her she was outside my hotel window waving. She didn't want to distract us on game day. It was nice to get the win and celebrate after. I can imagine it's not easy for her to watch, she would have wanted to be playing, so we appreciate her support. It shows what a good character she is to be able to that for us."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: England have progressed to the semi-finals despite Williamson's absence, where they will face co-hosts Australia in front of an 81,000-strong crowd in Sydney on Wednesday.

IN THREE PHOTOS:

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WHAT NEXT FOR WILLIAMSON AND ENGLAND?: Should England defeat Australia then Spain or Sweden await in Sunday's final. Meanwhile, Williamson is continuing her recovery and will hope to return at some point this season for Arsenal.