Fran Kirby was part of the England team which made history at the Women’s World Cup on Monday night.
The Reading Women forward played 54 minutes of the Lionesses’ round of 16 match against Norway at the Lansdowne Stadium in Ottawa, Canada.
England won the game 2-1 courtesy of second-half strikes from captain Steph Houghton and Lucy Bronze, with the goals cancelling out Solveig Gulbrandsen’s headed opener for the Norwegians – which came just seconds after Kirby had been replaced by Jill Scott.
The victory secured by Mark Simpson’s charges was the first England have ever recorded during the knock-out stages of the World Cup.
Reward for the success is a quarter-final tie with hosts Canada at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver on Sunday morning (12.30am kick-off BST), where 21-year-old Kirby, who has one tournament goal to her name thus far, will be hoping to keep her place in the starting XI.
England: Bardsley, Bronze, Houghton, Bassett, Rafferty, Moore, Williams, Carney, Chapman, Kirby (Scott, 54), Duggan (Taylor, 63).
Subs: Scott, Nobbs, Scott, Aluko, Chamberlain, Greenwood, Stoney, Potter, Taylor, Sanderson, Telford, White.
Norway: Hjelmseth, Mjelde, Ronning (Thorisdottir, 45), Lund, Wold (Karlseng Utland, 87), Gulbrandsen, Mykjaland, Ims, Minde (Thorsnes, 70), Herlovsen, Hegerberg.
Subs: Sonstevold, Holstad Berge, Vesterbekkmo, Schjelderup, Sandvei, Thorsnes, Bjanesoy, Haavi, Hansen, Fiskerstrand.
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