11 June 2005
Eniola Aluko Exclusive

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With her A-Levels out of the way for the time being at least, Eniola Aluko is concentrating her undivided attention on beating Sweden.

Whilst a draw may well be enough to see the Three Lions into the Semi-Finals, they have no intention of going for anything but the three points, as Eni exclusively told TheFA.com.

"I think in every game you have to go for the win," she said. "If you sit back and go for the draw you’re always prone to the other team having the momentum and scoring in the last minutes.

"So I think it’s important to go for the win and we’re capable of beating them. We’re in the driving seat; we know we’re not relying on any other results.

"Attacking wise we’ve been very positive in the last two games, and I think if we go with those attributes then we’ve definitely got a good chance of beating Sweden."

And at least Eni doesn’t have a history A-Level to think about today as she did before Wednesday's clash with Denmark.

"Wednesday was surreal to say the least," she explained. "I woke up and had to focus on an A-Level exam when at a football camp – it was a really strange situation.

"I think it’s good that I’ve got it out of the way. I haven’t got any more exams until after the tournament so I can just solely focus on football with a bit of revision on the side."

At eighteen years of age, Eni is one of the youngest in an England squad with an average age of just 23. But she already has ten international caps to her name, and certainly does not think age will be a factor this evening.

"I think age is really nothing but a number, and if you’re good enough you’re old enough," she said.

"Looking at the last four or five games it’s been fearless – people like Kaz Carney have come on and really terrorized defences.

"But it’s a privilege to be here at such a young age and I’m really thankful to the coaching staff for believing in me, and believing that I wouldn’t be in awe of the situation."

With a large crowd waiting at Ewood Park this evening it is set to be one of the highlights of the tournament, and Eni also hopes it will be the highlight of her England career to date.

"My highlight so far was the win on Sunday against Finland. It was gutting to concede two goals but to come back and score in the last minute – I’ve never felt so happy ever.

"It was just a feeling of relief and pure exhilaration really. But hopefully today will be the best day of the tournament.

"It should be fantastic. It’s a big, big game – featuring two very big, well known teams. I think it’s going to be fantastic for England fans, Sweden fans and neutrals alike."

Over 20,000 tickets have sold so far for the crunch match, which kicks off at 6pm, so make sure you are there to cheer on England, too.

Call the Blackburn ticket office on 08701 123 456
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