Houghton's joy at reaching maiden World Cup semi-final

Steph Houghton has spoken of her delight after leading England Women to a first-ever World Cup semi-final.

The Lionesses captain guided her team-mates past host nation Canada in the last-eight tie in Vancouver.

Houghton said: “We have been on a big journey since Mark [Sampson] took over 18 months ago. It all came down to this game.

“Everybody ran themselves into the ground. We were under a lot of pressure from the crowd.

“To go and play under that pressure, come away with a victory and be in the semi-final of a World Cup – I’m absolutely delighted for everyone involved with England.”

Jodie Taylor opened the scoring after just 11 minutes, pouncing on a mistake by Canada centre back Lauren Sesselmann.

Lucy Bronze doubled the lead with a far-post header four minutes later for her second goal at the tournament.

Canada captain Christine Sinclair halved the deficit just before the break but England held on for an historic win.

They will now face World Cup holders Japan in the semi-final in Edmonton on Wednesday.

Houghton added: “We know it’s going to be a massive game on Wednesday.

“We’ve got to respect them. They are world champions for a reason.

“Now it’s all about recovering and focusing on trying our best to get into a final.”