{"id":97835,"date":"2023-08-19T08:09:31","date_gmt":"2023-08-19T08:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebritycovernews.com\/?p=97835"},"modified":"2023-08-19T08:09:31","modified_gmt":"2023-08-19T08:09:31","slug":"to-think-i-will-be-playing-in-a-world-cup-final-is-a-pinch-me-moment-says-england-ace-alessia-russo-the-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebritycovernews.com\/sport\/to-think-i-will-be-playing-in-a-world-cup-final-is-a-pinch-me-moment-says-england-ace-alessia-russo-the-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"'To think I will be playing in a World Cup final is a pinch-me moment', says England ace Alessia Russo | The Sun"},"content":{"rendered":"

ALESSIA RUSSO used to dream of scoring in a World Cup final during lively kickabouts in her hometown in Kent.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The future England star, 24. would run around in a garden with her mates in East Farleigh in Maidstone imagining herself in action at the tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n


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Tomorrow the striker will attempt to make her childhood dream come true when the Lionesses battle Spain for a chance to lift the trophy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A match that Russo describes as \u201ca pinch me moment\u201d with England aiming to win the sport\u2019s biggest prize for the first time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Lionesses striker, who has two older brothers Luca and Giorgio, said: \u201cWhen I was a kid we used to play World Cup in the garden and we had to score to stay in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have such fond memories with the local kids and also my brothers and my youth teams.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt looked like having fun and playing freely.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a kid, growing up to think I would be playing in a World Cup final is a special feeling. A real pinch-me moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Russo\u2019s last goal at this year\u2019s tournament cemented England\u2019s place in the final.<\/p>\n

The Lioness, who joined Arsenal as a free agent this summer, is in the running for the tournament\u2019s Golden Boot along with pals Lauren Hemp and Lauren James.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The trio have so far notched up three goals each.<\/p>\n

On whether she has a fancy celebration planned should she score in Sydney tomorrow, Russo added: \u201cAs far as celebrations go, you can see that mine aren\u2019t planned or anything special\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s just what happens in the moment. It\u2019s normally a loud scream and hug whoever is near me.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now all I want to do is go out, put on a performance to be proud of and obviously to win.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe started this tournament wanting to win seven games and this is the message.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the last one to go and we\u2019re really locked in.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have the wise heads in Mary (Earps), Millie (Bright) and Lucy (Bronze) which is great because they\u2019ve experienced a lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor players, obviously we\u2019re all aware it\u2019s a World Cup final and there\u2019s that on the line.<\/p>\n

"But as soon as you cross the line it\u2019s just a normal game. It\u2019s what we love to do.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s 11 v 11 and we have to win. As soon as we step out on the pitch, we know our job and what we need to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re aware it\u2019s a World Cup final but we\u2019ll just play our game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tomorrow\u2019s match will see Lauren James available for selection following her two-game ban after her sending-off during England\u2019s last-16 defeat of Nigeria.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And Russo, who began her senior playing career at Chelsea in 2015, believes the return of the Blues foward is a huge boost for the Euros champs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 28-capped Lioness said: \u201cI\u2019ve known Lauren since I was 12 at Chelsea.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s a special, talented player. We want everyone fit and available is great.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTooney (Ella Toone) has stepped up as well so we have so many players who can come on and do a job.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBut to have a player as special as LJ back in the squad for the final is great. Everyone knows how impressive she\u2019s been in this tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Lionesses will be vying to triumph in their second major tournament final under Sarina Wiegman.<\/p>\n

And their boss will be guiding a team in a World Cup final for the second time in her managerial career.\u00a0<\/p>\n

England fans in Australia and at home will hope to see the Dutch coach steer her battle-hardened squad to back-to-back tournament wins.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Russo, the Lioness chief has created a national set-up that is ultra competitive but also fun.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The England ace said: \u201cSarina is a winner. She sets the standards so high in training and she leads with real class.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s honest and upfront and, as a player, I respect that. It\u2019s nice to have honest conversations with the leader of your team.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s great for us because it\u2019s so competitive and everyone is focused on one goal\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cBut away from the pitch she lets us enjoy our time, relax and switch off which is important.<\/p>\n

She makes camp a really fun place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Source: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ALESSIA RUSSO used to dream of scoring in a World Cup final during lively kickabouts in her hometown in Kent.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":97834,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n'To think I will be playing in a World Cup final is a pinch-me moment', says England ace Alessia Russo | The Sun - Celebrity Cover News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/celebritycovernews.com\/sport\/to-think-i-will-be-playing-in-a-world-cup-final-is-a-pinch-me-moment-says-england-ace-alessia-russo-the-sun\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"'To think I will be playing in a World Cup final is a pinch-me moment', says England ace Alessia Russo | The Sun - 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