Bedford: 'We’ve been on quite a journey'

England women’s under-20s head coach Lydia Bedford reflected on the journey her team have been on so far at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.

The Young Lionesses advanced to the knockout stages, despite losing 2-1 to Brazil in their final game of Group B.

Nevertheless, Bedford was pleased with elements of the performance.

“In the first half, it was a really dominant England performance, and I was really proud of how the girls executed the game plan,” said Bedford.

“And then I think there were some moments towards the end of the second half where it turned upside down a little bit for us.

“But on the whole, I’m really, really proud of the girls for their resilience throughout the game. We’re now in second place in the group which sees us stay here for another five days. So, overall, I’m really proud of what they have achieved.”

England led Brazil – who topped the group – up until the final 15 minutes, when the Young Lionesses conceded two late goals but the message from the head coach was clear.

“Obviously, you could see the disappointment in their eyes,” she explained. “They know they’ve gone from 1-0 up to 2-1 down in the last 20 minutes.

“But I think it’s the bigger picture of being able to stay in Bielska-Biala, not having to move from our hotel tomorrow, knowing our next opponent and what that looks like. It just gives us a really good grounding to build.

“I just told them to look at the bigger picture. We want to be here for seven games, and I think this gives us a really good opportunity to do that.”

And Bedford and her players are looking forward to continuing their progress at the tournament in Poland, with their opponents for the Round of 16 tie – which takes place on Thursday 17 September (2pm BST kick-off) – yet to be confirmed.

“I couldn’t be prouder of this group of players,” continued Bedford. “We’ve had quite a lot of prep camps, and we’ve been on quite a journey together.

“They just keep showing up for each other, keep pushing as a group and they get better and better each time I see them playing.

“Today I asked for a really resilient, gritty performance in the first half out of possession and they did that, but they also lit the pitch up with the in-possession play as well. So, I really enjoy working with them.”