da casino: Lionesses striker Alessio Russo has advised England's men to block out the noise ahead of their Euro 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands.
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England aiming to reach another Euros finalRusso won Euro 2022 with LionessesArsenal striker predicts England winGetty WHAT HAPPENED?
Russo knows a thing or two about winning a European Championship, having done so with the Lionesses two years ago. The Arsenal forward has given her backing to Southgate's players while lending some advice on what it'll take to land the trophy after they fell short on home soil at Euro 2020.
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Ronald Koeman's Netherlands await England in Dortmund on Wednesday evening. It's hard to feel like the Three Lions have gotten out of second gear during the entire tournament, and yet, here they are, in another semi-final. While the performances haven't been spectacular – with captain Harry Kane on the receiving end of plenty of criticism – Southgate's players have done a fine job of grinding out results.
Getty ImagesWHAT RUSSO SAID
At a news conference on Tuesday on Lionesses duty, Russo advised the men's players to block out the noise and enjoy the ride as they aim to reach back-to-back European finals.
"With us, we didn't hear any of that noise," she said. "I think that's important and I have no doubt the men are doing exactly that. When you're in tournament football, all that matters is that you win and progress.
"Obviously, in an ideal world you'd like to play the best performance every single game but sometimes not always possible. I would think noise is quite quiet in their camp which is exactly how it should be. Hopefully players are having fun and just enjoying the ride of the tournament, knowing that they've got the full support of us back home."
WHAT NEXT FOR RUSSO?
The Lionesses have two crucial fixtures against the Republic of Ireland and Sweden coming up as Sarina Wiegman's holders look to qualify for Euro 2025.