Lucy Bronze not dwelling on England's Euro 2017 defeat by Holland
Friday 4 August 2017 15:04, UK
Lucy Bronze insists England will come back stronger following their Euro 2017 exit to host nation Holland.
The England and Manchester City defender, pivotal in the Lionesses campaign in Enschede, is desperate to move on from the devastating semi-final defeat and instead wants to build on their performances from the rest of their European campaign.
Reflecting on England's 3-0 defeat, Bronze said: "We have got to take the positives from it, we can't dwell too much on it even though it was the most pivotal game for us.
"We've scored a lot of goals, played some great football, won every group game, beaten France - finally."
Arsenal duo Vivianne Miedema and Danielle van de Donk put the Netherlands in the driving seat before England defender Millie Bright agonisingly handed them a late third with her last touch of the game.
Bronze, 25, spoke fondly of her time under Mark Sampson's leadership, detailing the Lionesses victories over every team in the world that they've played over the last three years.
Their journey to the semi-final included some incredible victories, including the first over France since 1974 and a 6-0 thrashing of Scotland.
After securing a bronze medal at the World Cup in 2015, the Lionesses have become a side to contend with under Sampson and are currently ranked fifth in the world.
After the final whistle, England's players gathered in a huddle and set a goal of winning the World Cup in France in two
years. Their next campaign begins against Russia at Tranmere's Prenton Park next month.
Forward Fran Kirby added: "It's difficult. We worked really hard collectively and individually for this moment and to get to where we are. Everyone is bitterly disappointed but we're just trying to pick ourselves up and get ready for the World Cup qualifiers.
"In the team huddle afterwards that's all we were talking about - picking ourselves up, getting ready to go, working just as hard as we have done to get into this tournament. Then you never know what happens.
"I think we have shown the unity that we have in this team and what we are building together. We are in a better place now than we were in Canada two years ago so hopefully in another two years we can really perfect it and go all the way."
