Rachel Yankey backs Laura Bassett to respond to World Cup error
Thursday 2 July 2015 12:15, UK
Rachel Yankey believes England defender Laura Bassett will be desperate to face Germany this weekend as she bids to get her fatal World Cup mistake against Japan out of her system.
The Notts County defender scored an own goal deep into injury time which eliminated Mark Sampson’s side from the competition as it confirmed a 2-1 defeat to the holders.
Yankey knows Bassett well after playing with her at club level with both Birmingham and Arsenal as well as with the national side.
The 35-year-old believes her former colleague has the character to respond positively to the error which leaves England now preparing for a third-place play-off against the Germans on Saturday.
Yankey told Sky Sports News HQ: “You can’t contemplate how she’s feeling. Laura was my room-mate when I was with England and she’s a very good friend of mine.
“I sent her a message yesterday and you can only say how proud you are. I think she had a brilliant tournament.
“It’s unfortunate but I believe she has to go for that ball. Steph (Houghton) is the captain but there’s many players behind who lead that team and she’s definitely one of those.
“Her character is so strong. You need to give her time and space but she will bounce back bigger than ever and it won’t phase her. She will want to go on and play in the next game.”
The UK’s Sports Minister, meanwhile, is hoping for a strong legacy off the back of England’s run to the semi-finals of the competition for the first time.
Tracey Crouch MP said: “I think it’s fantastic an England national team to get into the semi-finals of the World Cup.
“The fact that it’s the women and they’ve made history getting to where they are today is brilliant news for the female game.
“I hope the legacy will be strong from this. I hope that they will have gone on and inspired future generations of footballers. I think we should all be incredibly proud of what they’ve achieved.”
