England Women’s boss Mark Sampson said his side deserved "a big pat on the back" following their 2-0 win over Canada in the Cyprus Cup.
A first-half double from Lianne Sanderson downed the Olympic bronze medallists and sealed a second successive appearance in the final of this annual friendly tournament where they will take on France – England’s conquerors at both the 2011 World Cup and 2013 European Championship.
The Head Coach said: "Against a team who are consistently competing against the best in the world, we’ve got to take a big pat on the back in terms of resilience, character and the organisation of the team in this stage of our development.
England Women 2-0 Canada
The Cyprus Cup
Group A
Monday 10 March
Nicosia, Cyprus
"We wanted to start the game quickly and we did that, and scored an early goal. That allowed us to settle into the game against a team who were determined to put a lot of pressure on us.
"We were always a threat in the first half, probably could have scored more goals, and we limited them to one opportunity when it was bit of a sloppy back pass from us. But apart from that I thought we were solid in open play.
"Second half you play what’s in front of you. We had to defend a bit cleverly and be a threat on the counter attack. And we made sure we limited Canada to no opportunities, other than a free header in the last minute of the game."
On the flanks against Canada, England could boast four players with an abundance of pace – Alex Scott, Demi Stokes, Ellen White and Toni Duggan – prompting Sampson to laud the Three Lions’ ability to break quickly.
He added: "What a threat we are on the counter attack.
"A lot of teams will look at that game today and think ‘if we want to push numbers forward against this England team, we better have some quick players at the back’ because we’ve got players who can run from first gear to fifth gear in a split second.
Highlights: England Women 2-0 Canada
"When you get yourself 2-0 up it’s up to your opponents to break you down. We could probably have been a better threat on the counter attack in second half, like we were in the first half, but the important thing was to be organised and show a different side to us.
"We showed in the first two games that we can play good football, we can build up from the back, we can play combinations and create opportunities, and we showed today that we can be resilient and organised."
The 31-year-old also praised Sanderson for her match-winning brace, her first goals for her country for almost four years.
He said: "I thought Lianne took her goals magnificently well.
"Strikers like to score goals and that will give Lianne a massive, massive confidence boost – and she’s a confident character anyway.
"They were two good goals that showed her different attributes. The first goal showed her power and determination to finish and the second was really clever movement to finish a rebound.
"I’m delighted for Lianne. Hopefully that will allow her to kick on and enjoy her football even more."
