ENGLAND head into tonight’s round of 16 match against Norway with the aim of reaching the final of the Women’s World Cup in Canada.

Manager Mark Sampson said prior to the tournament that anything but the semi-finals would be deemed as a failure.

After losing their opening match to France 1-0, the Lionesses won their final two games 2-1 to secure qualification out of the group stage.

England have never won a knockout game at the World Cup, which has seen them beaten in the quarter-finals in the past three tournaments.

This year is the first time the round of 16 used and for the Lionesses to reach the quarters they must defeat Norway, who finished joint on points in their group with Germany.

England look to be building momentum as the tournament progresses.

But in both their victories over Mexico and Colombia, they have suffered from lapses of concentration late on to let their opposition back into the game.

A repeat tonight could be the end of the World Cup for a team which harbours ambition of going the distance in Canada, with Alex Scott hoping that she can extend her stay in Canada for another fortnight.

She told FATV: “We want to be here until the final. That is our aim. We said that coming into the tournament, and once you’re in it, it’s not about going home. No-one wants to go home early.

“I think we are really building momentum now. I think we are really growing into the tournament.

“We are going into the game thinking: ‘We want to build on the Colombia performance and we want to progress in this tournament’.”

England are ranked five places higher than Norway, who are 11th in the Fifa world rankings.

But their opponents are unbeaten in Canada, with Fara Williams knowing that they face a very tough battle if they are to progress further in the competition.

“They are tough,” she said. “They are a physical team. I know from previous experiences playing against them, they are very direct, fit and physical.

“We know what to expect from them and we know our coaching staff would have done all the homework for us and get us best prepared.”

Scott agreed with the midfielder, saying: “I think the game is a winnable game for us.

“It’s about making sure we execute Mark’s game plan.

“They are going to be physical, well-organised and they do have key players that can change a game so we are going to have to be aware of that.”