Kirby humbled by Marta comparisons & calls for Lionesses ruthlessness

Kirby played in the number 10 role against Brazil and had enjoyed a match winning performance, as her goal proved the difference between England's Lionesses and Brazil on Saturday. 

And following the game, Kirby had words of praise for new boss Phil Neville, who's style she has described as 'confidence-boosting'. Speaking to 'The Guardian' Kirby explained: "“It’s really nice to hear your manager praise you so much. He’s got confidence in me, which makes me feel confident when I go out on the pitch. I feel like I can express myself under him. He wants me to get on the ball, to be brave."

Kirby's opposite number, women's football legend Marta had a much quieter game, taken off within twenty minutes with a suspected hamstring tweak. 

And when asked about comparisons between herself and the Brazil icon, Kirby was quick to deflect praise onto the current FIFA 'The Best' Women's Player of the Year, saying: "Obviously it’s a great compliment for me. I’ve got massive respect for Marta, I’ve loved watching her play and I love seeing what she does on the ball. If I can try and emulate that in any way then I’m going to be happy with it.

Kirby continued: "I just want to keep improving myself as a player and a person and hopefully continue to enjoy being on the pitch."

Kirby finished her interview with 'The Guardian'  by fielding questions on the Lionesses' World Cup chances next summer. The lively striker was more than optimistic that the Lionesses can go all the way in France, saying: "...we’ve had two semi-finals now and we felt the hurt in both of them. They were very disappointing for us so we need to make sure we’ve learnt from them and go all the way to the final.

Kirby continued: "We proved ourselves when we played in the SheBelieves Cup. I think we played well, we just fell short against the top nation [the USA]. We’ve got the experience now but we want to make sure we go all the way.”