Laura Bassett: Lionesses made the best of a bad situation

Bassett is proud of her efforts. Credit: ITV

England's Lionesses have landed back in the UK with their heads held high after finishing third in the Women's World Cup and capturing the heart's of the nation along the way.

Fara Williams' extra-time penalty against Germany in Edmonton handed the Lionesses a 1-0 win that secured them a bronze medal in the tournament.

The victory was sweeter for one player in particular, Laura Bassett, who's unfortunate last minute own-goal saw England lose the semi-final to Japan.

Bassett, who put in a sterling performance for the win over Germany, said that her fellow teammates had helped her through a tough time in recent days.

Speaking to ITV News, Bassett said: "Credit to my team-mates, they've supported me in ways that I will never be able to repay them. They've been there for me, all the staff and Mark (Sampson, England manager), I'll never forget that.

"We made the best out of a bad situation. To go away with a bronze medal around our necks... I think we've proved that we are a nation to be reckoned with and we've changed even more opinions about this England side."

England can now confidently target Euro 2017 glory at the tournament in Holland - the qualifiers begin in September and Bassett says there's every reason to be confident.

"Our attitude, our confidence, our mentality, the way we talk about what we want to achieve and what we want to win, I think it will change. It should, we've earned the right to do that so there are very exciting times ahead."