Women's World Cup 2015: Karen Bardsley ready for Norway after she saves best for last

Goalkeeper faced criticism after first two group games, but put in her best performance of the tournament so far against Colombia

Karen Bardsley, back centre, made a vital save just before half time to preserve England’s 2-0 lead over Colombia (AFP/Getty)

The England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley will face Norway in the last 16 of the Women’s World Cup with her confidence boosted following a fine performance in Wednesday’s vital group win over Colombia.

Bardsley was criticised for the goals conceded in England’s first two group games, a 1-0 defeat to France and a 2-1 win against Mexico. But she responded with her best display of the tournament in the 2-1 victory over Las Cafeteras in Montreal.

“In my position,” said the 30-year-old Manchester City keeper, “I’m always going to get a bit of flak and, yes, my mistake against Mexico was very annoying. But I take criticism with a grain of salt. They can say what they want, it’s their opinion. But we forget what we don’t need to take with us.”

Bardsley’s brave blocking save from the right-back Carolina Arias as Colombia, two goals behind but pressing to reduce the arrears just before half-time, was the most vital of the keeper’s contributions to England’s victory. Arias’s shot bounced off Bardsley’s face.

“I got myself as big as I could,” said Bardsley. “I didn’t quite get my body in the way, so I used my beak instead. If they’d scored at that point [first-half stoppage time] it would have become a different game. So I’m really pleased with that save and the fact it gave my team momentum going into the second half, which we managed really well.”

Following Wednesday’s win, the England squad travelled to Ottawa, where on Monday evening they will face Norway in the last 16. The Norwegians finished second in their group to the world’s top-ranked team Germany, with whom they drew 1-1 a week ago.

Bardsley said: “We know what the Norwegian team are capable of. We’ve seen great set-pieces from them in this tournament so far, especially the goal they got against Germany. Any team that’s capable of holding a team like Germany is dangerous, and they’re certainly going to be that.

“It’s a case of taking our momentum into the game. That’s what tournament football is all about. It’s about finding your feet in the first game, finding what works for you and gaining confidence. That’s what we’ve been doing, and there’s a lot of positive energy we’re taking forward into the knockout rounds.”

The England manager, Mark Sampson, whose first game in charge was a 1-1 friendly draw with Norway in January last year, said: “All over the park, physically, they’re going to be a very difficult challenge for us.

“They held Germany, the best team in the tournament, to a draw and they also ran Germany very close in the Euro 2013 final. So we will have to produce a complete performance against them – when you play that calibre of opponent, that’s the only level of performance that’s good enough.”