England booked their place in the Women’s Euro semi-finals in dramatic fashion on Thursday night, defeating Sweden 3-2 in a nail-biting penalty shootout after a remarkable comeback from two goals down.
The reigning champions looked destined for an early exit as Sweden surged into a commanding lead, only for England to claw their way back and force extra time, before eventually triumphing in a sensational shootout that featured 14 attempts.
Sweden’s goalkeeper Jennifer Falk produced a heroic display between the posts, saving four spot-kicks. But the turning point came when she skied what could have been the winning penalty over the bar, handing England a lifeline they gratefully seized. Lucy Bronze then edged the Lionesses ahead before Swedish teenager Smilla Holmberg blasted over to seal England’s victory.
It was a cruel end for the Swedes, who had looked the better side for much of the contest. They were ahead inside two minutes when Stina Blackstenius capitalised on a sloppy England mistake to set up captain Kosovare Asllani for the opener. Blackstenius then doubled the lead in the 25th minute, outpacing Jess Carter and finishing confidently to put Sweden firmly in control.
England struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, but coach Sarina Wiegman’s changes after the interval proved pivotal. Beth Mead, Michelle Agyemang, and Esme Morgan entered the fray in the 70th minute, with Chloe Kelly adding further attacking impetus soon after.
Bronze sparked England’s fightback in the 79th minute, nodding home Kelly’s cross from a tight angle to breathe life into the contest. Just two minutes later, Agyemang pounced in the box with a poacher’s finish to level the scores, sending the white-clad crowd into raptures.
Both sides had chances in extra time, but the deadlock remained, taking the game to penalties. Despite Sweden missing their first effort, Falk’s saves quickly swung the balance in their favour.
She had the opportunity to win it, but her miss kept England alive. Though she later denied Grace Clinton, Bronze calmly converted before Sofia Jakobsson missed and Holmberg blasted high, ending the contest in England’s favour.
England keeper Hannah Hampton, who suffered a bloody nose during the match, was left speechless at the final whistle.
“Right now, I don’t know, I don’t know,” she said. “It’s just all gone so quick, like that last little bit in the penalty shootout, but… we’re very happy, obviously, you can see all the celebrations going around.”
Wiegman admitted it had been one of the toughest matches of her career to watch.
“It was hard. One of the hardest games I’ve ever watched. Very emotional. We could’ve been out four or five times during the game. When you’re 2-0 down at halftime, it’s not good,” she reflected.
“We started really badly and then at the end of the first half we got better and in the second half we got better but we didn’t create anything so we had to change shape. Then we scored two goals so that was crazy already.
“Then we go into extra-time, some players injured, some players cramping, Hannah Hampton with blood all over the place, then we go to the penalty shootout and we miss a lot but they miss even more and we’re through,” she added.
England now march into the semi-finals, their dreams of retaining the European title still alive.
