England's gritty resolve overshadows familiar frailties in Euro 2025 penalty shootout triumph

Independent

4 days ago

It's an image that could go down in England folklore, albeit after a performance - bar maybe a total of three minutes - that won't quite be written into history. Certainly not with any great affection. Following a series of absurd misses, in what might well have been one of the worst penalty shoot-outs in football history, a hobbling Lucy Bronze ripped off her strapping, and strode forward. An astonishing eight of the 12 previous penalties had been squandered. Some had been squandered in scarcely believable fashion, the emotional momentum of the shoot-out veering as wildly as some of the attempts. So, Bronze just smashed it straight into the roof of the net.
It was a decisiveness that had been missing from the previous 10 minutes, and most of the game. It also seemed to scramble Sweden one final time, as Smilla Holmberg became just the latest player to sky the ball.
This time, it was enough. Bronze's force had driven England into the semi-finals of Euro 2025.
They are somehow 90 minutes from another final, albeit after a display where they really only played for a few minutes.
The obvious discussion now will be over what this emotion does for the team, over the resolve, whether there will now be a momentum from this, a relief that releases them…
But, if we're talking about elements like that, you just have to focus on the psychodrama of the penalties. It was unlike almost any witnessed in football history, and a rare occasion where the final score of the initial five each - 2-2 - equalled the actual game.
While Bronze ultimately seized the moment, it's hard not to feel that Sweden ultimately - and calamitously - let it slip away. And that's not just from the fact they were 2-0 up in the 79th minute - a fact that almost felt irrelevant given everything that happened after.
Sweden had the chance to secure their semi-final place as it was 2-2 with the very last regulation penalty, only for goalkeeper Jennifer Falk to sensationally turn around and go to take it. Saving two penalties evidently wasn't enough for her. She wanted to be a treble hero, with the last word. It wouldn't even be the second or third last word. Falk was the first to sky it, absurdly.
And yet there was still another swing. You would have thought that would have been the turning point, given that Falk had been so dominant in the shoot-out and suddenly had to face up to this psychologically significant moment. How would she respond?
She barely needed to. Grace Clinton handed Sweden back momentum, with a shot so soft you might even think it had been literally handed over if you hadn't watched the kick.
And then, of course, Sofia Jakobsson missed again. Bronze had to show them how it was done.
If the nature of the shoot-out naturally draws all focus, there was a performance that should draw some concern. In some ways, in fact, the back-and-forth nature of the shoot-out almost reflected England's display.
England got it wrong, then got it right, then got it wrong again, and again, and again… only to display that vintage individual resolve to somehow get through.
One of the most remarkable aspects - before the penalties - was that Sarina Wiegman made the exact same mistakes as against France. It was as if nothing had actually been learned, and that the recent revival was because of the poverty of the opposition in the Welsh and Dutch. England were still dismally vulnerable to pace. Keira Walsh had again been dominated in midfield, and Wiegman's side badly struggled to play through it. Sweden clearly targeted Jess Carter for pressing, but Leah Williamson wasn't exactly sure-footed beside her.
This was the source of both Swedish goals.
Kosovare Asllani strode through after two minutes, and Stina Blackstenius, whose pressing was causing all manner of problems, just scorched through for the second.
England's response was so meek until eventually, and what felt so belatedly, Wiegman made three subs. They were surprising subs, especially in removing the control of Georgia Stanway.
Except all of it had the effect of disrupting Sweden. That was in terms of the timing, and the manner of it.
England front-loaded and went direct. Chloe Kelly, one of the three, played a superb ball for Bronze to head in brilliantly at the back post. She defiantly kicked a hoarding, in a foreshadowing of what was to come. Sweden didn't expect what came next to arrive so quickly. England almost went straight for goal again and, within two minutes, Michelle Agyemang had turned it in.
Delirium. But not quite a new direction.
The one issue with Wiegman's subs was that they were right for the situation but not an open game. Sweden rallied impressively and immediately re-asserted control. Extra-time did look a lot like England were just trying to play through it and maybe take a chance.
They had to wait much longer for that.
That also comes at a cost, despite the prize of that semi-final. Beyond going the distance, all of Williamson, Bronze and Lauren James will need patching up. There's going to have to be a lot of thought about the team.
Italy, meanwhile, will surely have taken note of the blueprint to play this England. They've twice struggled in this tournament against quick and physical pressing teams. There were even signs of that going further back.
Except, England still go that bit further in this tournament. Wiegman's only defeat in knock-out football is still just that 2023 World Cup final to Spain. They still persevere.
They still have that resolve, that grit. They found a way.
Bronze, for her part, forced the way.