England reach Euro 2025 semis after shootout win over Sweden
Smilla Holmberg blasted over from the spot to settle the shootout drama in Zurich after the match finished 2-2 thanks to Lucy Bronze and Michelle Agyemang's quick-fire strikes just as England looked to be limping out of the tournament.
The reigning European champions were staring at elimination with 11 minutes remaining in normal time after Kosovare Asllani, who opened the scoring with her 50th international goal in the second minute, and Stina Blackstenius shot Sweden into a two-goal lead at half-time.
"That was one of the hardest games I have ever watched. We could have been out four or five times," England boss Sarina Wiegman told the BBC.
"We started badly. We didn't create anything so we changed shape and we scored two goals which was crazy. The shootout, we missed a lot but they missed more and we're through."
England will face Italy, who are in the last four for the first time since 1997, in the last four in Geneva on Tuesday after a rollercoaster comeback.
"Not how we planned it to be, of course, but it's a learning experience that we put in our back pocket and learn from going forward," Chloe Kelly, who was key to both England goals and took one of the few good penalties of the shootout, told reporters.
"We solved the problems and then it was about getting back in the game. The resilience of the team is incredible."
Defeat ended Sweden's bid for a first major honour since winning the first official Euros back in 1984, Peter Gerhardsson's team falling in the most painful of fashions.
Goalkeeper Jennifer Falk, who saved four penalties, had the chance to send Sweden through but like Holmberg she scooped her effort over the bar and gave England the chance to reach the last four.
"All analysis feels fairly pointless right now, right now it's melancholy. You feel a certain sadness that it turned out this way," said Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson.
- England survive -
England scored 10 goals in their final two Group D matches to reach the last eight but showed none of that attacking flair in the early stages at the Letzigrund Stadium.
Sweden were on the front foot from the off and somehow it was no surprise when Asllani drilled home her opener after just one minute and 46 seconds, the attacking midfielder being left completely free to collect Blackstenius' lay-off and score.
Jess Carter's loose pass led to that goal and moments later goalkeeper Hannah Hampton almost gifted Blackstenius her third goal of the tournament after miscontrolling the ball and allowing the Arsenal striker to bear down on an open goal before Leah Williamson slid in to cut out the danger.
Lauren Hemp's pot shot was brilliantly tipped onto the bar by Falk but that was a rare bright spot in a dismal opening half for England, who were deservedly two behind at the break.
Blackstenius showed how lethal she can be in the 25th minute when she raced in behind a dozing English defence, collected Julia Zigiotti Olme's pass, held off Carter and slotted home.
England were brighter after the restart and Hemp should have halved the deficit when she failed to direct Lauren James' cross on target.
And Bronze gave England hope by heading home a searching cross in the 79th minute from Kelly, one of four late substitutions alongside Agyemang who two minutes later reacted quickest to a loose ball and prodded England level.
Extra time passed without much incident and that left the shootout in which a parade of poor penalties ended with Holmberg ballooning her effort way over and sending England through.
td/mw/rcw
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
21 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘I don't have regrets': Stokes doubles down on fiery handshake drama
Injured England captain Ben Stokes insists that he does not regret his actions from the final day handshake drama during the drawn fourth Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy at Old Trafford. Stokes, who will sit out the series finale starting Thursday with a right shoulder injury, offered the draw to Indian batters Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar at the drinks break in the final session of day five in Manchester, but spat the dummy when the pair of all-rounders refused to shake Stokes' hand. India were four wickets down and led by 71 runs at the time with both Jadeja and Washington closing on centuries - a first in Test cricket for the latter - and Stokes was furious that the two batters wanted to push on to their personal milestones. In an already feisty series, Stokes poured more fuel on the fire by telling Jadeja: 'You're going to get a Test hundred against Harry Brook and Ben Duckett'. He then refused to continue using his front line bowlers and instead allowed Brook to lob up pies in what was an embarrassing end to the Test match. But Stokes says he does not regret how the situation unfolded, nor how he handled it, despite gaining greater perspective on India's viewpoint. 'I don't have regrets, but it is one of those when you have not been in the field for 250 overs, you do have a bit more of an understanding towards both sides,' Stokes said. 'Two lads in Jadeja and Washington played incredibly well up until that point, so you sort of understand as to why as they wanted to stay out there and get their 100s. 'But as I said at the end of the game, fair enough but I am not going to bowl my bowlers in a situation where we can't win the game. 'We are over it, I think India are over that whole thing. 'Let's just try our best not to focus on a 20-minute period of cricket when it has been such a great series so far.' The incident was the latest in an ever-growing list throughout the five-Test series which England leads 2-1. Tempers flared in the days leading up to The Oval finale when Indian coach Gautam Gambhir had a run in with head curator Lee Fortis over not being allowed to inspect the pitch up close, and a cool box being put on the square as India practised. Things also got hot under the collar during the third Test at Lords as India did not take kindly to England's time wasting tactics when they managed to face only one over late on day three despite having to bat for seven minutes. Stokes' opposite number Shubman Gill, who has been a revelation with the bat since being handed the captaincy making four centuries in the series, was certain in his pre-match press conference that both teams were able to leave the on field spats behind them. 'I think I have already explained what happened at Lord's and about even the incident that happened on the last day in the previous Test,' Gill said. 'Both the teams have been very competitive. And sometimes when you are competitive, you know, in the heat of the moment, you do or say things that you might not do (otherwise). 'But I think once the match is over, there is mutual respect between both the teams.' Stokes shared similar sentiments, saying that 'it has been a tough series, but it has been class to play in'. 'It has been a test of characters, a test of physicality, all that kind of stuff, and I think the way each team has fronted up every single day and every single session giving everything for their countries is testament to how much this format means to England and India and every other team in the world,' he added. 'The easy option would just be to not turn up and give up, but you have seen both teams turn up every day, give everything, and leave everything out on the field. 'I don't think it will be any different this week.' Stokes is set to be sidelined for six to seven weeks as a result of his shoulder issue, and he is one of four changes to the England XI for the fifth Test. Highly touted 21-year-old Jacob Bethell, who batted at number three during their tour of New Zealand late last year despite never having scored a professional century, will take Stokes' place at number six. Bethell will also take on the all-rounder duties as a spin option alongside Joe Root with fellow left arm spinner Liam Dawson discarded after playing at Old Trafford following an eight-year hiatus from the Test side. Fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse also make way with Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson and Jamie Overton all coming into the side to form a four-man pace attack alongside Chris Woakes. Ollie Pope will take on captaincy duties in Stokes absence, as he did for the home series against Sri Lanka and for the first Test of the Pakistan last year. 'We have got some incredible leaders out in that 11 still,' Stokes said. 'I know I am captain, but I seek advice from quite a few people, and we have got some fantastic cricket brains out there. 'We have got a team of 11 match-winners; one person doesn't win you a game. 'Just because I am playing or not, it doesn't mean we are going to win or lose. 'We have had some people put in some special individual performances throughout this series and this is another opportunity for 11 people to be able to put their hand up and hopefully win a game for England as well.' India on the other hand are set to be without superstar fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah as part of the management of his troublesome pack. Entertaining wicket keeper batter Rishabh Pant will also be sidelined with the foot injury he sustained while batting in Manchester, but the final make up of India's XI remains uncertain.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Ben Stokes and India's handshake drama the latest example suggesting 'spirit of cricket' is a myth
They are the three words that seem to resurface every couple of years like clockwork: spirit of cricket. Everyone's favourite debate is back again this week after a tense ending to the fourth Test between England and India, a series that has become increasingly more spiteful with each passing day of play. England, led by its skipper Ben Stokes, was peeved when India's Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar denied their handshakes to prematurely end a Test match that was headed towards an obvious draw with an hour left to play on the final day. Roughly 15 minutes after turning down Stokes's handshakes, Jadeja and Sundar recorded their centuries, which were well-deserved given they batted for the majority of day five to keep the series alive heading into this week's finale at The Oval. Stokes was initially accused of refusing the shake Sundar's hand at the completion of the Test, and was widely panned for doing so, especially in Australia, before a different camera angle emerged showing he had indeed congratulated the Indian all-rounder. It was all very dramatic, and a classic cricket drama. So here we are again, debating about the spirit of cricket, who champions it and more importantly, who doesn't. Among all the sports people tune into around the world, there is perhaps none where the spirit of the game and what exactly that entails is debated more fervently than it is in cricket. It makes sense, given the amount of grey area that exists in cricket and all the different rules it has, both written and unwritten. England and India's handshake-gate was the latest example of many that suggest spirit of cricket isn't a thing that actually exists, but is rather a fantasy that those who love the sport seem to constantly dream up. The thing that seems to get missed in any spirit-of-cricket discussion is the intensity professional sport is played at. These are the world's best athletes competing for the biggest prizes. If they are presented with a chance to win or to improve their own situations at the cost of their opposition, they are going to do that every single time. Cricketers are no different. In the situation involving England and India, it is pretty easy to understand why each side behaved in the way it did. Jadeja and Sundar, having grafted hard for the majority of day five, were well within their rights to deny England's request to end the game when they were within touching distance of their centuries. Test centuries are incredibly hard to come by, particularly when you're an all-rounder like Jadeja or Sundar. Prior to the fourth Test, Sundar had never made one in his career. Jadeja, considered one of the best all-rounders in the history of Test cricket, had just four, and only one of those had come outside of India. Stokes making it sound like they'd simply reached their centuries because they faced a couple of overs from Harry Brook in the 90s was unfair. If any cricketer, from England or elsewhere, tells you individual accomplishments do not matter to them, they are lying. There is a reason why getting a century or a five-wicket haul at Lord's is one of the highlights of any Test player's career — the ground's iconic honour board. Individual accomplishments are what get you on that honour board, not winning spirit-of-cricket debates. While Stokes and his charges reacting the way they did to Jadeja and Sundar batting on certainly wasn't ideal, their collective frustration was also understandable. England's bowlers, having had India on the ropes at 2-0 late on day four, would have backed themselves to close out the Test and the series nine times out of 10. However, after 143 long overs in the field, including 80 on the final day that yielded just two wickets, they were tired and easily irritable. Stokes, who bowled just 11 overs in the second innings while nursing a sore shoulder that has since ruled him out of the series finale, understandably wanted to get his bowlers off the park with minimal damage, given the short turnaround between the two Tests. Like Stokes, Jofra Archer, who bowled 23 overs in India's second innings, will not play at The Oval as England carefully nurses him towards this summer's Ashes in Australia. The narratives following the end of the fourth Test have grown the legs they have because of the essential ingredients to make a story worthwhile — a hero in the two Indian batters and a villain in Stokes and England. The hand-wringing from pundits and fans of cricket's Big Three — England, India and Australia — in the wake of this incident has been hilarious to watch. These three cricketing nations consistently get on each other's nerves because of one reason — they are exactly the same as each other. Put India and Australia in England's shoes, and they'd both have been equally petulant. Put Stokes in Jadeja's shoes, and he is absolutely staying on the field in search of a Test century. These three nations aren't the only ones who push the boundaries of the spirit of cricket either. New Zealand is perennially seen as cricket's "good guys", but they too aren't immune to pushing the envelope on occasion to win a match. Brendon McCullum, who is ironically now the coach of England and the brains behind "BazBall", famously ran out Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan during a Test match in 2006 when Muralitharan completed a single and then prematurely left his crease to congratulate teammate Kumar Sangakkara on his century. McCullum even apologised for the incident 10 years later when delivering the Cowdrey Lecture. "If I could turn back time, I would," he said, with Sangakkara among those in attendance. "We were within the laws of the game, but not the spirit, and there is a very, very important difference, which is glaringly obvious to me years later." Almost 10 years on from that speech, it would be interesting to see whether McCullum still holds those same views about adhering to the mythical "spirit of cricket". The Sri Lankans have also found themselves engaging in acts of pettiness on the field. Sri Lanka famously denied India's Virender Sehwag a century in an ODI match, in an incident that resulted in spinner Suraj Randiv being suspended. With Sehwag unbeaten on 99 and India requiring one run to win the match, Randiv bowled a huge deliberate no-ball that denied Sehwag his century. Like McCullum, Randiv too apologised, as did Sangakkara, with the Sri Lankans admitting the heat of the moment had gotten the better of them. If you combed over the history of each international cricket team, you'd be able to find more incidents like these across the board. No-one is entirely blameless, and no-one is entirely innocent either. This is not to say there isn't room for general sportsmanship in sport — there absolutely is. It is still important to win and lose with grace. However, there is also room for common sense to be applied, for an understanding that professional athletes are trained all their lives to be ruthless competitors. With that ruthless streak is going to come moments of discomfort. Not all of these moments need to be a referendum on the "spirit" of whatever the sport is. It is not ideal, but incidents like what occurred at the end of the fourth Test will happen once again. This is what happens in professional sport when there are big prizes and legacies on the line. Perhaps spirit of cricket isn't a thing that actually exists. It is time for those around the sport to accept that and to understand that cricket will be OK if that is the case.
Sydney Morning Herald
4 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Rocket launcher: When women are faster than men
Chloe Kelly cannot only kick a soccer ball faster than a cheetah can run, she can kick it harder than any male player in the English Premier League. When Kelly scored the winning penalty for England in the UEFA Women's Euro final on Monday, she launched the ball at 110 km/h. Her kick was faster than Newcastle United's Alexander Isak whose strike against Liverpool reached 109.9 km/h and was the quickest recorded in the EPL. It wasn't the first time Kelly had upstaged the men. Two years earlier, in the round of 16 of the 2023 Women's World Cup, Kelly was called upon to take the fifth penalty against Nigeria in Brisbane. Just like the Euro final, if Kelly scored, her team would win the match. In what's become a routine so uniquely choreographed that fans have started mimicking her at home, before taking off, Kelly raises her left knee, waits, and then jumps onto it, propelling her toward the ball. In that game against Nigeria, Kelly's goal reached 110.79 km/h which fans again were quick to point out was faster than any strike made during the previous Premier League season, beating West Ham's Said Benrahma's 107.2km/h shot. For another comparison, cheetahs, the fastest land-based animal, run at 110 km/h. Though Kelly hasn't given much of an explanation for her technique, saying it became her routine when playing for Everton in 2018, her teammate Lucy Bronze described how Kelly's able to generate so much power in a TikTok video: When Kelly lifts her leg, Bronze says she's resting it: 'That's what helps her generate the power, resting the leg.' Kelly isn't the only female athlete to outdo her male counterparts.
