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
16 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘We'll lose the fans': Wayne Bennett's simple solution to State of Origin eligibility debate
South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett has weighed in on proposed changes to State of Origin eligibility while also calling for calm as English recruit Lewis Dodd prepares to make his first start at halfback after a rough first year in Australia. Dodd was signed for three years on a lucrative deal but has played just four games off the bench this season despite the Rabbitohs going through a horror injury run in 2025. He'll finally start in the No.7 jersey against the Sharks with Jamie Humphreys in concussion protocols, with Bennett refusing to make any comments about Dodd's future before he sees how he performs. 'We're all going to be a lot smarter after tomorrow night, so let's wait until tomorrow night and answer some questions then,' he said, with suggestions the club could try to move him on at the end of the year. 'He's been good since he's been here. He's trained well, is well-mannered and has been highly respectful of the other players and his teammates. Nothing has changed for him. 'It could be a big month for him.' While Bennett didn't want to comment on Dodd's future, he was strong on Origin eligibility rules after it emerged that the Australian Rugby League Commission was considering making changes to stop players from having to choose between the Blues or Maroons and international sides England and New Zealand. As it stands, Origin stars like Stephen Crichton, Payne Haas and Jarome Luai can represent the Blues and then play for Samoa at the end of the year because of their tier 2 status. That loophole isn't available to guys like Victor Radley, who chose England over NSW, while there have been plenty of Kiwis who have been blocked from representing their state, while others have chosen to represent Tonga or Samoa so they can also play Origin. Bennett, who was in the mix to coach Australia in this year's Ashes series, has no issue with guys playing both formats but wants players to pick a country and stick with that choice for the rest of their careers. 'I don't believe they're going to play with the rules of Origin itself, and that's really important because the minute the fans realise it's not the genuine Queensland v NSW that it is, then we'll lose the fans,' Bennett warned. 'That's the great thing about it, the rivalry is real and it's not false, so we need to maintain that. 'The off side of that is players leaving that arena to then go and play for Tonga, Samoa, England, whatever. 'I'm happy for them to do that, but they can't do it as they're doing at the moment where you play for Tonga because they're second tier. If you play for England, it's first tier, so you can't swap nations. 'My point with it is that Origin eligibility won't change, and after that if you want to play for England and you qualify for England, then you do that. 'I'm happy for that because it makes the international game stronger, but I just don't want to see them playing for England and then coming back to play for Tonga because they're a second-tier nation. 'It's served its purpose and it's time to move on from that situation.' Fans would have loved to have seen Kiwis legend Benji Marshall play Origin, but he still wouldn't have been eligible even under the proposed changes given he moved to Australia after his 13th birthday. Regardless, he said he was never jealous given he's proud of his heritage. 'I always found it to be an Australian thing,' the Wests Tigers coach said. 'I just thought it was respectful to what it was that players from Australia played in that. 'We were always fans growing up in New Zealand. There was NSW and Queensland, but there was no wanting to play for them. I always wanted to play for New Zealand.'
Sydney Morning Herald
20 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Stagger then strike: What the Wallabies need to do to keep the series alive
Wallabies hooker Matt Faessler had a difficult day at the lineout, missing two throws in the first half and shortly into the second half, overthrowing to the back of the lineout to Champion de Crespigny. The hooker is often unfairly maligned in the lineout, in the same way a prop is blamed for a failing scrum when they are reliant on their second-rowers' push. Faessler equally needs his lifters to work in tandem, but in this case, Fraser McReight's efforts in getting Champion de Crespigny up were irrelevant as the ball sailed over their heads. The Wallabies were starved of attacking ball and desperately needed to make the most of the scraps they received. This moment led to a try from Lions' hooker Dan Sheehan, essentially killing off the game, despite Australia's fightback later. Faessler paid the price for his poor performance and has been dropped completely from the match day squad for Melbourne, with the Waratahs hooker Dave Porecki starting and Billy Pollard coming off the bench, surely with steadier throws. Beware the ball-playing prop Imitation is the greatest form of flattery: just ask Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell. The first clip below is from seven years ago in the Six Nations with Schmidt in charge of Ireland against England. Schmidt often used Irish tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong as a decoy playmaker, confusing the defence, who not unreasonably thought he would charge at them. Furlong was a talented gaelic footballer in his youth and possesses elite passing skills. In this clip, he pops up a beautiful pass to Bundee Aki to charge through the England defence to set up a try. In Brisbane, Furlong is back to his old tricks with Schmidt getting a sense of deja vu in the opposite coaching box. The prop calls for the ball and his opposite number Allan Alaalatoa, not unreasonably braces for contact. Instead, Furlong pulls the ball back to Finn Russell, who exploits space in the surprised Wallabies defence. Sione Tuipulotu scored a Lions try shortly after. Lack of grunt The Wallabies were brutally outmuscled by a heavier pack in Brisbane and the lack of powerful ball runners such as the injured Langi Gleeson and Rob Valetini proved costly. Thankfully both men are back for Melbourne. The stats are brutal: the Lions averaged 2.53 metres per post-contact carry against the Wallabies 1.87 metres in the game. The following example of nine phases highlights the helplessness of the Wallabies against the well-organised Lions defence, which has high line speed. The Wallabies were unable to bend back the Lions defensive line. The First Nations and Pasifika XV showed on Tuesday the need for aggressive and strong forwards to take the fight directly to the Lions. Scrum parity Although the Wallabies struggled with their lineout, their scrum was a highlight. Traditionally, the Lions have looked at the Australian scrum as an easy way to build domination in the game. Wallabies tighthead Alaalatoa is playing some of the best rugby of his career and here scrums squarely forcing the giant Irish loosehead Andrew Porter to angle in illegally. Australia have got the world's best scrummaging expert in Mike Cron on their coaching staff and the New Zealander will have been pleased with the work at the set piece which will only improve with second-rower Will Skelton's power in Melbourne. The box kick can work The box kick is never easy on the eye and in Brisbane, Jake Gordon's efforts didn't work for the majority of the game. Gordon missed the Test against Fiji with a hamstring injury and was rusty with most of his kicks deprived of the necessary hang time to give his wingers a chance at a fair contest against the brilliant aerial skills of Lions' fullback Hugo Keenan. On the 28th minute, Gordon nailed it perfectly, with Max Jorgensen showing not only great skill, but strength to rip the ball from Keenan's grasp and sprint through for a try. The day of the jackal Charlie Gamble has become the scourge of the Lions breakdown, causing havoc for the Waratahs and the First Nations and Pasifika XV. Gamble was helped by an aggressive pack in both games who smashed opponents to give him a free shot at the ball. McReight needs similar help, but is still brilliant at scanning for opportunities, even when outmatched and will look for further opportunities to disrupt his opposite number in Melbourne. The sniping spark of McDermott Tate McDermott is a victim of his own success coming off the bench and remains there for Melbourne. He is the perfect spark plug for the Wallabies when the Lions are tiring. The halfback walks up to the ruck laconically, giving the impression he will move into the 7th phase with his forwards. Irish tighthead Andrew Porter is expecting another carry, instead McDermott takes on two defenders and wiggles over for a late consolation try. McDermott's ability to manipulate space is world-class and will continue to cause the Lions headaches in Melbourne, if utilised correctly.
The Age
20 hours ago
- The Age
Stagger then strike: What the Wallabies need to do to keep the series alive
Wallabies hooker Matt Faessler had a difficult day at the lineout, missing two throws in the first half and shortly into the second half, overthrowing to the back of the lineout to Champion de Crespigny. The hooker is often unfairly maligned in the lineout, in the same way a prop is blamed for a failing scrum when they are reliant on their second-rowers' push. Faessler equally needs his lifters to work in tandem, but in this case, Fraser McReight's efforts in getting Champion de Crespigny up were irrelevant as the ball sailed over their heads. The Wallabies were starved of attacking ball and desperately needed to make the most of the scraps they received. This moment led to a try from Lions' hooker Dan Sheehan, essentially killing off the game, despite Australia's fightback later. Faessler paid the price for his poor performance and has been dropped completely from the match day squad for Melbourne, with the Waratahs hooker Dave Porecki starting and Billy Pollard coming off the bench, surely with steadier throws. Beware the ball-playing prop Imitation is the greatest form of flattery: just ask Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell. The first clip below is from seven years ago in the Six Nations with Schmidt in charge of Ireland against England. Schmidt often used Irish tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong as a decoy playmaker, confusing the defence, who not unreasonably thought he would charge at them. Furlong was a talented gaelic footballer in his youth and possesses elite passing skills. In this clip, he pops up a beautiful pass to Bundee Aki to charge through the England defence to set up a try. In Brisbane, Furlong is back to his old tricks with Schmidt getting a sense of deja vu in the opposite coaching box. The prop calls for the ball and his opposite number Allan Alaalatoa, not unreasonably braces for contact. Instead, Furlong pulls the ball back to Finn Russell, who exploits space in the surprised Wallabies defence. Sione Tuipulotu scored a Lions try shortly after. Lack of grunt The Wallabies were brutally outmuscled by a heavier pack in Brisbane and the lack of powerful ball runners such as the injured Langi Gleeson and Rob Valetini proved costly. Thankfully both men are back for Melbourne. The stats are brutal: the Lions averaged 2.53 metres per post-contact carry against the Wallabies 1.87 metres in the game. The following example of nine phases highlights the helplessness of the Wallabies against the well-organised Lions defence, which has high line speed. The Wallabies were unable to bend back the Lions defensive line. The First Nations and Pasifika XV showed on Tuesday the need for aggressive and strong forwards to take the fight directly to the Lions. Scrum parity Although the Wallabies struggled with their lineout, their scrum was a highlight. Traditionally, the Lions have looked at the Australian scrum as an easy way to build domination in the game. Wallabies tighthead Alaalatoa is playing some of the best rugby of his career and here scrums squarely forcing the giant Irish loosehead Andrew Porter to angle in illegally. Australia have got the world's best scrummaging expert in Mike Cron on their coaching staff and the New Zealander will have been pleased with the work at the set piece which will only improve with second-rower Will Skelton's power in Melbourne. The box kick can work The box kick is never easy on the eye and in Brisbane, Jake Gordon's efforts didn't work for the majority of the game. Gordon missed the Test against Fiji with a hamstring injury and was rusty with most of his kicks deprived of the necessary hang time to give his wingers a chance at a fair contest against the brilliant aerial skills of Lions' fullback Hugo Keenan. On the 28th minute, Gordon nailed it perfectly, with Max Jorgensen showing not only great skill, but strength to rip the ball from Keenan's grasp and sprint through for a try. The day of the jackal Charlie Gamble has become the scourge of the Lions breakdown, causing havoc for the Waratahs and the First Nations and Pasifika XV. Gamble was helped by an aggressive pack in both games who smashed opponents to give him a free shot at the ball. McReight needs similar help, but is still brilliant at scanning for opportunities, even when outmatched and will look for further opportunities to disrupt his opposite number in Melbourne. The sniping spark of McDermott Tate McDermott is a victim of his own success coming off the bench and remains there for Melbourne. He is the perfect spark plug for the Wallabies when the Lions are tiring. The halfback walks up to the ruck laconically, giving the impression he will move into the 7th phase with his forwards. Irish tighthead Andrew Porter is expecting another carry, instead McDermott takes on two defenders and wiggles over for a late consolation try. McDermott's ability to manipulate space is world-class and will continue to cause the Lions headaches in Melbourne, if utilised correctly.
