The winner takes it all. England reached a sixth consecutive major tournament semi-final with a gut-busting performance to come from two goals down against Sweden before sealing victory via a penalty shootout with goalkeeper Hannah Hampton the hero.
Kosovare Asllani’s early strike and Stina Blackstenius’s effort had rattled Sarina Wiegman’s side. It had been all Sweden, England were down and out, headed for the Euros exit, their crown relinquished, but you can never bet against Wiegman in a major tournament and, although many were screaming for changes to come sooner, it was her late cavalry that delivered two goals in 102 seconds to level the score and force the game beyond 90 minutes. England became the first team to come from two goals down in the knockout stages of the women’s Euros since the tournament began in 1984 and Hampton was the superstar, emerging from Mary Earps’ shadow, saving two spot-kicks with Sweden missing three others.
Asllani had promised that Sweden had the “perfect gameplan” for facing the team with whom they share many similar characteristics. The first blow was dealt in the second minute and the target of Sweden’s gameplan was clear: attack England’s new look left-hand side. Jess Carter had struggled at left-back against France and was swapped with the left-sided centre-back Alex Greenwood for their remaining two group games. The move had seemed effective but it was compromised by the Swedes.
Under pressure, Carter’s pass to Keira Walsh fell short and was intercepted, the second time she had turned over the ball within a minute, and it fell kindly for Blackstenius who squared to Asllani and the midfielder fired low past Hampton into the bottom corner.
The yellow wall of fans behind Jennifer Falk’s goal roared while those in white seemed shell-shocked, England’s sloppiness and inability to escape Sweden’s press so untypical of the team that had dispatched the Netherlands and Wales so easily.
Carter was exposed again soon after, a loose pass to Hampton pickpocketed by Blackstenius but Leah Williamson raced back to block her club teammate’s effort.
England almost had an equaliser against the run of play a minute later, Lauren Hemp denied when Falk tipped her shot on to the crossbar, but any hopes a first effort on goal would calm England were in vain. Wiegman’s side were overrun, outmuscled, outfought and outthought and Sweden’s second seemed inevitable. It arrived in the 25th minute, Blackstenius racing clear of a ponderous Carter before firing low into the far corner. It was too easy, and in an attempt to halt the success of Sweden on their right, Williamson and Carter switched sides.
Hampton ensured the deficit remained at two with a big save to deny Fridolina Rolfö shortly before the break and England raced down the tunnel to pick over the bones of an utterly humiliating first half.
There was surprise that there were no changes at the break for England, the determination to continue with a clearly struggling Carter was baffling, particularly when the far more agile Manchester United captain Maya Le Tissier, Washington Spirit’s Esme Morgan and the Arsenal centre-back Lotte Wubben-Moy were on the bench. You could argue that Carter improved, but the reality is that Sweden took their foot off the gas, their press loosened as they allowed England more time on the ball.
The defending champions were better after the restart. Ella Toone forced a save from Falk before Hemp flashed a header wide, but they just could not get the ball down the right. Bronze had her arms raised for much of the first half and cut an isolated figure on that flank, despite many having identified the left-back Jonna Andersson as the weak link for the Swedes in the buildup.
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England’s changes came later than many were calling for, Wiegman waiting until the 70th minute to roll the dice. Michelle Agyemang, Beth Mead and Morgan would be tasked with rescuing England, Toone and Stanway replaced along with Carter.
It was chaos from them on until the close, the kitchen sink thrown in by Wiegman, with the entire midfield eventually removed as they fought to get into the game and then go for the win.
Wiegman’s charges prodded at the Sweden defence and they finally pierced it in the 79th minute, Bronze drifting past everyone at the far post to meet substitute Chloe Kelly’s cross and head past Falk. It was a lifeline and there was less than two minutes between Bronze’s goal and the equaliser, Kelly’s cross nodded down by Mead and turned in by Agyemang. They should have grabbed the winner, Alessia Russo taking one touch too many after she had just the keeper to beat in virtually the last serious attack before extra time.
If England had the marginally fresher legs on the pitch, it did not show in extra time, the game far more even than Wiegman would have liked. There were some issues too, Williamson rolled her ankle forcing her to limp off at the midway point of extra time, James also felt the full force of a Lina Hurtig challenge and a three-way clash between Greenwood, Hampton and a Swede left the keeper with a nosebleed and the former with her shoulder being repositioned while Bronze taped her own thigh up.
There was not much more action and a shootout was confirmed soon after. Julia Zigiotti Olme and Nathalie Björn scored for Sweden but Russo, Kelly and Bronze converted for England and Hampton saved from Filippa Angeldahl and Sofia Jakobsson while Magda Eriksson hit the post. Smilla Holmberg and Falk, who had saved from James, Clinton and Greenwood efforts, fired over, to send England through in the most dramatic of fashions. Phew.