ZURICH — As Smilla Holmberg’s ultimate missed penalty flew into the Zurich air, all the England squad raced in direction of goalkeeper Hannah Hampton in celebration. Supervisor Sarina Wiegman stayed close to the bench and jumped into her assistant Arjan Veurink’s arms. Moments later, a bloodied Hampton [thanks to an earlier collision that left her with a bloody nose] was submerged underneath the opposite 22 England gamers because the Lionesses used all 9 of their lives to progress previous Sweden on penalties to achieve the semifinals of Euro 2025 on Thursday.
“It was laborious,” Wiegman mentioned afterwards. “One of many hardest video games I’ve ever watched. Very emotional. We might’ve been out 4 or 5 instances through the recreation.”
For a lot of the match, England had been poor; Sweden ought to have had the rating tied by the seventieth minute as they got the liberty of Zurich and pounced on easy errors on the again to go 2-0 up after 25 minutes due to Kosovare Asllani and Stina Blackstenius.
England’s defence was porous, the midfield nonexistent, the passes free. The crew seemed bereft, listless and had been outplayed by a fast, urgent crew that introduced physicality. That they had Hampton to thank for preserving them in it on the stroke of halftime as she made an exquisite save from Fridolina Rolfö.
– 9 misses? England vs. Sweden had the weirdest penalty shootout ever
– Ladies’s Euro 2025 bracket, outcomes and fixtures schedule
Sweden had been in complete management and educated England with a lesson much like the one France subjected them to within the opening recreation of the match. The clamor from the stands was to make adjustments; what they wanted was the injection of life from the substitutions and a change of formation. England had been right here earlier than.
In 2022, it was the affect of Ella Toone and Alessia Russo off the bench who shifted the steadiness of energy in matches on their approach to the title. Then, on the 2023 World Cup, they used 3-5-2 for the primary time underneath Wiegman on path to the ultimate. And that Plan B shifted the steadiness of energy again into England’s favor inside 103 seconds in opposition to Sweden.
First, Beth Mead, Michelle Agyemang and Esme Morgan had been launched on 70 minutes, then Chloe Kelly was introduced on eight minutes later and made a direct affect. Kelly’s deep cross discovered Lucy Bronze (who had spent many of the first half chasing shadows) on the far put up to nod residence within the 79th minute. Much less two minutes later, Kelly was concerned once more as her cross brought on havoc within the field and Agyemang, 19, netted the equalizer from shut vary.
England believed they might push for the winner, and had the momentum, however could not recover from the road inside 90 minutes as Russo had a goal-bound shot blocked. Further time beckoned, and that was Sweden’s because the tempo ebbed out of the sport and captain Leah Williamson left the pitch with an damage. However the Lionesses held agency for a penalty shootout.
Penalties are a merciless approach to resolve a match, however this one was shambolic, and each groups did their finest to get knocked out. In a frantic spell, 9 efforts went broad or had been saved, and Sweden had two possibilities to win the match: First, goalkeeper Jennifer Falk ballooned her effort over the bar. In sudden dying, Sofia Jakobsson had hers saved onto the put up by Hampton.
It was all the way down to Bronze to fit what proved to be the profitable penalty, and she or he powered her shot straight down the center. In her seventh main match, Bronze delivered once more. And when Holmberg missed hers into the night time sky, pandemonium ensued.
Sweden ought to have gained. England had possibilities late, however Sweden had been the dominant pressure and can take a look at this as an enormous alternative missed. The Lionesses will name this “correct England” — a efficiency of grit and willpower however mainly clinging on by your claws — and Hampton personified this.
Earlier than the match, the Chelsea goalkeeper was thrust reluctantly within the headlines when Mary Earps’ stunning retirement created an undesirable narrative. She stayed calm, but additionally confirmed the vulnerability anticipated of a goalkeeper heading into her first match as a No. 1 when she mentioned: “It is laborious once you see English followers not need you in objective.”
In Zurich on Thursday night time, there wasn’t a single England fan who would not have wished her there.
Throughout regular time, her repeated saves stored England within the match, and by the point the penalty shootout got here, she had already modified out of 1 bloodied high due to a midair collision with teammate Alex Greenwood and continued in between the sticks together with her nostril plugged and blood nonetheless streaming down.
0:33
England followers have a good time penalty shootout win vs. Sweden
Followers at Boxpark Wembley have a good time England’s quarterfinal win over Sweden on the Ladies’s European Championship.
With the assistance of Hampton’s efficiency, England by some means plucked a victory from a match they need to’ve misplaced. “The followers had been cheering nonstop,” the goalkeeper mentioned afterwards. “It helps you get that little little bit of an edge over them and stretch slightly further for every dive. They had been undoubtedly behind me, and I actually appreciated the entire help.”
England will probably be counting their blessings, however they’ve work to do forward of Italy. Till the substitutions, Sweden dominated the match and England’s again 4 seemed unfamiliar. Any go got here laced with unpredictability, and the Lionesses seemed misplaced, unable to search out any attacking momentum.
Ultimately, England grew to become the primary crew to beat a two-goal deficit in a Euros knockout match to make the subsequent spherical. And this was a victory for Hampton, Wiegman’s judgement (once more), luck, and the power of self-belief.
There’s one thing actually exceptional about this group and their capability to by some means wrestle matches again into their favor. However the evaluation will not make comfy viewing. They’re going to wait on the prognosis of Williamson’s ankle damage, which pressured her off in further time, and Wiegman might need to do some surgical procedure on the again.
However that may wait. For tonight, England can take pleasure in this. They will depend themselves very lucky.