07/17/25 07:19:00
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07/17 19:14 CDT England beats Sweden on penalties to reach Euro 2025 semifinals
after dramatic comeback
England beats Sweden on penalties to reach Euro 2025 semifinals after dramatic
comeback
By DANIELLA MATAR
AP Sports Writer
ZURICH (AP) --- With 12 minutes remaining, defending champion England was
heading out of the Women's European Championship.
But then the Lionesses came roaring back. Two quick goals saw them stage an
improbable comeback to draw 2-2 against Sweden and then win a penalty shootout
to advance to the semifinals.
"Very hyper, still very emotional, I think lots of adrenaline still in my body,
I mean," England coach Sarina Wiegman said, who added that it was the most
chaotic match that she had ever been part of. "I can't remember anything like
this.
"I think that's a quality that's so strong from this team, that together
they're fighting back and not playing well, but sticking together, that shows
so much resilience."
The shootout featured some terrible attempts --- nine misses in all --- before
England triumphed 3-2 with 18-year-old Smilla Holmberg missing the last one
after Lucy Bronze had powerfully dispatched hers for the Lionesses.
"Stressful. Stressful watching, stressful playing," England goalkeeper Hannah
Hampton told British broadcaster the BBC when asked about the shootout.
"Every time I saved one I was thinking ?please just put it in so we have a bit
of a cushion.' Their keeper then just went and saved the next one and I was
thinking 'oh goodness, here we go.'"
England would have been thankful to get to penalties, however, as its earliest
exit from a major tournament in more than a decade loomed before goals from
Bronze and teenage substitute Michelle Agyemang took the match to extra time.
It is the first time in the history of the Women's Euros that a team has fought
back from two goals down in a knockout match.
"Today I thought three times we were out," Wiegman said. "And then when you
miss so many penalties then I was really conscious ?OK now it's done' and then
they missed again.
"So that needs a little bit of luck of course that they then missed, for them
of course the most horrible way to go out of the tournament and for us maybe
even more exciting."
England will face Italy in a semifinal in Geneva on Tuesday.
Sweden had topped its group with maximum points after three wins, including a
memorable 4-1 victory over Germany last time out, and it started where it left
off in Zurich.
England appeared on the back foot from the off and as they tried to play it out
from the back a pass rebounded off Filippa Angeldahl and came to Stina
Blackstenius, who teed up a completely unmarked Kosovare Asllani to slot into
the bottom left corner.
The goal was timed at 1 minute, 46 seconds.
Sweden was finding space on the right flank and exploited it again to double
its lead. Blackstenius raced onto Julia Zigiotti Olme's pass and held off Jess
Carter as she surged into the area and calmly dispatched the ball into the far
bottom corner.
Hampton pulled off fine saves to deny Fridolina Rolf and Blackstenius and keep
England in the game and that proved crucial.
Chloe Kelly was brought on in the 78th minute and she had an immediate impact
as she whipped in a cross from the left for Bronze to head in at the back post.
And another precise cross two minutes later was nodded down for fellow
substitute Agyemang to head in the equalizer.
It was the 19-year-old's second goal for England in her third appearance.
There were few real chances in extra time, meaning that penalties would be
needed to separate the sides.
Both Sweden and England had won their last penalty shootouts, in the round of
16 at the 2023 World Cup.
Four players from each team missed their spot kicks before Bronze scored hers
and Holmberg blazed hers over. Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk managed to save
four penalties but blasted her own attempt over the bar.
It evened the teams' records in penalty shootouts at the Euros --- the only
other time either team had faced one was against each other in the 1984 final,
which Sweden won.
"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, who is leaving after eight years in charge that saw him lead the
team to two World Cup semifinals, a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics and the
Euro 2022 semifinals.
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