Euro 2025 daily newsletter: Day seventeen
England pull off historic comeback to beat Sweden on penalties and advance to the semi-finals
Euro 2025 truly keeps delivering!
England are into the semi-finals by the skin of their teeth, coming from 2-0 down to win on penalties against Sweden.
It was a nightmare start for the Lionesses when a poor clearance from their defensive line in the second minute gifted the Swedish strikers the perfect opportunity, finished by Kosovare Asllani. In the 25th minute, Stina Blackstenius completely outpaced Jess Carter to double the lead. England looked shaky, with a defence in disarray and an attack unable to convert their chances in the first half.
The turning point was England’s substitutions. Within minutes of Chloe Kelly coming on to replace Lauren Hemp, two crosses from the sub led to two goals. One found Lucy Bronze’s head to give England their first and, 103 seconds later, the second was finished off by another sub, Michelle Agyemang, after a knock-down from a third replacement, Beth Mead. The turnaround demonstrated the depth within the squad; the changes completely altered the momentum and transformed the game within those few minutes.
The score stayed level at 2-2 until the end of extra time, leaving penalties to decide the winner.
It was a tale of missed spot-kicks, with England scoring just three of their seven taken. Fortunately for them, Sweden only scored two, narrowly sending the holders through to the last four. Alessia Russo scored first, and later Kelly and Bronze’s efforts of sheer power and pace were unstoppable. Hannah Hampton faced her biggest test yet since being named the No 1 goalkeeper for England, and she delivered - even with a bloody nose. A couple of good saves from Hampton were followed by Sweden teenager Smilla Holmberg sending her must-score penalty flying high over the bar.
The Lionesses will now play Italy in the last four, and for the sake of England fans’ heart rates, let’s hope it isn’t as dramatic as this game.
News
Leah Williamson appeared to suffer an ankle injury in extra time. She played on for a few more minutes but was then subbed off, raising doubt about her availability for the next match. Sarina Wiegman said after the game that the England captain had rolled her ankle
England are the first team in the history of the women’s Euros to come back to win from a 2-0 deficit in a knockout game
England still have not lost a penalty shootout under Wiegman
Sweden’s coach Peter Gerhardsson will now be stepping down as manager
Michelle Agyemang, 19, has now scored two goals in just three appearances for England, all as a substitute
What’s on today
Spain vs Switzerland, 20:00 BST, Stadium Wankdorf, Bern
Spain have been ruthless in the tournament so far, scoring the most goals out of any team (14). Switzerland are hoping to continue their fairytale run in their home nation, and they will undoubtedly be leaning on the Bern crowd to inspire them to victory. The winner will play either France or Germany in the second semi-final. Read more about the tactical matchup here.
Catch up on The Cutback
Flo Lloyd-Hughes and Theo Lloyd-Hughes report from a crazy night in Zurich - England into Euro 2025 semi-finals after dramatic shootout win over Sweden