England very lucky as Euros might already be theirs after surviving worst penalty shootout, superior Sweden

Football is often the cruellest of games as being the better team wins you nothing and superior sides can be denied their just desserts…

England‘s European Championship quarter-final was a prime example of this as Wiegman’s side remained alive at the tournament after 103 seconds of peak footballing drama, which was somehow outdone by the game’s penalty shootout.

Sweden, like France, proved that this England side has a clear weakness, with it taking less than two minutes for tonight’s opponents to expose this department.

The Lionesses were caught cold in their opening group game against France, who bullied their opponents on an alarming evening for the Lionesses.

This left Wiegman‘s team needing a faultless end to the group to advance, and they emphatically recovered to qualify for the knockout stages via resounding wins over the Netherlands and Wales.

It also seemed that their loss to France was a blessing in disguise, with their second-place finish in Group D leaving them on the ‘right’ side of the draw, avoiding a meeting with France, Germany or Spain until the final.

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Still, while quarter-final opponents Sweden are arguably a level below those three aforementioned sides, England could not afford to be off the pace against the world’s sixth-ranked outfit, who have advanced to the quarter-final stage of each major tournament since 2017.

England showed signs in their previous two games, albeit against lesser opposition, that they were growing into their tournament.

Their newfound momentum was sparked by their brilliant front four of Alessia Russo, Lauren Hemp, Ella Toone and Lauren James, though there have been question marks about England’s back five in the absence of recently-retired pair Millie Bright and Mary Earps.

The Lionesses were immediately on the back foot against an intense Sweden side, who punished their opponent’s first mistake as Wiegman’s side let in the quickest goal they have ever conceded at a knockout match at a Women’s Euros.

Sweden’s forwards were on their toes to press and England centre-back Jess Carter caved under the pressure; her weak pass was intercepted as Stina Blackstenius assisted captain Kosovare Asllani, who produced a clinical finish into the bottom corner past Hampton.

And if it weren’t for Leah Williamson’s remarkable interception to spare Hampton’s blushes, England would have gone 2-0 down moments after the restart.

Sweden’s game plan was clear as they targeted two zones: their right flank and any area occupied by danger woman James, who was swiftly shut down by several markers any time she gained possession.

England showed a fleeting sign of life as Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk tipped Hemp’s shot onto the bar, but the leaders otherwise dominated due to their far superior intensity and disjointed performance of their opponents.

So when Sweden doubled their lead after 24 minutes, it was the least that they deserved, while it was shambolic from England’s perspective.

The Lionesses were trying and failing to find rhythm as Hemp lost possession in the attacking half, and one simple pass in behind to Blackstenius left them reeling as the forward advanced past Carter on the inside right position before she calmly converted past Hampton.

This meant England, once again, were facing a disappointing early exit from this Euros, and they could not have had any complaints after being second best in all departments to Sweden.

England continued to battle without much success, while Sweden threatened to strike against a fragile defence on the counter-attack, but the game turned on its head during a frantic spell seconds before the end of normal time.

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In times of need, you look to your bench for inspiration, and fortunately for England, they have game-changers to call upon when a match is on a knife-edge.

Three years after scoring England’s winning goal off the bench in the Euro 2022 final, Chloe Kelly produced again for her side to play a key role in their late comeback.

Firstly, her devilish deep cross was headed home at the back post by Lucy Bronze to pull a goal back. Then, she produced another teasing cross towards two more substitutes as Beth Mead expertly knocked the ball down to 19-year-old Michelle Adyemang, who tapped home from close range to restore parity.

It was unfortunate for Sweden, but the abundance of quality in England’s stacked squad proved vital as they kept themselves alive.

There were more uncomfortable minutes for the Lionesses in extra time as Sweden took back control of the match, but they could not restore what would have been a worthy lead, as instead, we were treated to one of the worst (or best…?) penalty shootouts in history.

England somehow survived four misses (including three in a row) to win 3-2 after seven kicks apiece after Bronze went for the good ol’ fashioned technique of smashing it and hoping for the best in sudden death before Smilla Holmberg became the ninth player to fail from the spot.

It was unbelievable, really. England were on the end of a one-sided domination for large portions of the match but somehow prevailed thanks to Wiegman’s masterful substitutes, Kelly’s impact off the bench, Hampton’s heroic penalty saves and more than their fair share of good fortune.

A repeat of this level of performance will end England’s tournament hopes, but surely the only way is up and this evening’s breathtaking events suggest the trophy may already have their names on it.

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