Lionesses bounce back from being on brink of Euros heartbreak to send fans wild
The Lionesses have beaten Sweden in a nail-biting penalty shootout to secure their place in the Euros semi-finals.
It was a sensational comeback for the England Women who went from being two goals down to equalising with just 10 minutes left on the clock.
The stadium was a cacophony of Sweden's defiant chants competing with the 'c'mon England' war cries from the fans in red white and blue.
And as the Lionesses became one step closer to keeping their title 'champions of Europe', the barmy army were arm in arm in the stands as they belted out Sweet Caroline.
Paul Thompson, 41, who had driven to Zurich with his son Adrian, 16, from Nottingham, said: "I think we will be singing Sweet Caroline all night and dancing."
George Tutty, Eastbourne, said: "Being away from home soil, you wonder if the fans are going to come or not but when you touch down here in Switzerland you can see they're here in force.
"I struggle to stay quiet in any match but I think I've lost my voice after that so I'll need some hot honey to get ready for the next game."
Eleven minutes before the final whistle, an England heartbreak seemed almost certain when they were still 2-0 down 79 minutes in.
But then just 120 seconds later the Lionesses had equalised thanks to two rocket shots from Lucy Bronze and Lioness cub Michelle Agyemang.
The 19-year-old who was once a Wembley ball girl is now England's youngest player and cemented in history as a red, white and blue hero.
As she fell to her knees and roared with pride, the stadium erupted with every single fan brought to their feet in disbelief.
And it was again Bronze, 33, who helped her team romp to victory when she scored the winning penalty, leaving the final score 2-2 (2-3).
Claire Wenman, 33, from Bristol, said: "I'm delighted. I'll be dancing and singing into the night and going into the centre with friends to see where the night takes us. I was quite nervous before the match because Sweden are a tight team but now they're out of the way I think we will make it to the final.
"The atmosphere tonight has been electric, I feel immensely proud to be English."
Shannon Brunskill, 29, Newcastle, said: "I've only missed the France game so far, it was the right game to miss and I feel like I've been a good luck charm after watching them win like that.
"I'll be running around the pub doing a Chloe Kelly celebration with my top off and swinging it round my head. I think I'll be in a state tomorrow."
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BreakingNews.ie
27 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
England lift Euros trophy in front of thousands at Buckingham Palace
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The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
It's staying home: England's road to Euro 2025 glory
Over little more than three weeks in July, from Zurich via St Gallen, and Lancy to Basel, Guardian writers have followed every step of England's journey across Switzerland during Women's Euro 2025. Under Sarina Wiegman, the Lionesses became the first England team to win a trophy on foreign soil. Here are our favourite pictures coupled with excerpts from our match reports and blogs. GAME 1: GROUP D 5 JULY, STADION LETZIGRUND France 2 (Katoto 36, Baltimore 39) England 1 (Walsh 87) England's goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, right, fails to save a shot by France's Sandy Baltimore as England stumbled in their opening game of the tournament. Photograph above: Michael Buholzer/AP. Click on the images below to reveal further captions. The hour mark was approaching when Sarina Wiegman rolled the dice or, perhaps more accurately, reached for the comfort blanket. A salvage operation of this scale had not been part of anyone's masterplan, but at least Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly knew exactly how to move the dial at a European Championship. They were the history makers at Wembley in England's most recent appearance on this stage; if it was going to be anyone, it surely had to be them. There were to be no heroics this time, even if Selma Bacha's late clearance was ultimately all that came between Wiegman's players and a draw. That statement is, in itself, illusory because the manager must face questions about her selection here. She had plumped for Lauren James's explosive gifts in the No 10 position, sticking to the claim that the Chelsea forward was ready to ramp up her recovery from injury, but the call backfired badly. England were misshapen and leggy where it mattered; the game simply got away from them and so, with another ill-conceived step against the Netherlands, could their Euro 2025 campaign. 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Click on the images below to reveal further captions. The Letzigrund looks gorgeous under a pale pastel evening sun. The noise washes over the athletics track where Carl Lewis and Asafa Powell once broke the world record, and where Sweden are now flying out of the blocks and leaving England trailing in their dust. We do not yet know that in many ways this is simply the prologue, that this devastating early two-goal flurry is actually relatively benign in comparison with the carnage that will follow. We do not yet know that Lauren James will end up playing almost an hour in a double pivot. We do not yet know that Lucy Bronze will end up wearing the captain's armband on her wrist and kicking a giant credit card advert. Hannah Hampton, nose still unbloodied, has not the faintest inkling that this will end up being the greatest night of her career. But they all know something. Even if they're not entirely conscious of it. Even as an utterly shambolic England trail Sweden 2-0 and the obituaries for their campaign are being scribbled, there is a little knot of refusal there, a team with an entirely unwarranted calmness at its core, a team that against all the available visual evidence still trusts that everything is going to work out. Perhaps the hallmark of certain great teams is in sensing almost subconsciously when they are allowed to play badly and when they are not, when the level needs to be raised, when the stakes are at their sharpest. Jonathan Liew GAME 5: SEMI-FINAL 22 JULY, STADE DE GENÈVE England 2 (Agyemang 90+5, Kelly 120) Italy 1 (Bonansea 33) England won in extra time Chloe Kelly celebrates with Michelle Agyemang after scoring the winning goal late in extra-time. Photograph above: Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Shutterstock. Click on the images below to reveal further captions. Chloe Kelly said England's saviour Michelle Agyemang has the 'world at her feet' after the 19-year-old striker's late leveller rescued the defending champions in their nerve-jangling semi-final victory against Italy. England's remarkably late comeback, with Agyemang scoring in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time before Kelly's winner in the penultimate minute of extra time, booked the Lionesses a place in their third consecutive major tournament final. 'Big Mich at it again!' Kelly said to ITV Sport, discussing Agyemang's third goal in four senior international games since her April debut. 'She's unbelievable and she should have scored again: that one that hit the crossbar. She's an unbelievable player and she's got the world at her feet, a young player with a bright future and I'm absolutely buzzing for her.' The match was played two days after Jess Carter revealed she had received what the England team described as poisonous racist abuse on social media. The Lionesses said they were not going to take the knee before the game. Instead, the substitutes stood arm in arm on the touchline before kick-off, including Kelly, who said: 'I'm so proud to stand side by side with the girls in this team; Jess Carter and every single player in this team.' Tom Garry GAME 6: FINAL 27 JULY, ST JAKOB-PARK England 1 (Russo 57) Spain 1 (Caldentey 25) AET England won 3-1 on penalties Click on the images below to reveal further captions. Penalties: England 2-1 Spain (in the shootout). Now the pressure is on Spain and who else but Aitana Bonmatí? She steps up but Hannah Hampton saves!! Penalties: England 2-1 Spain. Now the pressure really is on Spain but England cannot afford to slip up here. For England it's Leah Williamson. The captain misses. Penalties: England 2-1 Spain. So Spain have a chance to level it again here. It's Salma Paralluelo and she misses. Penalties: England 3-1 Spain. Oh my word. These shootouts. If England score here they win the tournament. It's Chloe Kelly. Huge pressure on her shoulders and she scores. ENGLAND HAVE WON THE EUROS ON PENALTIES Wow. Oh my word. What have we just watched? Kelly clutch. Hannah Hampton unbelievable. Niamh Charles coming on in that second half of extra time and scoring a cracking penalty. The whole team able to stay present after saves from both goalkeepers. Sarina Wiegman has been an international manager for three Euros. She has won every single one. Sarah Rendell
The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
Watch: England victory parade highlights as thousands celebrate Euro 2025 win
Watch the highlights of England 's homecoming victory parade as the Lionesses celebrate their Euro 2025 win in London on Tuesday (29 July). The two-time consecutive winners began the celebrations with an open-top bus procession down The Mall, where Chloe Kelly, who scored the winning penalty against Spain on Sunday (27 June), was spotted dancing with her teammates. She said: 'This team is so special, led by a special manager', before adding: 'I'm so proud to be English'. The Lionesses then made their way to Buckingham Palace for a ceremony on stage, where captain Leah Williamson told adoring crowds: 'We do it for young girls. This job never existed 30 years ago and we're making history every single step so stay with us, this story is not done yet.'
