How the Lionesses saved their own skin
England's horror first half
2mins: After just two minutes, a badly conceived pass from Jess Carter puts Keira Walsh under huge pressure. Sweden's Stina Blackstenius pounces, steals possession and plays in Kosovare Asllani who gleefully accepts the chance to open the scoring. England are behind after just two minutes
A nightmare start for England 😩
Kosovare Asllani finds the net and the Lionesses are behind after less than two minutes. #BBCFootball #WEuro2025 pic.twitter.com/AHp8YWfEMz
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 17, 2025
25mins: After plenty more shaky defending, England concede again. This time Carter is burned by Blackstenius after Sweden send through a searching ball. Blackstenius angles a low finish into the corner to double Sweden's advantage. England look like toast after less than half an hour.
It's two.
Stina Blackstenius doubles Sweden's lead and England have a mountain to climb. #BBCFootball #WEuro2025 pic.twitter.com/ccBivuAxS6
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 17, 2025
Comeback #1 – two goals in 103 seconds
70mins: Sarina Wiegman makes a triple change. Carter is replaced by Esme Morgan. The tactical switch pays off – Morgan helps shore up the defence.
79mins: Beth Mead lays a pass back to Chloe Kelly, who has acres of space and sends over an inch-perfect, deep cross which sails over Madelen Janogy's head and towards Lucy Bronze at the far post. The defender tracks the flight of the ball and from a tight angle produces a header which beats the keeper. Is a comeback on the cards?
Lucy Bronze pulls one back for England! #BBCFootball #WEuro2025 pic.twitter.com/qWJvTGb23I
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 17, 2025
81mins: Alex Greenwood threads a promising pass through to Chloe Kelly, who shows superb control to turn her marker inside out before sending in an enticing cross towards Mead, who can't quite get her head to it. Sweden's defensive fault lines are open and Michelle Agyemang is the first to pounce, stabbing home a low shot past keeper Jennifer Falk. Just 103 seconds separate England's goals.
INCREDIBLE! 😮
Two goals in two minutes and England are level! #BBCFootball #WEuro2025 pic.twitter.com/j8s7ouI6Q8
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 17, 2025
Extra time – Hampton's bloody nose
Deep into extra time and with the match seemingly destined for penalties, England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton collides with a Swedish player and her own team-mate, Alex Greenwood, and emerges with blood streaming from her nose. Speaking after the game, Hampton said: 'It's fine. Me and nosebleeds never go well. Me and the doctor have had some great history in the past with having to go to hospital and stuff so as soon as he came over he was thinking 'not again.''
Meanwhile Lucy Bronze, starts to strap up her own leg in preparation for the heroics that will follow.
Comeback #2 – a 'crazy' penalty shoot-out
The final whistle blows and the quarter-final goes to penalties. The shoot-out proves to be a flawed classic.
With England shooting first and in front of their own supporters, here's how it played out.
✔️ Alessi Russo rifles a powerful shot to put England ahead.
England 1 Sweden 0
❌ Hannah Hampton saves a right-footed effort from Filippa Angeldal.
England 1 Sweden 0
Advantage England! 🧤
Hannah Hampton saves from Filippa Angeldahl after Alessia Russo had put England 1-0 up in the penalty shootout. #BBCFootball #WEuro2025 pic.twitter.com/GW9LJRknaj
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 17, 2025
❌ Lauren James's weak right-footed shot is well read by Jennifer Falk.
England 1 Sweden 0
✔️ Julia Zigiotti Olme strikes a beautifully sweet shot high out of Hampton's reach.
England 1 Sweden 1
❌ Beth Mead sends a right-footed penalty towards Falk, who gets down to save.
England 1 Sweden 1
❌ Magdalena Erikkson's left footed effort clips the bottom of the right-hand post.
England 1 Sweden 1
❌ Falk body saves Alex Greenwood's tame left-footed effort.
England 1 Sweden 1
✔️ Nathalie Bjorn gets the better of Hampton to put Sweden into a lead.
England 1 Sweden 2
✔️ Chloe Kelly converts the ultimate pressure penalty. With her trademark jump-start run-up, she sends Falk the wrong way.
England 2 Sweden 2
❌ Goalkeeper Falk, of all candidates, steps up to the spot but blasts her effort sky high.
England 2 Sweden 2 - SUDDEN DEATH
Crazy scenes! 😱
Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk steps up and has the chance to win the penalty shootout but blazes over the bar! #BBCFootball #WEuro2025 pic.twitter.com/SNPMAC4UPV
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 17, 2025
❌ Grace Clinton's low-footed right effort is easily saved by Falk.
England 2 Sweden 2
❌ Hampton dives to her right to save Sofia Jacobsson's flimsy effort.
England 2 Sweden 2
✔️ Bronze coolly converts an emphatic penalty to edge England ahead once again. Sweden must score.
England 3 Sweden 2
❌ Teenager Smilla Holmberg sends her shot high and wide to seal Sweden's fate.
England 3 Sweden 2
Lucy Bronze scores!
Smilla Holmberg misses!
England go through!
And relax. 😰 #BBCFootball #WEuros2025 pic.twitter.com/xkDFXifxDX
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 17, 2025
How the Lionesses reacted
Sarina Wiegman
'It was one of the hardest matches I've ever watched. We could have been out four or five times during the game. We started really badly, got better but couldn't create anything, then we changed shaped and scored two goals. That was crazy already. Then extra time, some players were injured and had cramp, Hannah [Hampton] had blood all over the place...We missed a lot and they missed even more and we're through. I need to decompress. We showed that we're absolutely never done.'
Hannah Hampton
'It just all has gone so quickly, that last little bit of the penalty shoot-out. We're very happy. The fans knew we could bring this back and you never write us off. Stressful. Stressful watching, stressful playing. 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.''
Lucy Bronze
'It was a roller coaster, a crazy game.'
Leah Williamson
'It was awful to watch at the end but we're never done, we fought back and turned the game around. There were a few more misses than normal [in the shoot-out] but everyone does work on it. There is a science behind it, it's the easiest and hardest thing in the world. Everybody covered so much ground and did their job to help each other out. I'm a happy girl.'
Chloe Kelly
'We knew we had to bounce back, we weren't at our best in the first half but we knew we were capable of doing so. I didn't feel under pressure [coming on]. I just wanted to create some goals for the girls, to put the ball in the box and play to their strengths.'
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Having been involved in 19 of Chelsea's 22 Women's Super League (WSL) games during their title win last season, Bronze then started every England game at Euro 2025, where she was named in Uefa's team of the she did reveal after the final that she had been playing in Switzerland with a fractured leg, while she also suffered a knee injury against Spain - and injuries could become more of an players involved in the current squad who would be over 30 in Brazil are Alex Greenwood, who is currently 31, Beth Mead, 30, and uncapped goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse, also player who was not involved in Switzerland and faces an uncertain England future is Millie Bright, who turns 32 next month, and her retirement would not be a surprise. She made herself unavailable at Euro 2025, saying she was not able to give 100% mentally or physically, and while still valued highly by Wiegman, two of her past three seasons have been heavily disrupted by injuries. Who might break into starting line-up? 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Who will be England's main rivals? It is hard to look further than the United States and USA team are now managed by Englishwoman Emma Hayes, who has restored them to the top of the world rankings after they dropped to fifth following their worst performance at a Women's World Cup in 2023, when they went out in the last to that they had won the previous two World Cups. 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Yet when the men's World Cup was held in Brazil in 2014, Germany's triumph showed that a northern European team could still thrive in unfamiliar team who would be expected to flourish in that climate would be hosts Brazil, who will also have the added boost of home had a disappointing tournament two years ago, failing to make it past the group stage as Jamaica finished ahead of them. But just 12 months later they were impressive at the Paris Olympics, knocking out hosts France and Spain on their way to the final, and where better to end their search for a first international title than on home soil?When it comes to major tournaments it is also hard not to mention two-time champions Germany, while perennial underachievers France and former winners Japan are capable of competing with the world's best.
