England somehow beat Sweden in a genuine epic that had several chapters

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3 days ago

Smilla Holmberg didn't even think she was meant to be on the pitch. The player who missed Sweden's decisive penalty had spent the first period of extra time hobbling around at right-back, having twisted her ankle making a brilliant last-ditch block on Alessia Russo's shot as England threatened to win the game 3-2 at the end of 90 minutes.
At the break in extra time, Holmberg ran over towards the dugout, sat down, and stayed there. She was coming off, and reserve defender Amanda Nilden was summoned.
But it turned out Nilden was actually coming on for left-back Jonna Andersson. Sweden were about to start the second half of extra time with ten players. It was only after frantic shouting from the other defenders that Holmberg, having presumably started to wind down, was told to get up and get back on.
This chaotic moment summed up a remarkable football contest. 'I can't remember anything like this,' said England manager Sarina Wiegman after her team had fought back from 2-0 down to take the tie to extra-time and penalties, where they scraped through 3-2 in the shootout.
It was a genuine epic that had several different chapters. There was the period when Sweden were threatening to blow away England. There was the period when England brought stability and played their way into the game. There was the period when England suddenly fought back and had momentum. There was an extra time period when Sweden had the better of things.
And then the penalty drama was, in itself, a shootout of almost unprecedented twists and turns. Sweden's goalkeeper Jennifer Falk saved four penalties, yet ended on the losing side — in part because she missed one herself.
Four separate Sweden players managed to hit the woodwork or miss the goal completely. That the ultimate failing was by Holmberg, 18, a month into her international career and a sudden national hero after scoring against Germany last week, was a particularly cruel way for an increasingly farcical contest to end. 'She's probably one of the best penalty takers in practice,' said her manager Peter Gerhardsson.
Sweden should have won this match inside 90 minutes, and they should have won the penalty shootout too. Their tactics, based around heavy pressure high up the pitch, were not surprising. But somehow England seemed unprepared. Defender Jess Carter started particularly nervily, having conceded possession in the opening minutes even before her underhit pass caused panic and eventually resulted in Kosovare Asllani's opener. Carter looked unusually sluggish when Stina Blackstenius breezed past her for the second.
At this point, Wiegman made a minor but crucial change: centre-backs Carter and Leah Williamson switched positions. This is the second time that Carter has changed positions in defence, having started the tournament at left-back and swapped places with Alex Greenwood. It feels like both switches were to hide Carter's weaknesses, but the defender deserves some sympathy; before this tournament she expressed frustration that she's developed a reputation as a jack-of-all-trades defender, and wonders what she might have become had she been allowed to nail down one position.
Quietly, this change worked. Sweden didn't change their pressing patterns, and so England's free player was now the elegant Williamson rather than the nervy Carter. Williamson helped England play their way into the game — not to launch a fightback, simply to calm the tempo and stop England losing the game before half-time. '(Sweden) left that left side open and Jess was struggling a bit,' Wiegman said. 'With Leah, we were able to start our build-up.'
The more dramatic changes came later. Much later. Criticised earlier in the tournament for always waiting until the hour mark — even Rachel Daly and Millie Bright mentioned the trend in their podcast — Wiegman waited until 70 minutes this time. It seemed the game was slipping away. And then she went all-out, making a treble change that meant England ended up with a back four, Keira Walsh on her own in midfield, and Lauren James floating behind a genuine front four.
But it was the fourth substitution which proved crucial. Chloe Kelly, introduced down the left, twice delivered magnificent balls into the box, first for Lucy Bronze's far-post header, and then, after a loose ball, for fellow substitute Michelle Agyemang's equaliser.
Like so many times at Euro 2022, Wiegman's decisions changed the game. But it was a three-step process. Her alterations stabilised the game, and then put England in charge, and then actually brought the goals. And, as Wiegman pointed out, there were other changes too. 'Beth Mead came on, and Chloe, and Michelle (Agyemang)…but also Esme (Morgan) came on and did really well. And Niamh Charles came on, and she made a crucial header (to stop Lina Hurtig heading home) at 2-2,' she said. 'And it's really hard to come on in that intensity. That shows the strength of this team.'
Modern rules on substitutes — five permitted in normal time, and one more in extra time — favour the sides with strength in depth. Sweden simply don't have the playing resources to introduce top-quality reserves. They dominated extra time thanks to England's extraordinarily open system, but only seemed likely to score from a set-piece. Their fans, magnificent throughout this tournament, were particularly noisy in extra time due to the presence of a keen ringleader who started the chants: striker Blackstenius' boyfriend.
It may sound harsh, but Sweden lost this as much as England won it; consistently refusing to take their opportunity to clinch victory. Their five missed penalties symbolise five missed opportunities to win a trophy during Gerhardsson's reign having reached the latter stages: two World Cups, two European Championships and an Olympic final shootout in 2021 that was almost as daft as this one. Back then, midfielder Caroline Seger missed when a goal would have clinched gold. They missed four of their six penalties that day — four different players to the five who missed here.
Sweden's players tried to find comfort from family members at full-time, although realistically their relatives seemed no less upset. It was difficult to find anyone capable of retaining a stiff upper lip. The one exception was Mila — 11 months old, daughter of centre-back Amanda Ilestedt, and putting smiles on faces of some of the defeated players. The only Swede not distraught was the one who had no idea what had just happened.
'We're in football because of drama,' said Gerhardsson, who had taken charge of his final game in charge. 'If there was a setlist, you wouldn't be here. That's football. It's unpredictable…emotions…feelings. That's something you need to accept.' When asked what he was up to next, Gerhardsson thought for a second. 'Back to the hotel,' he said. 'To watch the game again.'
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
England, Sweden, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros
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