RTE host Jacqui Hurley's hilarious reaction to England's chaotic comeback victory at Women's Euros
A Sarina Wiegman second-half masterstroke saw England
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Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was the hero for England
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Jacqui reposted Richie Sadlier's description of it being 'The best and worst penalty shoot-out I've ever seen'
Credit: @jacquihurley7
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134-times capped Ireland goalkeeping legend Emma Byrne was the other pundit on the night
Hannah Hampton was the hero, stepping up at the death with a bloody nose to keep the dream alive - after arguably the worst penalty shootout in the tournament's history which saw NINE spot-kicks missed.
The Lionesses appeared to be down and out when the manager pulled the trigger and made her first three substitutions in the 70th minute of the match.
But it was the fourth change that proved to make all the difference.
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The first was a perfect cross to
Then, just 103 seconds later, Kelly delivered the ball into the box for Beth Mead to head down to 19-year-old Michelle Agyemang, who blasted her shot past Jennifer Falk to make it 2-2 in the 81st minute.
Both teams were locked at 2-2 in added time, forcing the match to penalties - which England won to book a clash against Italy in the semi-finals next Tuesday.
England missed four through
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It was a phenomenal turnaround from the Lionesses, who endured arguably their worst first-half performance of the tournament so far in Zurich.
England got off to a disastrous start, conceding inside two minutes. A loose pass from Jess Carter prompted a mistake from
I coached Chloe Kelly as a kid and have now spent £3,000 building my own pub to watch her at Euro 2025
The striker shifted possession to captain Kosovare Asllani on her right, who took it well before drilling her shot perfectly into the bottom-left corner.
The Lionesses were handed another fright just a few moments later, with Carter catching goalkeeper Hampton off-guard with a nervous back-pass.
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Blackstenius snatched the ball from the goalkeeper before shooting, but
Wiegman and Co almost got a reprieve when
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World Cup holders and tournament favourites Spain take on Switzerland in tonight's quarter-final
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Amid her team's defensive woes, Wiegman switched Carter and Williamson's positioning briefly midway through the half, with
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England started moving onto the front foot in the latter stages of the first half, but could not close the gap.
The defensive fragilities were evident again just before the break, with Fridolina Rolfö walking through midfield, brushing past Williamson and forcing a heroic save from Hampton.
James almost sparked a moment of magic seven minutes into the second half, brilliantly turning Julia Zigiotti Olme before playing a pass forward to
After receiving it back, the winger crossed into Hemp in the box, whose headed effort flew wide.
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Sweden looked to make it three with both Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Blackstenius both coming close, but England just about managed to avoid conceding.
Wiegman subsequently made her changes, sparking the comeback of the tournament and keeping her 100 per cent shootout record.
No other team has come from two goals behind to win a match in the knockout stages of a Women's European Championship.
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Irish Examiner
11 minutes ago
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Journey into the unknown The opening test of a British and Irish Lions series has become a bit of a journey into the unknown - and not just for the tourists. Over the course of the last few weeks Joe Schmidt, so familiar with many of the Irish players and coaching staff traveling with the Lions, has sat back, dissected every molecule of information available, and analysed every Lions game in forensic detail. The last time he did so against such a green-tinted opponent in a massive test was the World Cup quarter final in 2023 when, as part of Ian Foster's All Black coaching ticket, he devised an attack play off a line out geared towards exposing a potential weakness that only Joe could spot. The result was a brilliant try for Will Jordon that ultimately cost Ireland a first ever World Cup semi final appearance. When presented for press duty early in the week giant second row Will Skelton volunteered: "Joe's got a plan for us, and hopefully we can really execute it this weekend." Despite playing six games on tour, Andy Farrell and his coaching team are not only in the dark as to what to expect from this Wallaby team but also uncertain, given the weakness of the opposition faced since arriving in Perth, just how cohesive and battle hardened his Lions side is heading into today's first test. While his opening test selection has followed largely predicted lines, an element of doubt surrounds a few key areas, most notably his back row combination. Given the manner in which all the Australian Super Rugby teams were able to compete at the breakdown and generate turnovers that's probably Farrell's principle area of concern. Outside that, there's also a fear of the unknown. While Skelton's comments regarding the tactical gems Schmidt may have tucked up his sleeve, Farrell also admitted that the Lions were also holding back on aspects of their game plan in those provincial games. When asked how much he was hiding during those games, he said 'quite a bit actually'. No surprise there. That said, the odds were stacked against Schmidt's men, even before untimely injuries to key men in Skelton, Rob Valetini, regular hooker Dave Porecki and Noah Lolesio. Australian rugby is not in a great place right now, especially from a financial perspective. As a result over 50 former or potential Wallabies currently ply their trade in Europe, at least six of whom would have been good enough to feature in their match day squad. Given the depth and experience of players available to Farrell, that's bound to have a big impact over the next few weeks and leaves a cloud hanging over how competitive the Wallabies will be, especially on the back of those untimely injuries. Set piece showdown What Andy Farrell is pretty certain of is the attacking threat posed by a quality Australian midfield, with $5m dollar man Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii signed from Rugby League last year on a three-year contract targeted specifically for this series and the 2027 World Cup. 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11 minutes ago
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