Sarina Wiegman has known as England’s dramatic penalty shoot-out win towards Sweden at Euro 2025 “the hardest game I’ve ever watched”.
The Lionesses have been 2-0 down at half-time after a poor first-half efficiency, and a comeback regarded unlikely within the quarter-final.
However two targets in 103 seconds from Lucy Bronze and Michelle Agyemang – each assisted by Chloe Kelly – took the sport to further time, earlier than the Lionesses received a outstanding penalty shoot-out 3-2, after 9 spot-kicks have been missed.
England will now face Italy within the semi-finals on Tuesday July 22 in Geneva for a spot within the closing.
Reflecting on what have to be certainly one of England’s finest comebacks throughout her tenure, Wiegman informed BBC Sport: “It was one of many hardest video games I’ve ever watched. Very emotional.
“We might have been out of the sport three or 4 occasions, if you’re 2-0 at half-time it isn’t good.
“Though we began actually dangerous, on the finish it received higher, however we did not create something so we needed to change form and we scored two targets – that was loopy.
“We missed a lot [of penalties], and they missed even more. I need to decompress, I think.
“Michelle [Agyemang] brings one thing completely different. She is so robust and scores a aim too, she has proven she will be able to try this.”
Hampton: Followers’ assist helped me get an edge in shoot-out
England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, who needed to preserve her group within the recreation at occasions, saved two penalties within the shoot-out. Sweden missed one other three, and scored twice.
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Watch as Sue Smith experiences a rollercoaster of emotional reactions to England’s dramatic penalty shoot-out towards Sweden within the Euro
Talking to BBC Sport, Hampton mentioned: “We’re very happy. You can see the celebrations, the fans were behind us the whole game. Even when we were 2-0 down they knew we could bring this back and you don’t ever write us off.
“It was aggravating. Hectic watching, aggravating taking part in.
“Every time I saved one [penalty], I was just thinking ‘please put it in, so we have a bit of a cushion!’… I’m just happy and relieved now.
“It [the fans’ support] helps you get a little bit of an edge and push you on, stretch a bit further for every dive and put extra energy in. They have been positively behind me and I admire all of the assist.”
Bronze: Subs modified the sport
Lucy Bronze celebrates after scoring England’s first aim towards Sweden
England defender Bronze, who scored to guide the Lionesses’ comeback in addition to within the shoot-out, praised the substitutes for altering the dimension of the sport.
“It was a rollercoaster,” she informed BBC Sport. “Both underwhelming and overwhelming at the same time. A crazy game, as a player, and for fans too.
“Holding the group collectively within the first half was troublesome. They’d a couple of good probabilities to place the sport to mattress, fortunate for us we stored them out. The substitutes modified the dynamic of the sport.”
Michelle Agyemang was one of many impactful England substitutes towards Sweden
A kind of was actually Kelly, who had picked up two assists inside minutes of coming off the bench.
She informed BBC Sport: “The girls coming onto the pitch did their jobs, executed it really well. That just shows, with the whole squad, when you’re needed, you take your moment.
“I did not really feel beneath stress, I simply wished to go and create some targets for the ladies and be at my finest. I simply tried to place the ball within the field and play to my strengths.
“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 and we showed that.”
