Beth Mead fired England to a first UEFA Women’s Euro Final since 2009 in a 4-0 semi-final win over Sweden at Bramall Lane, Sheffield.
A competitive start saw Sweden’s Sofia Jakobsson strike upon goal after 21 seconds only to be denied by Mary Earps.
Both teams thereafter exchanged chances throughout a tense first-half until Mead’s 34th minute strike from Lucy Bronze’s rebound cross broke the deadlock.
Mead returned the favour with a 47th minute corner which Bronze headed in to double the Lionesses’ lead against the 2020 Olympic Silver medallists.
Substitute, Alessio Russo backheeled in a stunning 68th minute strike before Mead produced a second assist in the 76th minute, as she unleashed Fran Kirby to chip in to wrap up victory and book a place in the Final on home soil.
England will now meet the winner of Germany’s semi-final against France at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 31 July in a 5pm BST kick-off.
Sarina Wiegman named an unchanged England starting line-up for the fifth consecutive match, whereas Sweden manager, Peter Gerhardsson dropped Amanda Nilden to the bench as Hanna Glas returned to the starting eleven following her recovery from Coronavirus.
Jakobsson meanwhile replaced Johanna Rytting Kaneryd for tactical reasons.
Jonna Andersson and Emma Kullberg meanwhile are on the bench in place of Olivia Schough and Elin Rubensson, after Schough became the latest Swedish player to test positive for Coronavirus whilst Rubensson is absent with sickness symptoms.
Gerhardsson’s tactical gamble nearly paid off after just 21 seconds as Jakobsson picked up a through ball after Georgia Stanway was intercepted, with the San Diego Wave striker’s shot denied by the left boot of Earps as Sweden dominated the opening minutes.
Lauren Hemp however proved influential for the hosts as she created their first chance which led to Mead nodding wide in the fourth minute, before Hemp was denied a penalty two minutes later after drawing a foul inside the box.
Hemp’s seventh minute cross then forced Hedvig Lindahl into action as she initially spilled her save but regathered the ball on the bounce.
Sweden one minute later nearly forced the opener after Fran Kirby was intercepted but Jakobsson’s scrappy shot was punched behind by Earps, with Stina Blackstenius heading the consequential corner onto the bar from which the ball rebounded.
Both teams thereafter traded chances as Stanway and Ellen White both put the ball wide for England, whilst Mead saw a 20th minute curled strike denied amidst calls for handball which were waved away by Swiss referee, Esther Staubli.
White one minute later fumbled her shot from Hemp’s pass and dragged her shot wide of the bottom right corner.
England eventually began to get on top as Bronze headed wide from a 29th minute corner, as Sweden came under intense pressure as the Lionesses hit their stride with pace and agility.
Gerhardsson’s Swedes however couldn’t hang on until half-time as Rachel Daly whipped in a 34th minute cross, which found a high-pressing Bronze who teed up Mead to swivel and fire into the left corner on the turn to send the home crowd Bramall Lane into wild delirium.
Sweden however managed to dig deep to keep the Lionesses’ lead to a single goal as Stanway and Kirby saw shots saved by Lindahl, whilst Earps at the opposite end denied Jakobsson’s header from a left-flank cross as England led at half-time.
Neither teams opted to make changes at half-time which proved to Sweden’s detriment as Bronze doubled the hosts’ lead from a 47th minute corner, as she nodded across into the bottom left corner and the goal stood after Video Assistant Referee ruled Hemp was onside near goal.
England soon began to pick up where they finished the first half as Hemp and Kirby combined in the 51st minute, only for Lindahl to save Hemp’s shot.
Sweden manager, Gerhardsson immediately responded with a double change as Filippa Angeldahl and Jakobsson were hauled off, with Caroline Seger and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd sent on to try and rescue this semi-final with Amanda Ilestedt then substituted for Jonna Andersson.
The changes initially seemed to make an impact as Blackstenius headed wide in the 56th minute but Russo came on a minute later for England, which ultimately put the Lionesses in control again as she soon produced a low cross which Hemp flicked onto the bar from close range.
Sweden however enjoyed a succession of corners in the 66th minute during which Blackstenius volleyed over.
All hopes of a Swedish comeback eventually were extinguished in the 68th minute as Russo outrageously backheeled in on her right foot, having seen her initial shot from Kirby’s pass across goal blocked by Lindahl but her second attempt crept in beyond Lindahl’s reach.
Kirby eventually wrapped up victory for England with a stunning chipped strike over Lindahl into the bottom left corner, having latched onto Mead’s forward pass unmarked which sent a Women’s Euro semi-final record crowd of 28,624 fans in the stadium wild.
Wiegman’s Lionesses eventually weathered a late fightback from Sweden to keep a clean sheet and book their place at a third UEFA Women’s Euro Final, at Wembley Stadium on Sunday where Germany or France await.
This victory also ended a run of three consecutive semi-final defeats at major tournaments whilst Mead’s sixth goal means that she can become the first player to score seven goals at a single Women’s Euro if she scores in the Final.
Speaking post-match to BBC One, Wiegman commented: “I think they have shown a couple of time they are very resilient. We didn’t start well, we had a hard time. We found a way. The players in the game found a way to get out of their pressure. I’m so incredibly proud of them.”
Teams
England: Mary Earps, Lucy Bronze, Rachel Daly (Greenwood 87′), Millie Bright, Leah Williamson, Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway (Scott 87′), Fran Kirby (Toone 79′), Lauren Hemp, Ellen White (Russo 57′), Beth Mead (Kelly 86′)
Substitutes: Alex Greenwood, Jess Carter, Hannah Hampton, Jill Scott, Nikita Parris, Chloe Kelly, Bethany England, Ella Toone, Ellie Roebuck, Lotte Wubben-Moy, Alessia Russo
Sweden: Hedvig Lindahl, Amanda Ilestedt (Andersson 55′), Linda Sembrant (Bennison 76′), Magdalena Eriksson, Hanna Glas, Filippa Angeldahl (Seger 51′), Kosovare Asllani, Nathalie Björn, Sofia Jakobsson (Rytting Kaneryd 52′), Stina Blackstenius (Hurtig 76′), Fridolina Rolfo
Substitutes: Jennifer Falk, Zecira Musovic, Jonna Andersson, Amanda Nilden, Emma Kullberg, Lina Hurtig, Rebecka Blomqvist, Caroline Seger, Hanna Bennison, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd
Referee: Esther Staubli (Switzerland)
Attendance: 28,624
Leave a Reply