Sweden Women 2-2 England Women (England win 3-2 on penalties): Sarina Wiegman calls Euro 2025 quarter-final win 'hardest game I've ever watched'
England reached the semi-finals by beating Sweden at Euro 2025; Kosovare Asllani and Stina Blacktenius had given Sweden a first-half lead; the Lionesses hit back late on to take the game to extra-time; England won a dramatic shoot-out 3-2 with both goalkeepers making saves
Friday 18 July 2025 14:00, UK
Sarina Wiegman has called England's dramatic penalty shoot-out win against Sweden at Euro 2025 "the hardest game I've ever watched".
The Lionesses were 2-0 down at half-time after a poor first-half performance, and a comeback looked unlikely in the quarter-final.
But two goals in 103 seconds from Lucy Bronze and Michelle Agyemang - both assisted by Chloe Kelly - took the game to extra time, before the Lionesses won a remarkable penalty shoot-out 3-2, after nine spot-kicks were missed.
England will now face Italy in the semi-finals on Tuesday July 22 in Geneva for a place in the final.
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Reflecting on what must be one of England's best comebacks during her tenure, Wiegman told BBC Sport: "It was one of the hardest games I've ever watched. Very emotional.
"We could have been out of the game three or four times. When you're 2-0 at half-time, it's not good.
"Although we started really badly, at the end it got better, but we didn't create anything so we had to change shape and we scored two goals - that was crazy.
"We missed a lot [of penalties], and they missed even more. I need to decompress, I think.
"Michelle [Agyemang] brings something different. She is so strong and scores a goal too, she has shown she can do that."
Wiegman rarely dishes out individual praise, but allowed herself to laud Bronze, who before this contest had reminded England that they were capable of "win[ning] a game in any means possible."
Lucy Bronze is one of a kind. I have never, ever seen this before in my life. That penalty, the goal, but that’s not [even] what defines her. It’s that resilience, that fight. I think the only way to get her off the pitch is in a wheelchair.
"Lucy Bronze is one of a kind," said Wiegman in her post-match press conference. "I have never, ever seen this before in my life, and I'm very lucky person that I've worked with so many incredible people, incredible football players, and there are so so many, but what she does, and her mentality.
"That penalty, the goal, but that's not [even] what defines her. It's that resilience, that fight. I think the only way to get her off the pitch is in a wheelchair."
Hampton: Fans' support helped me get an edge in shoot-out
England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, who had to keep her team in the game at times, saved two penalties in the shoot-out. Sweden missed another three, and scored twice.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Hampton said: "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 stressful. Stressful watching, stressful playing.
"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 bit of an edge and push you on, stretch a little extra for each dive and put more power in. They were definitely behind me and I appreciate all the support."
And in the post-match press conferences, Hampton also declared "proper England is back".
"It shows proper England is back," said Hampton, when asked about the Lionesses' commitment to fight with everything they had - even at the expense of her own nose - after clawing their way back into the contest.
"We're going in the right direction. I think you know that everyone would be putting their bodies on the line. Literally you could see that out there.
"We said at half-time, 'we don't want to go home, so it's down to us to turn the game around'."
Much of the buildup to this tournament centred around Chelsea shot-stopper Hampton, who had gradually usurped popular Euro-winning keeper Mary Earps as Wiegman's first choice.
Earps announced her shock international retirement before Wiegman's squad announcement, as a result leaving major-tournament debutant Hampton with the weight of the nation's expectations on her 24-year-old shoulders.
"It's obviously been a difficult couple of years [for me] within the England environment," said Hampton, "[but] all the girls were ecstatic [tonight]. They've seen all the hard work that I've put in and how difficult it's been, and how they've helped me get to the point that I am now, where I am happy to be wearing an England shirt again."
Bronze: Subs changed the game
England defender Bronze, who scored to lead the Lionesses' comeback as well as in the shoot-out, praised the substitutes for changing the dimension of the game.
"It was a rollercoaster," she told BBC Sport. "Both underwhelming and overwhelming at the same time. A crazy game, as a player, and for fans too.
"Holding the team together in the first half was difficult. They had a few good chances to put the game to bed, lucky for us we kept them out. The substitutes changed the dynamic of the game."
One of those was certainly Kelly, who had picked up two assists within minutes of coming off the bench.
She told 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 didn't feel under pressure, I just wanted to go and create some goals for the girls and be at my best. I just tried to put the ball in the box 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."
