England through to Women’s Euro final after mesmeric 4-0 victory over Sweden
Fran Kirby (Chelsea FC) of England celebrates after scoring her sides first goal during the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022 Semi Final match between England and Sweden at Bramall Lane on July 26, 2022 in Sheffield, United Kingdom. (Photo by James Whitehead/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
England kept up their momentum in the Women’s Euro 2022 semi-finals, beating Sweden 4-0 and securing their place as finalists.
The Lionesses charged their way to their first tournament final since 2009, with Olympic finalists Sweden not letting up the pressure despite the goal disparity.
The victory has landed England their nineteenth unbeaten game under Sarina Wiegman, who began managing the team in September 2021.
They are expected to face either Germany or France in the Women’s Euro 2022 final on 31 July at Wembley stadium.
The match, which took place at Bramall Lane in south Yorkshire, started with a tense 25-minute display of defence from Sweden, with Golden Boot favourite Beth Mead hitting one in the back of the net 34 minutes into the first half.
The goal proved cataclysmic for The Lionesses as they bagged three more in the second half. One of the most memorable came from substitute Alessia Russo, who managed to up the score to 3-0 only 11 minutes after being brought on to the field.
The sounds of England’s fans singing “football’s coming home” grew louder during the final moments of the game, when Chelsea’s Fran Kirby cemented England’s win with a goal at the 76th minute.
“Again, the team found a way,” manager Wiegman told BBC Sport. “We were struggling a little by the way they played defensively but we did better and better. The players on the pitch found solutions. And when we scored it obviously helped a lot.”
Match stats estimate that a whopping 29 shots were taken between the two teams, with 11 shots on target. England managed to pull off eight shots on target, with 17 attempts overall, while Sweden hit three on target, with 12 overall.
The opposition’s aggressive attempts to turn the tide were felt across the match, with 13 fouls from Sweden compared to seven from England.
England’s current line-up has been one of the most effective in the team’s history, with some of the most exalted and iconic players currently gracing the pitch.
It also features a plethora of representation for the LGBTQ+ community, with top-goal scorers like Beth Mead, Fran Kirby and veteran Demi Stokes identifying as part of the queer community.
Mead is currently one of the most prominent goal scorers in the sport, with this goal being the sixth during her time at the tournament. She extended the Golden Boot lead, overtaking Jodie Taylor’s five at Euro 2017.
“It’s nice to be up there [in the Golden Boot race] but sometimes being chased isn’t always the nicest,” Mead said. “It’s nothing I ever thought about being close to. I’m really happy to be where I am but it’s not something I’m thinking about – I just want to win with the team.”
