England produced a memorable comeback to reach the Euro 2022 semi-finals with victory over Spain at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday night. Ella Toone and Georgia Stanway scored the goals as Manchester-based players past and present made their mark in a compelling quarter-final showdown.
England cruised through the group stage to reach the last eight, but this time they were made to work hard for their win, against an impressive Spain side.
Mary Earps had to be on alert to keep the Spanish side out early doors, though, while City striker Ellen White flicked a header wide as the Lionesses carved out their first opportunity. However, clear chances proved to be few and far between during the opening 45 minutes and, at that stage, the deadlock had yet to be broken.
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White did turn the ball into the net shortly before the interval, but the City player drifted offside — and her decision not to celebrate hinted that she knew the flag was coming. Spain were dominant in possession for large spells each side of half-time without making that additional time on the ball count.
Indeed, it was England who came closest to snatching an opener when Lauren Hemp — another City player — missed the target after White fluffed her initial header. Hemp and White had shared three goals on their memorable visit to Brighton nine days ago.
Upon the restart, the Lionesses pushed higher from the outset in an attempt to take control of the last-8 game and had some success in that regard. However, that attacking intent left them open at the back and Spain moved ahead through Esther, who swept home from close-range.
It was the first time England had been breached in the competition and it meant they had 30 minutes to save keep their dream of victory on home soil alive. United stars, Alessia Russo and Toone, were summoned from the bench at that point to conjure up a moment of much-needed magic.
Rachel Daly tried her luck from distance and hit straight at Sandra Panos between the Spanish posts as Hemp went close moments later with a drive she was unable to keep under the frame. Carving out that one golden opportunity was proving to be a difficult task, though.
England kept pushing and probing and they were duly rewarded when Toone found herself in the right spot at the right time to prod home the equaliser to send the game through to extra-time. It was not to be the end of the high-drama, however, as Stanway fired the Lionesses into the last-four with penalties looming.
Stanway will play her football in Germany next season after moving from City to Bayern Munich this summer, but if this was to be her parting shot for English fans, she could have picked no better time as the squad set sights on booking a place in the Euro 2022 showpiece.
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