England cruised into their first major women's tournament final since 2009 in devastating fashion by seeing off Sweden with a 4-0 victory at Bramall Lane. The Lionesses will play either Germany or France for the ultimate prize at Wembley on July 31 after extending their unbeaten run to 19 games under manager Sarina Wiegman.
Following a shaky start for the host nation in which Sweden’s Stina Blackstenius hit the crossbar, Beth Mead, already leading the race for the Golden Boot with six goals, put Wiegman’s side ahead with a 34th-minute strike. Mead then turned provider early in the opening moments of the second half, delivering a corner that was headed in by Lucy Bronze.
Substitute Alessia Russo notched her fourth goal of these finals with a delightful back-heeled effort in the 68th minute, before Fran Kirby added the fourth with a chip eight minutes later and it could have been even more for England, with Lauren Hemp having rattled the woodwork at 2-0.
