The winner takes it all. England reached a sixth consecutive major tournament semi-final with a gut-busting performance to come from two goals down against Sweden before sealing victory via a penalty shootout with goalkeeper Hannah Hampton the hero.
Kosovare Asllani’s early strike and Stina Blackstenius’s effort had rattled Sarina Wiegman’s side. It had been all Sweden, England were down and out, headed for the Euros exit, their crown relinquished, but you can never bet against Wiegman in a major tournament and, although many were screaming for changes to come sooner, it was her late cavalry that delivered two goals in 102 seconds to level the score and force the game beyond 90 minutes. England became the first team to come from two goals down in the knockout stages of the women’s Euros since the tournament began in 1984 and Hampton was the superstar, emerging from Mary Earps’ shadow, saving two spot-kicks with Sweden missing three others.
