Lionesses achieve comeback to sink Sweden

Discover how England came back to beat Sweden in the Euros.
FBL-WOMEN-EURO-2025-MATCH26-SWE-ENG
FBL-WOMEN-EURO-2025-MATCH26-SWE-ENG | SEBASTIEN BOZON/GettyImages

The Women's European Championships has been playing out their quarter-finals fixtures, and on Thursday evening, the second match of the round got underway as England took on Sweden.

The Euros has reached the quarter-final stage, where eight countries all remain in with a chance to claim the trophy.

On Wednesday, the first match of the round was between Italy and Norway, a fixture that was filled with intensity right until the last moment, as Italy claimed a very late winner to secure a 2-1 victory and became the first team to book their place in the competition's last four.

On Thursday, it was the reigning champions, England, who met Sweden, who had been in form after winning all three of their group matches.

While many might have predicted a close encounter between the two, it was still quite the surprise when Sweden took a 2-0 lead by the 25th minute.

The second half arrived with the Swedish still in front with two goals, putting England in big trouble. It seemed as if England's time in the Euros was about to come to an end. However, with only a little more than 10 minutes left, England got themselves a goal back and just a few minutes later got the equaliser to make it 2-2.

Extra time was played, but no winner was found in those 30 minutes. A penalty shootout was the only option, the first of the tournament.

Despite being in danger for the majority of the match, it was the Lionesses who came out successful as they achieved a 3-2 score through penalties and confirmed their place besides Italy in the next round. Quite the comeback, which sees them stay in contention to retain their title.

There now remain two fixtures, favourites Spain vs hosts Switzerland on Friday and then to finish it, a mega clash between France and Germany.