Sweden faced England in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Euro 2025.
There was a super thriller in the penalty shootout – but Sweden lost.
In SVT’s broadcast after the match, Lotta Schelin criticized the choice to let 18-year-old Smilla Holmberg take a penalty.
My spontaneous thought when she walks up is that you shouldn’t put that pressure on an 18-year-old. If she ends up in this position, it will break her. It feels incredibly heavy and unfair, she says.

On Thursday evening it was time for Sweden to play in the quarter-finals of the Womens Euro European Championship. England were the opposition at the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich.

Sweden’s national team captain Peter Gerhardsson made two changes from the 4-1 win in the group final against Germany. Hanna Lundkvist replaced Smilla Holmberg at right-back, while Julia Zigiotti Olme replaced Hanna Bennison in midfield.

The Blue and Yellows got off to a dream start when Kosovare Asllani put the ball 1-0 in the second minute. Sweden put England under pressure and won the ball in the attacking half. Stina Blackstenius passed the ball to captain Asllani who received it in the penalty area and found the net at one post. It was Asllani’s 50th international goal.

Women’s Euro 2025 Tickets are already available for upcoming matches, and fans are excited to see teams like Sweden and England battling it out in future Women’s Euros fixtures.

Swedish dream start

The match started at a high pace with several chances for both sides.

Just two minutes later, Blackstenius had a huge chance to make it 2-0 when she stole the ball from England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton. But the Swede’s shot was blocked by Leah Williamson.

Two minutes later, England had a shot on goal from Lauren Hemp. Swedish goalkeeper Jennifer Falk got her fingertips on the ball and sent it over the crossbar.

Stina Blackstenius then made it 2-0 to Sweden after 25 minutes. She shook off England centre-back Jess Carter, got clear of the goalkeeper and coolly placed the ball into the net. The deep pass was made by Zigiotti Olme.

Carter was unhappy even with the 1-0 goal and was heavily criticized in the English media during the first half.

Shortly before half-time, Fridolina Rolfö came close to scoring Sweden’s third goal, but Hampton made a good save. Before that, England had a good period in the match where Sweden was pressed back and forced to spend a lot of time on defense.

The receipt

Ten minutes into the second half, Blackstenius had a good chance to make it 3-0, but Hampton saved.

With an hour left on the clock, Sweden made their first substitution. Holmberg replaced Lundkvist.

With just under fifteen minutes left, a Swedish double substitution came. Asllani and Rolfö were replaced by Lina Hurtig and Madelen Janogy.

Shortly afterwards, England reduced the deficit to 2-1. It was Janogy who lost his mark on goal scorer Lucy Bronze, who appeared at the far post and headed in 2-1 after a cross from the left by Chloe Kelly.

Barely two minutes later, England tied it 2-2.

Two substitutes worked together to score the goal. Chloe Kelly got past Holmberg on the Swedish right wing and played the ball in front of goal. There it finally landed in Michelle Agyemang’s hands, who easily put the ball into the net.

Then the clock struck 81 minutes.

In the final seconds, England were about to score, but Holmberg blocked Russo’s shot. There were no more goals in regulation time, after which extra time began.

Extra time and penalties

The first quarter of extra time was uneventful and tense. The game was paused several times due to injuries.

Before the second quarter, Sweden replaced Jonna Andersson and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd. In came Amanda Nildén and Sofia Jakobsson.

England captain Leah Williamson was substituted at half-time of extra time after landing badly. A heavy blow for England.

After 116 minutes, Blackstenius was substituted. Rebecka Blomqvist came in her place.

Extra time remained goalless. Penalties had to be decided to determine Italy’s opponents in the semi-finals on Tuesday, July 22.

There, Jennifer Falk saved three of the first five English penalties. Zigiotti Olme and Björn scored theirs. Then Falk stepped up himself to take Sweden’s fifth penalty. Sweden’s goalkeeper had the chance to decide the match and send Blågult to the semi-finals, but shot over.

Falk then saved a fourth English penalty, giving Sofia Jakobsson the chance to send Sweden to the semi-finals. But her penalty was saved by Hampton before the ball hit the post.

Lucy Bronze then scored for England. The pressure was on 18-year-old Smilla Holmberg to score. But she shot over. Sweden lost.

As we look ahead, fans can expect even more thrilling action as the Euro 2025 schedule continues to unfold. The next rounds will be crucial, and teams like Sweden and England will continue to fight for a spot in the finals. Don’t miss out on the exciting fixtures to come in the Women’s Euros 2025!

After the match, former national team star Lotta Schelin criticized the arrangement of letting Smilla Holmberg take a penalty.

– My spontaneous thought when she walks forward is that you shouldn’t put that pressure on an 18-year-old. If she ends up in this position, it will break her. It feels incredibly heavy and unfair, she says in SVT.

– I feel sad, empty and disappointed. All at the same time. This hurts to move on from. We had the match, says Magdalena Eriksson to SVT after the exit.