Sarina Wiegman says team’s resilience was the difference in chaotic game

LONDON – An exhausted-looking Sarina Wiegman said the wild finish made England’s comeback victory over Sweden in their Women’s Euro 2025 quarter-final on July 17 the most chaotic game she had ever been involved in, and the coach praised her team’s remarkable resilience in Zurich.

Goals by Lucy Bronze (79th) and Michelle Agyemang (81st) sent the game into extra time at 2-2, and then eventually an astonishing penalty shoot-out featuring 14 shots, with England winning 3-2.

“The adrenaline is still flowing. I can’t remember anything like this,” Wiegman said.

“The team just fighting to get back in the game, that’s the quality that’s so strong in this team. They’re together, fighting back, sticking together and just showing so much resilience.”

Wiegman subbed on Agyemang, Beth Mead and Esme Morgan in the 70th minute, and then Chloe Kelly shortly after, and the attacking intensity instantly picked up.

“That really helped at that moment,” she added.

The penalty shoot-out featured more misses than makes, which made it nerve-racking to watch.

“You miss so many penalties, that I was really concerned, but then (Sweden) missed again. That needed a little bit of luck,” Wiegman said. “And then of course, they then miss, and it is the most horrible way to end. But it made it for us maybe even more exciting.”

The coach also heaped praise on Bronze, who fired home England’s deciding penalty despite limping on with a sore right hamstring.

“Lucy Bronze is just one of a kind. I have never, ever seen this before in my life, and I’m lucky that I’ve worked with so many incredible people, incredible football players,” Wiegman said.

“But what she does and her mentality... what defines you is that resilience, that fight. I think the only way to get her off the pitch is in a wheelchair.”

One negative on the night was captain Leah Williamson limping off with an ankle injury. Wiegman said she will be further assessed.

“I don’t know what it is right now. She couldn’t stay on the pitch, so we had to take her off,” she said.

Asked about other potential injuries, the coach summed up her squad as “really tired, people are really tired”.

England next face Italy in the semi-finals on July 22 in Geneva.

In the other camp, Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk made four shoot-out saves but still managed to end up on the losing side.

With Bronze finally scoring for England, the pressure was on teenager Smilla Holmberg, who blasted the final effort horribly high.

“It’s a tough loss, when it comes in that way too. We were very close, both in the penalty shoot-out and in the game when we led 2-0,” said Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson, whose side had scored through Kosovare Asllani (second minute) and Stina Blackstenius (25th) before England’s late comeback.

With five Swedes failing from the spot, there will not be the usual spotlight on “the one who missed”, but a distraught Holmberg was still comforted by her teammates.

“Everyone supports her, and not only her. The sadness is not because you are 18, others are just as sad at 27 or 30. What you saw after the shoot-out was support; everyone supported one another,” Gerhardsson added. REUTERS