No shoot-out should end 3-2 after 14 penalties. In Thursdays Womens Euro 2025 quarter-final between England and Sweden in Zurich, both teams struck out with three spot kicks in a row at one point in a baffling tie-breaker.
England eventually triumphed when a limping Lucy Bronze smashed her penalty right up the gut and into the roof of Jennifer Falks net. Smilla Holmberg couldnt follow suit and the quarter-final, mercifully, was over.
The penalty shoot-out had everything but consistent quality. Falk and Englands Hannah Hampton made an unusually high number of saves of varying difficulty. Falk spooned her own kick over the top. Chloe Kelly put England back in pole position by laughing in the face of the moment.
England women have been unconvincing but theyre still standing tall
That the tie even needed a shoot-out was shocking in its own right. England started badly, conceding the sloppiest of goals in the second minute, and deteriorated from there.
Stina Blackstenius exposed Englands left flank in the middle of the first half to add to Kosovare Asllanis early strike and the Lionesses produced only timidity in response.
The last-eight performance against Sweden was reminiscent of the opening game against France, who also took a 2-0 lead before Keira Walsh got England back into it with a late goal.
This time, Kelly was the architect of Englands brief but devastating resurgence just minutes after coming on as a substitute. Bronze headed in the first and Michelle Agyemang, another second-half substitute, pounced to equalise from close range two minutes later.
Yet it was England who had to hold on during the additional 30 minutes, bodies strewn about their six-yard box bearing the scrapes and scars of battle.
Hampton was bloodied. Bronze administered her own first aid just to get to the end. Alex Greenwood was on the deck after a heavy fall and captain Leah Williamson went off injured. Shell be a doubt for next weeks semi-final against Italy.
Manager Sarina Wiegman is chasing her third consecutive European Championship win, having lifted the trophy with the Netherlands and then England in the last two tournaments.
Zurich was a success, but a frantic one. Wiegmans substitutes provided the big moments England needed but her starting defenders were no match for Swedens focused attacking in the first half.
England have clawed their way into the last four because they refused to let their title defence fizzle out, not because theyre playing with the swagger of champions.
After losing to France, the phrase Proper English started to emerge from the England camp in Switzerland, promising the combination of character and guile that produced a group stage performance against the Netherlands that was everything they needed.
That was no fluke. Wiegman made smart changes at the back and her players took their chances at the other end. Wales were swept aside in game three and England went into the knock-out stage in confident mood.
Englands chaos a harbinger of the end for Wiegman?
The penalty shoot-out win against Sweden was a comprehensive indication of everything England will be in this European Championship.
Wiegmans Lionesses will fight tooth and nail. Theyre not going home easily and theyre willing to take the hits to prove it. Theres every chance they emerge from the Italy game, win or lose, looking like an amateur ice hockey team.
But there will be tactical gaps for the opposition manager to exploit. Wiegman is sharp enough to correct course but her weakening options could be problematic.
Englands preparations were overshadowed in the public eye by the international retirements of Fran Kirby and Mary Earps. It was reported that Kirby had been informed she wasnt going to be included in the squad, while Earps had seemingly lost the no.1 shirt to Hampton.
Millie Bright, Englands World Cup captain in Williamsons absence in 2023, made herself unavailable for reasons that will and should remain her own. England miss her. England were always going to miss her.
In isolation, these withdrawals and retirements and injuries and mistakes and subpar performances could all be attributed to their individual circumstances.
Taken together, they arguably point to a sad possibility: the Wiegman era is slowly unravelling towards its conclusion.
Whatever decisions have been made behind closed doors and whatever the Lionesses achieve in whats become a turbulent but courageous European Championship defence, the scent of change is in the air.
