Sweden leaves it late to book Euro 2022 semi-final with hosts England
Sweden arranged a Euro 2022 semi-final showdown with the hosts England after scraping by Belgium with an unconvincing 1-0 victory secured by a dramatic late winner.
Linda Sembrant struck two minutes into added time at Leigh Sports Village as the tournament’s top-ranked team eventually made their dominance count.
Extra time looked certain after Peter Gerhardsson’s side, who had a Stina Blackstenius goal disallowed in the first half for offside following a VAR review, squandered a host of chances. The Swedes – the 1984 EC champions – will next take on Sarina Wiegmans. Lionesses on Tuesday evening at Bramall Lane in Sheffieldwith a place in the Wembley final at stake.
Quick Swedish recovery is required after an exhausting evening
Sweden defender Magdalena Eriksson admitted that a tense night against the Belgians had been a serious mental challenge and revealed that she was close to tears after the decisive goal.
The Chelsea player said her team must quickly recover physically before taking on England.
“It will be an extremely tough game for us,” the 28-year-old told the BBC. “England have been fantastic so far in the tournament.
“I know all the players they’ve got, they’re extremely talented players, so we’ve got to really be on it. Now it’s about recovering, getting fresh again and then taking on them on Tuesday.”
Is Dutch star Gunner ready?
In the last quarter-final of the competition, the Netherlands face France on Saturday night in Rotherham for the right to face Germany in the last four.
Prolific Dutch striker Vivianne Miedema missed the reigning champions’ last two group stage matches due to Covid-19 but could be back to spearhead their attack after resuming training.
Head coach Mark Parsons offered a positive update on the Arsenal star on Friday.
“I’m spreading as much positive energy and optimism as possible, but we’ll have to see,” he said. “There is a chance she could be available because things are going well, but we have to tick the last few boxes.”
“Underdogs” France offers to write history
France have reached the quarter-finals for the fourth European Championship in a row, but they have never been further.
Les Bleues beat the Dutch 3-1 in a friendly in February, but head coach Corinne Diacre insists her side are underdogs as she bids to create a little piece of history.
“The Netherlands are the holders and if any of us are favourites, it should be them,” she said. “As everyone keeps telling us: we’ve never gone past the quarter-finals so we can hardly be favourites.”
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Quote of the day
She is a world-class player with the ability to hold onto the ball and take out an entire team. It’s normal for a trainer to want to keep it (her condition) a secret.
France captain Wendie Renard on Vivianne Miedema
Today’s post
Just
23 July
Quarter-final: France v Netherlands (20:00, New York Stadium, Rotherham)