Women’s Euro 2022: England aiming to exorcise semi-final ghosts against Sweden
England won’t just be facing Sweden when they take to a sold-out Bramall Lane in Sheffield for their Women’s Euro 2022 semi-final on Tuesday night.
The Lionesses will also have to confront some ghosts of major tournaments past, having suffered a sequence of painful defeats in the last four.
At the 2015 World Cup in Canada it was an injury-time own goal by Laura Bassett that broke English hearts; at Women’s Euro 2017 they were put to the sword 3-0 by their future coach Sarina Wiegman and the Netherlands; and in 2019 they saw an Ellen White goal ruled out and Steph Houghton miss a late penalty in a narrow 2-1 defeat to eventual winners USA.
“It is in the back of the mind of a few of the girls who have been there,” said forward Fran Kirby, who was involved in all three eliminations.
“For us it’s about the present and what we can do to make sure we’re not in that position again. No one has really spoken about it in the camp, the ones who have been through that situation. It’s difficult for me because I was a part of all them but we’re just focusing on the next game and Sweden.”
England’s feet have barely touched the ground since beginning the tournament with a 1-0 win over Austria at Old Trafford on 6 July.
Since then they have thrashed Norway by a tournament record scoreline of 8-0 and swatted Northern Ireland away 5-0 before overcoming their first serious test against Spain in the quarter-finals.
Although they looked vulnerable for the first time at Women’s Euro 2022, the comeback win in extra-time has, if anything, only added to the national fervour for the Lionesses.
It will therefore go down as a major disappointment if, as hosts, they fail to beat a Sweden team who ought to provide a more conventional test than technically accomplished, possession-hogging Spain.
“I’m hoping we’ll see more of the ball but they are a quality side,” added Kirby, who plays alongside Sweden defender Magda Eriksson at Chelsea.
“They have a wealth of experience, some amazing characters and leaders, and some quality footballers. I think they will come with a very physical game – all of the Swedish players I have played with are very physical in the way that they press and defend. Set pieces have been massive for them leading into and in this tournament.”
Sweden have their own ghosts to exorcise, however. They also lost in the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup, beating England in the third-place match, and have been runners-up at the last two Olympic Games.
For England, the difference this time is that they have a proven winner in their dugout in Wiegman, who showed her knockout credentials with some match-winning tactical changes that tilted the semi-final back in their favour.
She’s been there and done it – got to finals, won finals – so she’s the best person to get us through that,” said Kirby, 29. “For her it’s a case of doing what’s normal to her.”