Sweden staged a Euro 2022 semi-final clash with England after Linda Sembrant’s last goal saw them beat Belgium 1-0 in a tight quarter-final clash.
Although Sweden headed for adjustment as the big favourites, it turned out to be a much closer fit than many might have predicted, becoming a war of wills over time.
Sweden thought they had taken the lead in the first half when Stina Blackstenius sacked goalkeeper Nicky Evrard. She recovered a beautiful forward pass from Kosovare Asllani before staying calm to beat the Belgian cork, but after a VAR check, she considered offside.
The Swedes recorded 33 shots at Leigh Sports Village, most of them coming from afar as they struggled to beat a well-trained Belgium. However, it was a dramatic ending as Sembrant returned home with additional time imminent.
Evrard made very good saves and almost repudiated Sweden, pushing Asllani’s corner and blocking Natalie Bjorn’s following. knockout in a primary foreign tournament.
Sweden has now hosted an omnipotent semi-final encounter with tournament hosts England on Tuesday night for a place in the Euro 2022 final at Wembley on July 31.
Sweden had the most productive chance of opening up. Filippa Angeldahl forced a very good save from Evrard in six minutes, before also firing past the resulting corner. Evrard came back in wonderful form soon after, preventing Amanda Ilestedt’s corner at the first post before preventing Blackstenius. to mark the bounce.
After the Arsenal midfielder’s denied goal, Belgium saw their most productive chances from the half. The expulsion of Tessa Wullaert in favor of Julie Biesmans saw the latter brush the post. .
The part of the moment may not be considered a classic, it was an exciting start when Illestedt sent a cross to the corner of the post, but the offside flag was raised.
Belgium continued to combine their warring parties well, but needed another world-class stop from Evrard to keep them in the game in the 73rd minute. Asllani’s loose shot was deflected through Linda Sembrant. He landed for Blackstenius, but his shot from inside the fixed surface stopped through Evrard.
The Red Flames brought in Elena Dhont on the moment and it proved to be a lively attacking exit as Belgium looked for a surprise victory. In the final 10 minutes, Dhont drove to the right and tried to catch Lindahl off his line, but his shot hammered into the side net.
A few minutes later, he passed the ball to Wullaert on the right before running into the box, but Amanda Nilden was there to take the ball away from Dhont.
But for all their clever work, the Belgian defences were still damaged within seconds of the end of the extra 30 minutes, putting Sweden in the final box.
Sky Sports Charlotte Marsh:
“Any English fan watching Sweden’s quarter-finals would be forgiven for thinking that Tuesday’s semi-final will be a simple race. Sweden looked heavy, struggled to break Belgium’s defence and was close to their best.
“But it wasn’t the simplest preparation. They have been hit by a wave of Covid absences, adding key players such as Hannah Glas and Jonna Andersson, who will start on Tuesday if they have enough compatibility.
“There is no overlap of opposite sides to Belgium, which stifled Sweden’s creativity. Glas and Andersson, who play more as full-backs, provide that exit and will provide the English full-backs with a difficult test.
“But Sweden wants to be faster in their game. England are very quick in transition, passing the ball to their ends in record time. They will punish the Swedes back and forth if they have this opportunity. “
“They will probably let England get the most ownership and opportunities, especially if they don’t have their key players in the most sensible way. Despite more than 30 opportunities on Friday, Sweden’s efforts were largely limited to long distances.
“But one domain in which Sweden seemed incredibly opposed to Belgium is that of stopped shots. They scored their goal from a corner and those were the moments when the Red Flames looked maximum vulnerable.
“Sweden are a wonderful team in terms of length and England can adapt to that, but they have to concentrate. On the other hand, the Lionesses are also harmful in their stopped shots.
“Sarina Wiegman’s side also wants to make the most of their two extra days and the extra players – for the time being – in training are vital.
“But England were also not at their most productive against Spain and both groups want to do it before the semi-final. All eyes will be on Bramall Lane and the instance deserves an entertaining show. “
Swedish defender Magdalena Eriksson BBC Sport:
“It’s incredible. That was our purpose of the day. It wasn’t easy and Belgium made things difficult. I am very pleased that we got the victory. I am very satisfied for Linda and because, despite everything, we got the goal. “.
“It was hard. We had to stay very strong mentally. We had to stay positive. We did it. We were passing to pass until the 94th minute and keep pushing. “
“There are so many emotions. I felt the tears coming because I was so happy. It was a frustrating night, but despite everything I had that relief, I am very proud of all the women for the strength with which we struggled. “
In the semi-final with England: “It’s going to be an incredibly difficult game. England have been amazing in the tournament so far. I know all the players, incredibly talented players. We have to be in it. It’s about recovering and refreshing yourself. “
On the question of whether two days less preparation give England the upper hand: “No. We are in the matches. That’s what we do with that. I’m sure we’re going to be one hundred percent new on Tuesday. “”
Sweden will now face England in the semi-finals on Tuesday at Bramall Lane with a start at 8pm. m. La Euro 2022 final will take place at Wembley on 31 July; start 5pm.
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, July 20
Quarter-finals 1: England 2-1 Spain (AET)
Thursday, July 21
Quarterfinals 2: Germany 2-0 Austria
Friday, July 22
Quarterfinals 3: Sweden 1-0 Belgium
Saturday, July 23
Quarterfinals 4: France vs Netherlands – start 8pm, New York Stadium
Semifinals
Tuesday, July 26
Semi-final 1: England vs Sweden – start 8pm, Bramall Lane
Wednesday, July 27
Semifinal 2: Germany vs France or Netherlands – start 8pm, Mk Stadium
Final
Sunday, July 31
Winners Semi-final 1 v Winners Semi-final 2 – start 5pm, Wembley
The virtual platforms of Sky Sports News and Sky Sports will remain in each and every step of England’s adventure towards Euro 2022 ahead of Tuesday’s semi-final.
Along the way, Sky Sports News’ mobile presentation bus will continue to provide all visitors and research from Karen Carney, Sue Smith, Courtney Sweetman-Kirk and Laura Bassett by providing their expert perspective. The bus will be located in the centre of Sheffield. before England’s last match, before heading to Wembley for the final.
In SkySports. com, the Sky Sports app and on social media, we will cover all the big moments with our insights, features, reports, analysis, as well as the Sky Sports Women’s Euros podcast with Sky Sports’ senior football journalist. Charlotte Marsh and Sky Sports News journalist Anton Toloui.
And if you’re new to the England team, don’t worry, here’s our advisor to ride the Lionesses.
In addition to England, Sky Sports News and Sky Sports Virtual will also cover all the knockout matches as we head into the flagship final on July 31.