England’s Euro 2022 campaign not only finished in spectacular fashion to capture the public’s imagination, but now offers the iconic moments that symbolize major tournament success. A 4-0 demolition of Sweden – the world’s second-ranked team – at an enthusiastic Bramall Lane prompted wild celebrations as Sarina Wiegman’s England shook off the curse of losing three successive semi-finals to set up a meeting with France or Germany. at Wembley on Sunday. As fireworks exploded into the Yorkshire night and traditional England anthems rang out at deafening volume, the scale of England’s achievement in this 19-match unbeaten run under Wiegman was underlined by the thousands of fans who simply refused to go home. And, amid a performance that required England to hold their nerve – and goalkeeper Mary Earps to excel as Sweden made a flying start – before they showed great skill and strength, there was a touch of grit and genius that not only sealed The their victory, but it proved what makes this Euro 2022 something very special. Highlights: England into Euro 2022 final after crushing Sweden England went 2-0 up with a first-half goal from Beth Mead and a pressure-valve header from Lucy Bronze early in the second when Wiegman’s confident touch with the changes was once again on display. Ellen White had put in another tireless display before being replaced by Alessia Russo after 57 minutes – the latter very experienced in providing the ‘X Factor’ in England’s progress to the last four. Here, she created a chance for Lauren Hemp before producing a piece of skill that sent the crowd into a thunderous Bramall lane over the edge – not that they needed much encouragement, such is the tide of support for the Lionesses. Russo saw her first attempt blocked by Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl before she pushed the loose ball away from home. Sweden thought the danger had passed only for Russo to produce a moment of magic, a back-heel of genius that confused defenders and clubbed Lindal. It was just out of the top drawer and sent a wave of celebration around the stadium, setting up a final 20 minutes that was everything a team aimed to finally claim the major crown. Euro 2022: Watch all the angles of Alessia Russo’s cheeky backheel against Sweden Russo’s brilliant performance off the bench may be the catalyst for more calls to start ahead of White in Sunday’s final, but Wiegman has her strategy and is sticking to it as England remained unchanged for a fifth successive game. Wiegman knows what White is giving her from the start. She knows what Russo is giving her from the counter. It has worked perfectly so far and if it ain’t broke why fix it? If the quarter-final win over Spain was a triumph over adversity and a victory for resilience and will, it fell into the category of a powerful statement of intent when Earps, who was as flawless as her opponent was vulnerable, held England to the game. England had stunning performances all over the pitch, with Fran Kirby immense and a worthy scorer of the fourth goal, while Midd’s maturity was on display once again as they remain on course to win the Golden Boot with their sixth of the tournament . It wasn’t just the England fans who didn’t want to go home. Wiegman joined her players to deliver an impassioned speech before the players celebrated with a lap of honor that stretched into almost half an hour on the court, with the experienced White looking particularly emotional as they took it all in. Ellen White and Jill Scott are two of England’s longest-serving players There is growing momentum and anticipation across England, with thousands of fans in great good humor and hopeful marching towards Bramall Lane ahead of kick-off. England carry a heavy weight of expectation at Euro 2022 and if it looked like a burden for a while against Spain, it was a responsibility they relished once they got here. Sweden are formidable opposition and showed exactly why in the opening stages, but as soon as Bronze’s header crossed for England’s second, they were done. Wiegman’s charges exercised such command and demoralized Sweden to such an extent that the final score could have been even more emphatic. The time has come for England to seize. They have a trainer who has run this course and distance and won. They have a team comfortable with themselves and growing with the kind of confidence this win will engender. They will have a passionate Wembley crowd behind them in the final. England women will never have a better chance of getting their hands on that elusive major trophy. Wiegman eventually went down the tunnel accompanied by Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill execs. He climbed that particular mountain with the Netherlands four years ago – now England and their inspired manager are in the perfect position for one last push towards the top at a sold-out Wembley on Sunday.
