Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter at Stadion Letzigrund

England produced a remarkable comeback to continue the defence of their European title as they beat Sweden in a breathtaking quarter-final penalty shootout.

Defender Lucy Bronze, England's seventh penalty taker, slammed her spot-kick into the roof of the net before Sweden's Smilla Holmberg put her effort over the bar at the end of a chaotic shootout.

Sweden only scored two of their seven penalties, with England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton saving two of them, while her Swedish counterpart Jennifer Falk kept out four spot-kicks and missed a chance to win it when she put her shot over the bar.

Victory for Sarina Wiegman's side came after they fought back from 2-0 down with 11 minutes of normal time left, to take the game to extra time in Zurich.

Sweden had gone 2-0 up after 25 minutes through captain Kosovare Asllani and Arsenal forward Stina Blackstenius as England struggled to create much.

But Bronze headed in Chloe Kelly's cross with 11 minutes to go and teenage substitute Michelle Agyemang calmly slotted the ball past Falk from close range moments later.

England will face Italy on Tuesday, 22 July at 20:00 BST for a place in the Euro 2025 final.

What was the main talking point for England?

It was all about England's resilience as they first came back from two goals down in normal time, before producing the goods in a crazy shootout.

Sweden goalkeeper Falk had the chance to seal victory with their fifth penalty but blasted the ball over the bar.

England midfielder Grace Clinton's effort was then saved by Falk but Hampton denied Sofia Jakobsson - Sweden's second chance of securing victory.

It was fitting then, that veteran defender Bronze, playing in her seventh major tournament, should step up to the spot, knowing she had the chance to put England in the driving seat.

After she fired the ball into the roof of the net, she paused to roar at the fans behind the goal before returning to her team-mates to celebrate on the halfway line.

The 33-year-old has scored twice in the tournament and showed her experience in the crucial moment after England's defence had been ruthlessly exposed in a brutal first half by Sweden.

Jess Carter had been completely outmatched, struggling to handle Blackstenius and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd's pace down England's left-hand side, while Alex Greenwood could offer little support.

But while England's defensive frailties have been on show for a while, so has the positive impact of their substitutions and they all played a key role in the comeback.

England rode their luck, leaving it nervously late to respond and may not be so fortunate against other heavyweight opposition, but they have been here before. They know the score.

What was the main talking point for Sweden?

London City Lionesses midfielder Asllani was bullish in her pre-match media conference, reminding people of Sweden's stature in world football and stressing they had "no fear".

Her team backed it up on the pitch with a blistering first-half display, as Asllani took less than two minutes to dent England's confidence when she coolly slotted the ball past Hampton.

It was an onslaught for the opening 10 minutes as Sweden pressed intensely and forced England into mistakes – ruthlessly exposing their defensive frailties.

Blackstenius left Carter chasing shadows when she raced in behind to make it 2-0 to Sweden and it seemed game over for England at half-time.

But Peter Gerhardsson's side lost their composure in the second half as England's response came and they failed to capitalise on their lead in the shootout.

They will rue the chances they missed in normal time as Blackstenius could have extended her tally and Hampton was unbeatable at set-pieces.

Which players stood out?

Collectively, England struggled in the first half, but captain Leah Williamson performed well at the back for large spells, and Lauren Hemp was a threat at the other end.

Kelly made a crucial difference when she came on as a substitute and Niamh Charles also defended brilliantly in extra time.

But it was goalkeeper Hampton who was England's star of the day, pulling off two saves in the shootout and playing a vital role in their victory.

Blackstenius was the standout performer in a well-drilled Sweden side who complemented each other's strengths well.

Her explosive runs in behind stretched England's defence and she had the composure to put away her chance midway through the first half.

What are the standout stats?

England became the first team to progress from a knockout tie at a women's Euros having trailed by two or more goals.

They have won all three of their penalty shootouts under Wiegman, having lost each of their previous four.

Asllani's opener was the quickest goal that England have conceded in a Euros knockout match, and the quickest scored by Sweden in the history of the tournament.

England have scored three goals via substitutes in Euro 2025, more than any other team.

There were just 103 seconds between England's two goals in normal time.

What's next for these teams?

England's defence of their title continues and they progress to the semi-finals where they will face Italy, ranked eight places lower than them in the world, on Tuesday, 22 July at 20:00 BST.

Sweden exit the competition having lost their first match since July 2024, ending a run of 15 games unbeaten.

Player of the match

C. Kelly
8.48
11 S. Blackstenius
6.68
9 K. Asllani
6.01
12 J. Falk
5.98
18 F. Rolfö
5.85
19 J. Rytting Kaneryd
5.66
16 F. Angeldahl
5.53
15 J. Zigiotti Olme
5.51
14 N. Björn
5.50
6 M. Eriksson
5.49
4 H. Lundkvist
5.44
2 J. Andersson
5.34
8 L. Hurtig
5.08
22 S. Holmberg
5.07
7 M. Janogy
4.92
23 R. Blomqvist
4.86
10 S. Jakobsson
4.84
5 A. Nildén
4.81
Back to team tabs

After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.

A graphic that reads 'Follow our women's football TikTok' with a picture of a mobile phone

More on this story