They got there – just. England are going to the 2025 Women’s European Championship in Switzerland to defend their title, after securing automatic qualification with a nervy goalless draw in Sweden.
The holders had left themselves an alpine mountain to climb when they lost at home against France in May and slipped down to third in the “group of death”, but since then they have defied this toughest of qualifying draws to secure a place among the 16 sides that will contest the finals next summer, without the need to participate in the lengthy playoff process between October and December. That unenviable fate now awaits the Olympic silver medallists Sweden.
Before kick-off the equation had been simple: to qualify automatically, Sweden needed to win, while England needed to avoid defeat. Nonetheless, Sarina Wiegman had vowed that her team would try to win this game and hopefully even win the group ahead of France. But by the latter stages of the second half her side was hanging on at times, as the team ranked sixth in the world, just three places below England, threw everything they had at the Lionesses’ defence. England, ultimately, though, showed the character of champions to hold them off.
The Gamla Ullevi Stadium, which was sold out, is just under a mile away from Gothenburg’s famous Liseberg theme park, which boasts two rollercoasters that reach speeds of 100km/h, but it is fair to say this game did not set off at a fast pace, and the first half was severely lacking in thrills. Neither side managed an effort on target in the opening 45 minutes, although England did have the better of the play and controlled proceedings early on.
The city is also hosting the Gothia Cup, the largest youth football tournament in the world with 1,910 participating teams from 75 nations, which got under way on Monday, and the city centre has been bustling with more than 40,000 football-loving youngsters, generating a wholly different atmosphere to that which Barcelona and Chelsea witnessed for the 2021 Women’s Champions League final, which was hosted in a near-empty Gamla Ullevi stadium in the latter stages of the pandemic. On that eerily quiet night, Barcelona were 4-0 up inside 36 minutes. There was little chance of a repeat of that, largely thanks to England classily dictating most of the possession, without displaying a tremendous amount of ruthlessness.
Quick Guide
Patten seals Ireland’s stunning victory over No 2-ranked France
Show
The Republic of Ireland ended a miserable run of six straight defeats in remarkable fashion by upsetting France, the world’s No 2-ranked side, 3-1 in Cork. Eileen Gleeson’s side had already been guaranteed a place in the playoffs but finished their Group A2 campaign in style. Second-half goals from Denise O’Sullivan and Julie-Ann Russell met a late response from the group winners, who pulled one back through Vicki Bècho 11 minutes from time, but a 90th-minute header from Anna Patten (pictured) ensured the first points of qualifying for Ireland despite giving up over two-thirds of possession.
Scotland and Wales join the Irish in the playoffs, with Kirsty Hanson scoring the winner against Serbia in Glasgow that enabled the Scots to top Group B2, while goals from Jess Fishlock and Mary McAteer in a 2-0 win over Kosovo ensured the Welsh topped Group B4. Guardian sport
The Bayern Munich midfielder Georgia Stanway bounced a low strike narrowly wide, in a half where Lauren Hemp and Leah Williamson were excelling on the ball, but that final ball was missing.
At the other end of the pitch Wiegman’s team selection had issued the strongest signal yet that Chelsea’s Hannah Hampton is leading the race to be England’s No 1 goalkeeper for Euro 2025, as the 23‑year‑old was chosen to start for a third consecutive game and, more significantly, ahead of Mary Earps for the second game in succession when both of them have been available to play.
after newsletter promotion
Wiegman said on Monday that this fixture was a “little bit too early” to be perceived as a decisive changing of the guard, after nearly three years with Earps being the standout No 1. Undoubtedly, though, to favour Hampton for such a vital fixture was a clear indicator of the trust Wiegman now has in her. The former Aston Villa keeper had very little to do until five minutes after half-time, when she parried a strike from Real Madrid’s Filippa Angeldal from the centre of the box, which was Sweden’s first shot on target. From then on, though, Hampton’s penalty area was almost constantly busy. She appeared uncertain, aerially, at two shaky corner kicks but she later produced an excellent one-handed save to keep out Angeldal’s swerving long-range effort.
For Sweden, whose undoing in this qualifying campaign has proven to be their two defeats against the group winners France, who England crucially beat in Saint-Etienne in June, their disappointment was clear at full-time, while England celebrated relatively calmly.
The reverse fixture in April, the opening match for both sides in this qualifying campaign, was drawn 1-1 but Sweden arguably should have stolen all three points in the second-half that night in London, with Stina Blackstenius going close. She was sidelined with a hip injury for this fixture, however, and in her absence England had the edge in their own penalty area. They will want to improve before the Euro 2025 finals, certainly, but they are off to Switzerland, and on Tuesday night that was all that mattered.
