Over little greater than three weeks in July, from Zurich by way of St Gallen, and Lancy to Basel, Guardian writers have adopted each step of England's journey throughout Switzerland throughout the Ladies's Euro 2025. Below Sarina Wiegman, the Lionesses turned the primary England workforce to win a trophy on overseas soil. Listed here are our favorite footage coupled with excerpts from our match experiences and blogs.
GAME 1: GROUP D
5 JULY, STADION LETZIGRUND
France 2 (Katoto 36, Baltimore 39)
England 1 (Walsh 87)
Hannah Hampton (proper) fails to save lots of a shot by France's Sandy Baltimore as England stumbled of their opening recreation of the match. {Photograph} above: Michael Buholzer/AP.
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The hour was approaching when Sarina Wiegman rolled the cube or, maybe extra precisely, reached for the consolation blanket. A salvage operation of this scale had not been a part of anybody's masterplan, however at the very least Ella Toone and Chloe Kelly knew precisely the way to transfer the dial at a European Championship. They have been the historical past makers at Wembley in England's most up-to-date look on this stage; if it was going to be anybody, it certainly needed to be them. There have been to be no heroics this time, even when Selma Bacha's late clearance was finally all that got here between Wiegman's gamers and a draw. That assertion is, in itself, illusory as a result of the supervisor should face questions on her choice right here. She had plumped for Lauren James's explosive items within the No 10 place, sticking to the declare that the Chelsea ahead was able to ramp up her restoration from damage, however the name backfired badly. England have been misshapen and leggy the place it mattered; the sport merely obtained away from them and so, with one other ill-conceived step in opposition to the Netherlands, might their Euro 2025 marketing campaign. A constructive studying may be that England have been sharpened up right here: given the jolt reigning champions typically want.
Nick Ames
GAME 2: GROUP D
9 JULY, STADION LETZIGRUND
England 4 (James 22 60, Stanway 45, Toone 67)
Netherlands 0
England's Georgia Stanway celebrates scoring their second purpose with Ella Toone in a convincing efficiency in opposition to fellow heavyweights the Netherlands. {Photograph} above: Annegret Hilse/Reuters.
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From shambolic to elegant, England disregarded fears of a group-stage exit with an exciting and scientific defeat of the Netherlands. England know the way to win knockout matches and that was the territory that they had entered a little bit sooner than deliberate. Additionally they know the way to shake off a defeat in opposition to top-level groups, their 2-1 Nations League loss to France in Could 2024 adopted by a 2-1 win over the identical opposition in Saint-Étienne 4 days later. Additionally they knew that they had misplaced opening video games and gone far on the World Cup in 2015 and the Euros in 2009. Messages got here in from former Lionesses to remind them of these issues, the Euro 2022 group chat nonetheless energetic. The distinction between the sloppy and barely shellshocked play in opposition to France and the targeted and aggressive soccer performed in opposition to the Netherlands in a sunny Stadion Letzigrund was night time and day. The specter of an exit had sharpened the minds and the passing considerably, and Keira Walsh, Georgia Stanway and Ella Toone dictated play from the center and elevated the efficiency of Lauren Hemp and Lauren James out vast as Andries Jonker's aspect obtained narrower and narrower. England's title defence is nicely and really alive, however they are going to be cautious.
Suzanne Wrack
GAME 3: GROUP D
13 JULY, ARENA ST GALLEN
England 6 (Stanway 13pen, Toone 22, Hemp 30, Russo 44, Mead 72, Beever-Jones 89
Wales 1 Cain 76
Ella Toone scores England's second purpose in opposition to Wales in a extensively anticipated demolition job that sealed their place within the knockout levels. {Photograph} above: Annegret Hilse/Reuters.
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Sarina Wiegman stated her Lionesses aspect discovered a way of “urgency” to ebook their place within the quarter-finals of the European Championship with a cushty 6-1 victory over Wales. “This urgency comes [after the France defeat],” the England head coach stated. “You possibly can see the togetherness of our workforce. We knew in the present day could be a special recreation as a result of we knew we might have the ball rather a lot. I'm very proud of the efficiency. We knew that Wales actually needed to battle and we tried to remain out of it. I believe in a lot of the moments we did however at first we have been sloppy.” A key a part of England's improved type throughout a tricky Group D was a shift in gameplan from Wiegman and the teaching employees. One change has been the introduction of Ella Toone again into the No 10 position in opposition to the Netherlands with the ever-creative Lauren James transferring out to the fitting. Keira Walsh, the Uefa participant of the match, credited Toone for England's change in fortunes. “She's are available in and executed an unbelievable job,” she stated. “Folks discuss her offensively, however the defensive work she does for me and Georgia [Stanway] when she's in [the No 10 role] is unbelievable. She covers a whole lot of areas that we are able to't.” Sophie Downey
GAME 4: QUARTER-FINAL
17 JULY, STADION LETZIGRUND
Sweden 2 (Asllani 2, Blackstenius 25)
England 2 (Bronze 79, Agyemang 81)
AET England gained 3-2 on penalties
England's Lucy Bronze scores a penalty previous the Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk throughout the shootout after an epic comeback from two targets down. {Photograph} above: Martin Meissner/AP.
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The Letzigrund seems attractive below a pale pastel night solar. The noise washes over the athletics observe the place Carl Lewis and Asafa Powell as soon as broke the world file, and the place Sweden at the moment are flying out of the blocks and leaving England trailing of their mud. We don't but know that in some ways that is merely the prologue, that this devastating early two-goal flurry is definitely comparatively benign as compared with the carnage that may comply with. We don't but know that Lauren James will find yourself taking part in nearly an hour in a double pivot. We don't but know that Lucy Bronze will find yourself sporting the captain's armband on her wrist and kicking an enormous bank card advert. Hannah Hampton, nostril nonetheless unbloodied, has not the faintest inkling that this can find yourself being the best night time of her profession. However all of them know one thing. Even when they're not totally acutely aware of it. At the same time as an totally shambolic England path Sweden 2-0 and the obituaries for his or her marketing campaign are being scribbled, there's a little knot of refusal there, a workforce with a completely unwarranted calmness at its core, a workforce that in opposition to all of the obtainable visible proof nonetheless trusts that all the pieces goes to work out. Maybe the hallmark of sure nice groups is in sensing nearly subconsciously when they're allowed to play badly and when they aren't, when the extent must be raised, when the stakes are at their sharpest.
Jonathan Liew
GAME 5: SEMI-FINAL
22 JULY, STADE DE GENÈVE
England 2 (Agyemang 90+5, Kelly 120)
Italy 1 (Bonansea 33)
England gained in further time
Chloe Kelly celebrates with Michelle Agyemang after scoring the profitable purpose late in extra-time. {Photograph} above: Jose Breton/NurPhoto/Shutterstock.
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Chloe Kelly stated England's saviour Michelle Agyemang has the “world at her ft” after the 19-year-old striker's late leveller rescued the defending champions of their nerve-jangling semi-final victory in opposition to Italy. England's remarkably late comeback, with Agyemang scoring within the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time earlier than Kelly's winner within the penultimate minute of additional time, booked the Lionesses a spot of their third consecutive main match remaining. “Large Mich at it once more!” Kelly stated to ITV Sport, discussing Agyemang's third purpose in 4 senior worldwide video games since her April debut. “She's unbelievable and she or he ought to have scored once more: that one which hit the crossbar. She's an unbelievable participant and she or he's obtained the world at her ft, a younger participant with a vivid future and I'm completely buzzing for her.” The match was performed two days after Jess Carter revealed she had acquired what the England workforce described as toxic racist abuse on social media. The Lionesses stated they weren't going to take the knee earlier than the sport. As an alternative, the substitutes stood arm in arm on the touchline earlier than kick-off, together with Kelly, who stated: “I'm so proud to face aspect by aspect with the ladies on this workforce; Jess Carter and each single participant on this workforce.”
Tom Garry
GAME 6: FINAL
27 JULY, ST JAKOB-PARK
England 1 (Russo 57)
Spain 1 (Caldentey 25)
AET England gained 3-1 on penalties
Chloe Kelly of England celebrates after scoring the workforce's profitable penalty within the remaining in opposition to Spain. {Photograph}: Florencia Tan Jun/Uefa/Getty Photos
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Penalties England 2-1 Spain (within the shootout). Now the stress is on Spain and who else however Aitana Bonmatí? She steps up however Hannah Hampton saves!!
Penalties England 2-1 Spain. Now the stress actually is on Spain however England can not afford to slide up right here. For England it's Leah Williamson. The captain misses.
Penalties England 2-1 Spain. So Spain have an opportunity to degree it once more right here. It's Salma Paralluelo and she or he misses.
Penalties England 3-1 Spain. Oh my phrase. These shootouts. If England rating right here they win the match. It's Chloe Kelly. Enormous stress on her shoulders and she or he scores. ENGLAND HAVE WON THE EUROS ON PENALTIES Wow. Oh my phrase. What have we simply watched? Kelly clutch. Hannah Hampton unbelievable. Niamh Charles approaching in that second half of additional time and scoring a cracking penalty. The entire workforce in a position to keep current after saves from each goalkeepers. Sarina Wiegman has been a global supervisor for 3 Euros. She has gained each single one.
Sarah Rendell
HOMECOMING AND PARADE
28 & 29 JULY, SOUTHEND AIRPORT AND LONDON
The England ladies's workforce have a good time with hundreds of followers on the Mall exterior Buckingham Palace. {Photograph} above: David Levene/The Guardian.
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And, sure, right here it comes, so good, so good, it's Candy Caroline. Wiki reality: in a 2007 interview, Neil Diamond said the inspiration for the tune was John F Kennedy‘s daughter Caroline Kennedy, who was 11 years outdated on the time it was launched. The gamers do the dance you might have seen at weddings and at particular nights down the native, leaping round collectively. There's an extended session forward, and Alex guarantees extra music. Subsequent up, Celine Dion's model of River Deep, Mountain Excessive. Sure, actually. Yara El-Shaboury
