European women: England overwhelms Sweden 4-0 and goes to the final

England had opened the European Championship at Old Trafford, England will close it at Wembley. With the 4-0 to Sweden, the hosts are the first finalists and on Sunday in the same stadium where the men’s team lost the title against Italy a year ago they await the winner of tomorrow’s semifinal, the one between Germany and France. For Sarina Wiegman, the Dutch coach who took over from Phil Neville, the chance to win the second consecutive European Championship after the 2017 one on the Oranje bench. The European Championship of the Swedish Nilden, Sembrant, Hurtig and Asllani ends, who in a few days will return to Italy to play in Serie A: the first three with Juve, the fourth will instead begin his adventure with Milan.

Sblocca Mead

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Yet it was Sweden that had started better: after only 20 seconds, Earps had a great response from the foot of Blackstenius. Then, after Mead’s header narrowly out and another Earps save on Blackstenius’s dirty left foot (thrown by Asllani), the Swedes were close to their sixth consecutive dead-ball goal. Blackstenius, headed from a corner kick, anticipated Earps but sent the ball crashing into the crossbar. England, on the other hand, did not forgive in the 34th minute: White did not arrive on Hemp’s first cross, Mead did on Bronze’s counter-cross. Stop and right in Lindahl’s goal, Mead’s sixth goal in this European championship that earned her the equalized record that belonged only to Inka Grings, who scored six in 2009, two of which in the last final reached by England but lost 6- 2.

Russian jewel

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The knockout blow, England placed it after three minutes of the second half: Mead’s corner and Bronze’s header, with White’s veil and Hemp’s position (judged regular even after the Var control) to deceive Lindahl . The Swedish coach Gerhardsson tried to take it back with the changes: inside Seger for Angeldahl and Rytting Kaneryd for Jakobsson (on his debut in the European Championship after recovering from the injury), then also Andersson for Ilestedt. Wiegman, on the other hand, called White to the bench to enter Alessia Russo, the ’99 girl of Sicilian origins, who came to the game with a lunge to the right and an assist on which Hemp hit the crossbar. After an Earps hit on Blackstenius’s thigh, however, Russo came up with a wonderful goal: it all started from Walsh’s feet, who set Kirby in motion, assist for Russo’s first right saved by Lindahl. The ball remained in the box and the Manchester United striker with a heel put the ball under Lindahl’s legs, far from blameless, as well as in the occasion of Kirby’s 4-0 lob. Five games, 20 goals scored: an England like this could only return to the final after 13 years.