It needed “bodies on the line” and some old-fashioned stubborn defending to see it out late on, but they got there – just. Right now, they will not care too much about how. 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, and they have shown they are not going to give up their crown lightly.
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.
Knowing full well the importance of avoiding the playoffs the England head coach, Sarina Wiegman, said she was “relieved and happy” to get through a “very, very tough” group that had made been made up entirely of sides who reached the World Cup last summer and included three of the world’s top-six ranked sides.
The Chelsea defender Millie Bright described the feeling of qualifying as “amazing” and said: “The qualifiers have been extremely tough, we’ve been challenged in more ways than one, but ultimately we’ve got over the line. We knew it would be ‘bodies on the line’ to defend a clean sheet. It shows what we’re prepared to do to get the job done.”
Before kick-off, the job for each side had been simple: to qualify automatically Sweden needed a victory, while England needed to avoid defeat. Nonetheless, Wiegman had vowed that her team would try to win this game and hopefully even top the group ahead of France. By the latter stages of the second half, however, her side were hanging on at times. But they showed the character of champions to hold off Sweden. For long spells, though, they were in full control.
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 had the better of the play and controlled proceedings early on. Initially, the Lionesses classily dictated most of the possession, without displaying a tremendous amount of ruthlessness. The Bayern Munich midfielder Georgia Stanway bounced a low strike narrowly wide, in a half where Lauren Hemp and Leah Williamson were excelling in possession, but that final ball was missing.
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
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 with the 23‑year‑old 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.
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. It was Sweden’s first shot on target but then Hampton’s penalty area was almost constantly busy. She appeared uncertain aerially at two shaky corner kicks but later produced an excellent one-handed save to keep out Angeldal’s swerving long‑range effort.
As the full-time whistle sounded, England’s celebrations resembled more of a “job done” vibe than wild jubilation. But they are off to Switzerland, and on Tuesday night that was all that mattered. Manchester United’s Ella Toone told reporters: “That’s what we set out to do. This group was really difficult. To get out of a group like that, we’re really proud.
“Towards the end it was quite difficult. Sweden came out fighting but we did well to weather that storm. To not concede and get the draw that we needed, we’re happy with it.”
