Hosts England set for Sweden semi-final in Euros

 

England will attempt to reach the European Women's Championship final for a third time when they face 1984 winners Sweden on Tuesday.

The Lionesses, one of the pre-Euros favourites, have never won the trophy but their performances have raised expectations they could win a major tournament for the first time.

England thrashed Norway 8-0 in the group stage and reached the last four after coming from behind to defeat Spain in extra time.

What is England's record like against Sweden?

In a word, shocking.

England and Sweden have faced each other 26 times, but the Lionesses have won just three of those fixtures and beaten 15 times. Only against Germany (21) have they suffered more defeats.

The two sides have met seven times previously in the Euros, but England have triumphed on only one occasion.

That 1-0 victory came in the second leg of the inaugural final in 1984, but you can guess what happened from there - England were beaten on penalties.

That was the only time Sweden have lifted the trophy. They were beaten finalists in 1987 - when they were looking to defend the title - and again in 1995 and 2001.

A capacity crowd and a new TV audience record?

Bramall Lane's 32,000-seater stadium is expected to be full for the match against Sweden, a reflection of how successful the tournament has been in England.

The cumulative attendance record for a Women's Euros was broken during the group stage, when there were still 15 games remaining.

A limited number of additional tickets were placed on sale for both semi-finals on Monday morning, but quickly snapped up.

Around 5,000 spectators are anticipated to attend the free fan park which has been set up in Trafalgar Square, London.

And millions more will watch live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

England's dramatic 2-1 quarter-final win over Spain was watched by more than nine million across BBC One and the BBC's streaming service - and this encounter could top that figure.

The big decisions facing Wiegman

Consistency is key or time to mix it up?

England are the only team to have named the same starting XI in their four games so far - and manager Sarina Wiegman will feel vindicated by the results.

However, she might feel inclined to make changes against the Swedes, who were silver medallists at the Olympic Games last summer and - like England - reached the last four of the 2019 World Cup.

Ellen White is one away from matching Wayne Rooney's all-time goalscoring record of 53 for England, but the Manchester City striker could make way for Alessia Russo.

The Manchester United forward has impressed off the bench by scoring three goals and provided the all-important assist for club team-mate Ella Toone's equaliser against Spain last time out.

Wiegman might have a call to make at full-back too, with Alex Greenwood also impressing as a substitute after Rachel Daly endured a difficult evening against Spain.

What they said...

England forward Fran Kirby: "As the tournament has grown, we have been walking down the river and seen people leaning over and going, 'Well done, girls - we're supporting you'.

"If we get the chance to win in the semi-final and get through to the final, I think it will be incredible for people in this country to have something to celebrate and enjoy. We want to do that as much as possible.

"As much as we want to win, we want to put a smile on people's faces. They may be going through a hard time in terms of the fuel costs and the cost of living now, so hopefully we can give people an escape for 90-plus minutes when they turn their TVs on."

Sweden forward Kosovare Asllani: "It will be two teams looking to play attacking football. At the same time we think it will be a game that suits us. Playing against the home nation is a special feeling and an exciting feeling.

"They are good defensively and offensively, but in our squad [we have that] too. We are excited. We will play a fantastic team but, at the same time, we know it will be special to play against the host nation."

Sweden, second in the Fifa rankings behind the USA and therefore the top-ranked team at Euro 2022, scraped through to the semi-finals courtesy of an injury-time goal against Belgium.