By Phil Medlicott, PA
England are through to their first major final since 2009 after the Euro 2022 hosts powered past Sweden with a 4-0 victory at Bramall Lane.
Following a shaky start for the Lionesses in which Sweden’s Stina Blackstenius hit the bar, Beth Mead, already leading the race for the Golden Boot, put Sarina Wiegman’s side ahead with a 34th-minute strike that took her to six goals for the tournament.
Mead then turned provider early in the opening moments of the second half, delivering a corner that was headed in by Lucy Bronze, before substitute Alessia Russo notched her fourth goal of these finals with a delightful back-heeled effort in the 68th minute.
WE ARE #WEURO2022 FINALISTS ?@wembleystadium awaits for our @Lionesses on Sunday!pic.twitter.com/ACNQQXzCRk
— England (@England) July 26, 2022
Fran Kirby added the fourth with a chip eight minutes later and it could have been even better more for England, with Lauren Hemp having rattled the woodwork at 2-0, as they comprehensively avoided more semi-final disappointment after exiting at this stage at their last three major tournaments.
They can now look forward to a showdown on Sunday with either Germany or France at a sold-out Wembley, where victory will secure them the first major trophy in their history.
It will be a third appearance in the competition’s final after the runners-up finishes of 13 years ago – when they suffered a 6-2 loss to Germany – and at the inaugural Euros in 1984, which saw them beaten on penalties by Sweden.
An excellent finish from @bmeado9 has given our @Lionesses a half-time lead against Sweden. ?
Don't miss the second 45 live on @BBCOne! pic.twitter.com/fcyqiWjnmV
— England (@England) July 26, 2022
Triumphing on Sunday would also mean back-to-back Euros successes for boss Wiegman, who, after overseeing her native Netherlands winning the 2017 edition on home soil and then reaching the 2019 Word Cup final, has had an England tenure that remains unbeaten after 19 matches, with 17 wins, 104 goals scored and only four conceded.
The sense the team are on the brink of something special was certainly tangible among England fans in the 28,624 crowd at the stadium, with chants of “football’s coming home” reverberating around the ground at various points.
