The phrase “proper England” has been adopted by the Lionesses throughout the 2025 European Championship, a mantra designed to encapsulate togetherness, hard work and desire.
Can “proper England” now extend to include being on the brink of elimination on three occasions during a quarter-final penalty shootout, winning despite missing 57 per cent of your spot kicks, and Lucy Bronze “just smacking it”? Sure can.
Sarina Wiegman’s team staged a late comeback to draw 2-2 with Sweden in normal time, and the sides could not be separated after the extra half-hour either. If the 120 minutes of football weren’t dramatic enough, what followed was nothing short of chaotic.
The Athletic breaks down the events exactly as they unfolded.
After the full-time whistle, Wiegman gathered England’s 10 outfield players into a huddle and assistant coach Arjan Veurink informed each individual of their position in the coming shootout. Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, a bloodied tissue still poking out of one nostril following a collision in extra time, held a separate discussion with her position coach Darren Ward.
Sweden’s huddle, meanwhile, consisted of their substitutes too. Peter Gerhardsson explained later that, after a squad meeting, the team had asked the coaching staff to list the players from one to 11 in a penalty-taking order.
“They wanted that order, so we listened,” Gerhardsson told a press conference. “That made it easier for us. We picked the ones we believed in.”
Bronze twice won the toss, first selecting for the shootout to happen at the end of the pitch where the England supporters were, and then choosing for her reigning European champions to take the first penalty.
England were the first of the teams into the centre circle, and chose to occupy the side closest to the dugouts, just as they had in their previous victory on penalties, against Nigeria in the round of 16 at the 2023 World Cup. Sweden had shootout pedigree from that tournament too, eliminating its title holders, the United States, at that same stage.
Alessia Russo was first up for England and safely found the side netting, evading Jennifer Falk despite the Sweden goalkeeper diving the correct way — a display of penalty perfection that did not set the tone.
Falk collected the ball and carried it to team-mate Filippa Angeldahl.
The act of the goalkeeper retrieving the ball and handing it to their colleague taking the next kick is a common shootout tactic aimed at minimising distractions and maximising control.
Speaking about using this technique in England’s 2018 World Cup victory against Colombia from the spot, the Football Association’s former game-insights lead analyst Chris Markham told Geir Jordet in his book Pressure: Lessons from the Psychology of the Penalty Shootout: “We wanted to mess about with them and not allow their goalie to mess about with us.”
Angeldahl’s penalty was low and to her right, but without Russo’s accuracy, and Hampton was off her line quickly to save. Advantage England.
Hampton handed the ball to Lauren James, but her hastily-taken shot was saved.
The time taken between the whistle starting play and the taker beginning their run-up is another factor highlighted by sports psychologists as a way to control the penalty process, with patience encouraged.
“If you stand for five seconds to have more control over yourself in that moment, to take the time to have two or three deep breaths… you take more control over the situation because you dictate when you take the kick,” Jordet told The Athletic in 2024. “You make the goalkeeper stand there in a 100 per cent focused condition, waiting for you. You grab control over the moment.”
Julia Zigiotti Olme levelled the scores for Sweden with arguably the penalty of the lot, putting her laces through the ball and picking out the top corner, shaking the television camera fixed there.
Falk then saved again from Beth Mead, but Magdalena Eriksson failed to take advantage as her effort clattered the post. Alex Greenwood was the next England player to have their attempt denied. “From a goalkeeper’s perspective, this is such a fun situation to find yourself in, because there’s zero pressure,” former England goalkeeper Karen Bardsley said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Wiegman highlighted the importance of body language and support during that shootout win over Nigeria, and last night each English penalty taker was greeted by another squad member to congratulate or console them. Esme Morgan approached Greenwood after her miss.
“We don’t really have assigned roles, but we know that in moments that go well, in moments that don’t go so well, we all need one another’s support,” Morgan told reporters later. “So in that moment, that was my role to do that.”
Nathalie Bjorn displayed all the composure that had been absent in the previous three attempts to convert her side’s fourth penalty. Advantage Sweden. Chloe Kelly now had to score to keep England in the tournament.
Falk had notes taped to her water bottle — a technique often used by goalkeepers in shootouts — detailing how to approach each taker, and had an extended read of them ahead of Kelly’s penalty.
But sometimes, swagger trumps data.
Kelly spun the ball on the penalty spot five times, flashed Falk a grin, produced her usual hop, skip and jump run up, and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.
And then up stepped Falk for the fifth and potentially tie-winning Sweden penalty. It was Hollywood stuff. The scriptwriters are already circling. Having produced a remarkable individual display, the goalkeeper had the chance to win the shootout. This concerned Hampton.
“I was more panicking that we didn’t have any data on her or where she was going,” Hampton admitted. “So, I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, this is down to me’.”
But Falk took her penalty like a goal kick, cleanly striking the bottom of the ball and blazing it over the crossbar.
“She did unbelievably well in the shootout with the amount of saves she made,” Hampton added. “I was thinking she might just focus on saving them, like I tried to do. She had enough bravery to step up and she’s seen as a hero for keeping them in it all the way up to the end.”
To sudden death.
England were again left facing elimination after Grace Clinton’s tame effort was also kept out by Falk, presenting Sofia Jakobsson with Sweden’s second opportunity to win the shootout.
Her penalty was low and to the left, but Hampton took a sidestep to her right just before the ball was struck, giving her a crucial extra few centimetres and enabling her to tip it onto the post and away.
“What a save from Hannah Hampton,” Bardsley said. “Full extension, bottom hand — that is unbelievable.”
With her team still hanging on, up stepped Bronze. The right-back had taped up her thigh during the final stages of extra time after experiencing muscle tightness, and then removed the strapping before her penalty.
“I didn’t expect it to go to the sixth penalty, so I didn’t take it off, and then it was my penalty and I thought, ‘I need to take this off. I’m going to smack it’,” Bronze said.
And smack it she did. Laces, roof of the net, and an outpouring of emotion.
For the first time in the shootout, Sweden now had to score to stay in the tournament, and the responsibility fell on the shoulders of 18-year-old defender Smilla Holmberg.
Like Falk’s effort, she put too much on it and the ball again flew over the top.
Holmberg was consoled by her team-mates, while the England squad rushed to celebrate with Hampton. On the touchline, Wiegman embraced goalkeeping coach Ward.
“It didn’t go as planned, but we got the job done,” Kelly told BBC Sport at full time.
Proper England indeed.