Key events
Congratulations also to Jess Fishlock, who scored her 45th goal for Wales this evening. She’s now the greatest Welsh goal goat of them all.
Full time: Sweden 0-0 England
The Lionesses have qualified for Euro 2025 after a nervy goalless draw in Gothenburg. They controlled the game for 70 minutes, then survived a rare old barrage from Sweden. I’ve been fighting the urge to type ‘job done’ for the last 60 seconds; but sometimes cliches are the most succinct way to tell a story.
England finish a point behind France, who were beaten 3-1 behind the Republic of Ireland. Sweden are third and will go into the playoffs in October.
90+4 min The ball is deep in Sweden’s half, which is all England want.
90+3 min: England substitution Fran Kirby replaces Ella Toone.
90+2 min Kafaji plays a dangerous pass that is really well cut out by Bronze, eight yards out facing her own goal.
90+1 min Kelly is booked for timewasting.
90 min England are four added minutes away from Euro 2025.
90 min: England substitution Niamh Charles for Lauren Hemp. Sarina Wiegman stressed before the game that she wanted to win. She’ll take a draw now.
89 min: Double substitution for Sweden Nathalie Bjorn and Sofia Jakobsson replace Lundkvist and Angeldahl.
88 min Angeldahl overruns the ball a fraction, allowing Stanway to boot the ball off her and behind for a goalkick.
86 min Stanway’s cross-shot is comfortably saved by Musovic.
85 min England keep the ball for 60-90 seconds, just what they needed.
83 min: Big save by Hampton! Angeldahl turns and hits a dipping shot from 30 yards that is pushed away dramatically by Hampton, who falls over in the process. The ball must have moved in the air because Hampton lost her bearings and in the end did well to keep it out.
Ijeh is booked for fouling Bronze as she attacked the loose ball.
81 min One of the virtues of keeping the ball is that you tire the opposition out, at least in theory. In reality it’s England who look tired. They really are hanging on.
Bennison’s corner is punched away a little unconvincingly by Hampton, and Rolfo’s follow-up shot is blocked.
79 min All Sweden now. Angeldahl’s reverse pass towards Kafaji is crucially cleared by an England player, possibly Walsh.
77 min Hampton was caught by Angeldahl and needs treatment. It might be tactical because England have been under the cosh in the last 10 minutes.
76 min Rytting Kaneryd’s deflected cross is spilled by Hampton, who dives at Angeldahl’s feet to grab the loose ball. She’s had a tricky few minutes.
74 min: England substitution Chloe Kelly replaces Beth Mead, who had a fairly quiet game.
72 min Sweden are starting to threaten again. Hampton drops a free-kick under pressure and is relieved to see Williamson and Bright stop Sembrant from getting a clear shot.
Replays show that Hampton collided with Bright again as she jumped to catch the ball. Only one winner there.
70 min Blimey, Ireland are leading France 1-0 in the other game in this group.
69 min And they almost did score. Rytting Kaneryd threads a good pass through to Kafaji, who stays on her feet despite being caught by the lunging Williamson. Had she gone down it would have been a penalty.
Instead her cross was put behind for a corner, from which Hampton runs into her teammate Bright. That allows a Sweden player a clear header that is blocked in the six-yard box, possibly by the legs of Hampton.
67 min Thing is, England have controlled this game admirably. But history is written after the final whistle, and if Sweden score that ‘expert game management’ will become ‘sterile domination’.
65 min The corner is kept alive by England. Williamson’s lobbed cross is headed towards goal by the stretching Russo, but there’s no pace on the ball and Musovic saves comfortably.
64 min Andersson stays down after challenging for a cross with Mead. It looks like a head injury but the referee allows play to continue until Bronze’s fierce cross is put behind for a corner.
62 min: Double substitution for Sweden Hanna Bennison and Rosa Kafaji replace Kosvare Asllani and Julia Zigiotti Olme.
58 min It’s getting tense out there. England have played well, but they remain one false move away from trouble.
55 min Stanway finds Mead on the right side of the area. She cuts the ball back to Stanway, who rattles the side netting with a rising drive. A good effort under pressure, but Musovic had it covered.
55 min Charles Antaki has replied to my question in the 48th minute: “Only if the flare is in the right position.”
It is now!
54 min Russo is booked for stopping Musovic’s attempt to launch a counter-attack.
53 min Mead drives a free-kick well beyond the far post towards Bronze, whose header back across goal is comfortably saved by Musovic. Tough to score from that angle.
51 min “Beautiful evening at Firhill, where I’m taking my daughter to her first ever game,” writes James Humphries. “Scotland women are 1-0 against Serbia at half time, as it stands qualifying for the playoffs in top spot, and if she ends up with her first Scotland game being a victory I’m going to start whingeing about how kids these days have it easy. (Though of course there were several heart-in-mouth defensive mishaps at the end of the first half; I think that’s probably part of the football DNA I keep hearing about.)”
50 min: Very good save by Hampton! Asllani scurries down the right and wins a corner off Walsh. Andersson’s corner isn’t properly cleared by England, and Angeldahl makes just enough space for a snapshot that is smartly saved to her right by Hampton. It wasn’t at full stretch but she would have seen it late.
48 min “Even though there’s quite a lot riding on this – automatic qualification will be a serious advantage – the feel of it all (MBM commentary included) feels saner, kept more sensibly within a narrower bandwidth of expectation and emotion,” says Charles Antaki. “It would, nevertheless, be really good if England could actually get a goal here.”
FAKK SAKE SARINA GET JESS PARK ON. Any better?
47 min Toone can’t quite wriggle away from Angeldahl in the penalty area. England have started the second half with the same authority as they did the first.
46 min England begin the second half.
Half-time substitution Sweden are bringing on AC Milan’s Evelyn Ijeh for Madelen Janogy; this is only her second cap.
“I’m on the always eerie Isle of Dogs for a play tonight,” writes Gary Naylor. “Currently in the bar watching the match. This is the show’s flyer – appropriate eh?”
