Sarina Wiegman's side didn't top Group D but that may well end up being a good thing, with France instead potentially meeting Spain in the semis
England fans were justified in coming to Switzerland with a few nerves. The Lionesses were drawn in the trickiest of all four groups at the 2025 European Championships, alongside France, the Netherlands and Wales, meaning at least one big contender for the trophy wasn't even going to make it to the knockout rounds. Fortunately for Sarina Wiegman and her side, though, the reigning champions did not fall short, with Sunday's 6-1 win over Wales sealing their place in the quarter-finals.
It was actually quite a calm and comfortable end to what had been a chaotic group stage. England opened things up with a really concerning 2-1 loss to France, one which left them with no margin for error in their next two outings, but responded emphatically when they battered the Dutch 4-0 a few days later. It meant victory over Wales would seal their place in the last eight, regardless of what happened as the Oranje met France.
There were worlds in which achieving that would be tough. The Dragons were certainly not going to roll over and let their neighbours pass through, playing with plenty of pride and passion on their major tournament debut. However, England's world-class quality shone through despite the efforts of the Welsh, allowing them to enjoy a rather relaxing ending to the first part of their European title defence, after all the drama that had come before it.
It's hard to know how much to read into the performances of the last two games. Yes, the Lionesses have improved dramatically and Wiegman has made changes that have helped in that regard, with her tactical tweaks ahead of the win over the Netherlands certainly making England more solid and more threatening at the same time. But the Dutch were really poor in that loss and Wales were the lowest-ranked side at this tournament.
On Thursday, we will see just how serious the Lionesses' title challenge is. Sweden, their quarter-final opponents, will present a hugely difficult match as they bid to reach a seventh semi-final in their eighth major tournament since 2016. They have the experience, the quality and the tactical know-how needed to succeed in knockout football. But there are several reasons why Sunday's win over Wales had England star Ella Toone declaring that the Swedes "should be scared".
GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Kybunpark…
Getty ImagesWINNER: Alessia Russo
It's fair to say Russo hasn't quite had the rub of the green in this tournament so far. She thought she'd broken the deadlock against France, only for VAR to intervene and rule Beth Mead offside by the narrowest of margins in the build-up, and then the technology stopped her celebrations short in the win over the Netherlands, too, with Leah Williamson the player offside on that occasion.
On Sunday, though, her goal finally came. Great work between Lauren James and Ella Toone created the opportunity, with the latter racing to the byline and cutting the ball back for Russo to coolly convert into a near-empty goal. It's not like the Arsenal striker has been playing badly and not getting on the scoresheet – after all, she provided three assists against the Dutch. But goals are what strikers are judged on and getting off the mark here will do her confidence good as England move into the knockout stages.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWINNER: Sarina Wiegman
Not only will Wiegman have been delighted that her team got the job done on Sunday, she'll have also been extremely pleased that it was so comfortable so early, therefore allowing her to make plenty of subs at half-time and shortly after it, too. The England boss brought both Toone and Lauren Hemp off at the break, with the removal of the latter feeling particularly important given she only came back after knee surgery in April. Then, before the hour, both James and Russo got some deserved rest, with the former another recent returnee who will surely benefit.
Several of the big contenders for this Euro 2025 title have had the chance to rotate and freshen up their XIs in the group stage, whereas England have not had the luxury due to the opening round defeat to France. To make up for that a little bit here, then, as the tournament prepares to step up another gear, was vital.
Getty ImagesLOSER: France
Every big team goes into a tournament like this wanting to win their group but, sometimes, it's not actually the best thing for that side in the long-term. Sometimes the second-placed team that will meet them in the next game is actually more dangerous, or perhaps it puts a team into a less-favourable part of the overall draw. The latter certainly applies to France after they recovered from a 2-1 deficit to beat the Netherlands on Sunday and, as a result, finished ahead of England at the top of Group D.
There are obviously pros to finishing first. Les Bleues will next play on Saturday rather than Thursday, giving them a couple of extra days of rest, and while some would say there is not that much difference in the quarter-final opponent it grants them, Germany's 4-1 defeat to Sweden in the final round of group stage games would suggest otherwise.
The problem, however, is that if France are able to come through that tie and reach the last four, they will now likely face Spain rather than Italy or Norway. That is a massive difference – one that, if England can beat Sweden, could favour the Lionesses and their second-placed finish instead.
Getty ImagesWINNER: Beth Mead
After losing her place in England's starting XI, it was extremely positive for Mead to make an impact in a different way on Sunday as her terrific goal took the Lionesses' total for the day up to five. The manner in which she scored felt particularly noteworthy, too. How she ruthlessly shimmied away from one defender and rifled her shot beyond the goalkeeper suggested that she is full of confidence right now, despite dropping out of Wiegman's line-up after the defeat to France.
England haven't had much luck with impact subs in the last couple of years, with a 21-game stretch of no goals or assists from the bench only ending in April, in the 5-0 win over Belgium. However, things have improved a little since then and Sunday was another step in the right direction in that regard, with Mead showing that she could be a game-changer even if she can't get into the XI right now ahead of the in-form James.
