Sweden Women 0-0 England Women: Lionesses struggle to create but reach Euro 2025 with goalless draw

17 Jul 2024

England Women earned the necessary point to qualify for Euro 2025, but once again struggled to score in their 0-0 draw against Sweden.

England Women - Figure 1 — Photo Sky Sports

The Lionesses only managed to make Zecira Musovic make two saves throughout the entire match in Gothenburg. This was the first time in nearly a year that they failed to score a goal. Sarina Wiegman had previously mentioned that they could have scored more in their game against Ireland.

Once more, she emphasized that England lacked precision in their performance, leading them to squander their opportunities during the first half. This hindered their chances of securing a smoother path to the finals.

Wiegman expressed that we may have lacked aggression during the game, as we missed a crucial opportunity in the first half and needed more players in the midfield.

There were times when we had chances to score but didn't take them. I believe we had some excellent free-kick opportunities in the first half.

"They held their ground, but we could have put in more effort to improve our scoring opportunities."

England found themselves in a difficult situation after France unexpectedly lost to Ireland. A win in their upcoming game would have put them at the top of the group and secured a good seeding for the Euro 2025 finals.

Despite a strong start, the team had to settle for a draw after the second-half performance of Hanna Bennison and Rosa Kafaji from the Swedish team. Kafaji was unfortunate not to receive a penalty after a reckless tackle from Leah Williamson.

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd also challenged Hannah Hampton, the top goalkeeper for England, with a powerful shot from a distance towards the end of the game. Hampton had to fully extend herself to block the shot and prevent a goal.

England had some good chances during the game. Lucy Bronze had a chance with a header from a free-kick, but the goalkeeper saved it. Georgia Stanway also had two opportunities to score her 20th goal for England, but she missed with a shot from a tight angle and a long-range effort.

The Lionesses will not find out which teams they will play against in the Euro 2025 group stages until December. They are eager to defend their title in Switzerland next year.

Williamson: Not Scoring Is A Challenge

England captain Leah Williamson talked to ITV Sport and said, "It's always a challenge when we struggle to score goals. However, we were able to hold onto our lead and secure the victory, just like France did."

"These matches are challenging, especially when visiting places like this. The stadium may be small, but the Swedish fans were lively and the team performed admirably. Overall, it was a satisfying result."

"They adjusted their approach, introduced new challenges like height, but I believe we remained steadfast and stayed authentic."

We were unable to execute our desired style of play in the second half, leading to increased pressure on our team.

In the beginning of the game, I had a great time playing. I felt energized and happy because it's the end of the season. I didn't play as many games as my teammates, so I needed to make sure I looked and felt sharp on the field.

We have completed our tasks and now we can focus on getting the best out of ourselves. Stay tuned for more exciting updates!

"We are familiar with how that played out, and I believe everyone desires additional."