Smilla Holmberg didn’t even think she was meant to be on the pitch. The player who missed Sweden’s decisive penalty had spent the first period of extra time hobbling around at right-back, having twisted her ankle making a brilliant last-ditch block on Alessia Russo’s shot as England threatened to win the game 3-2 at the end of 90 minutes.

England came back from a 2-0 deficit to take Sweden to penalties and seal their place in the Euro 2025 semifinals, but they did it by virtue of one of the strangest, and longest, penalty shootouts ever.

England beat Sweden 3-2 in an astonishing penalty shootout that featured 14 attempts to reach the Women's Euros semi-finals on Thursday after the reigning champions had fought back from 2-0 down to force the game to extra time.