[ad_1]
England begin their Euro 2025 qualifying campaign as they host Sweden at Wembley tonight. The Lionesses will be the defending champions in Switzerland next summer should they book their place as expected, though it has the potential to be a tricky group as they also go up against France and the Republic of Ireland. Only the two top will automatically qualify.
Sarina Wiegman’s side were last in action in February, when they hammered Austria 7-2 and then cruised to a 5-1 win over Italy a few days later. England now have Leah Williamson back and available, but the Arsenal defender has been made to wait for her first appearance for the Lionesses in a year, as she is named on the bench.
Sweden are ranked sixth in the world and finished third at the World Cup last summer. They lost to Spain in the last four, as England were then beaten in the final. Follow all the action with Standard Sport’s LIVE blog, featuring expert analysis from Simon Collings and Dom Smith at the ground!
England vs Sweden latest news
-
GOAL! Russo heads England in front
-
How to watch: ITV
-
England team news: Williamson on the bench
-
Standard Sport prediction: England win
England 1-0 Sweden
21:15 , Matt Verri
55 mins: First attack of the half from England.
Kemp bursting down the right, cuts inside onto her left foot. Could for goal, opts to slide a cute pass through to Russo… can’t quite find the gap.
England 1-0 Sweden
21:13 , Matt Verri
53 mins: Sharp turn from Blackstenius, but Wubben-Moy sticks out a boot and pokes the ball behind for a corner.
Really good delivery into the six-yard box, once again Wubben-Moy is there though.
England 1-0 Sweden
21:09 , Matt Verri
49 mins: Asllani allowed to drive all the way to the edge of the England box.
Looks to find Blackstenius in the box, Wubben-Moy does enough to stop the striker winning header.
Back underway!
21:05 , Matt Verri
Second-half is up and running at Wembley.
First-half stats
20:57 , Matt Verri
Just the one shot on target in the match so far.
Sweden have had more efforts, seven of them in total, but Mary Earps has not yet been called into action.
Plenty of the ball for England – 66% of possession.
Big goal for the Lionesses!
20:54 , Matt Verri
Not been much to shout about at Wembley, so make the most of that England goal!
Dom Smith at Wembley
20:51 , Matt Verri
It’s felt a bit uneventful, that first half.
All the more reason, then, for England to be pleased that they head into half-time of this opening Euro 2025 qualifier in front.
Lovely goal it was too, with James’s cross begging to be put away and Russo steaming in to do just that.
Cagey game; England ahead.
HT: England 1-0 Sweden
20:49 , Matt Verri
That’s half-time at Wembley.
Not a particularly thrilling 45 minutes, but England have the lead.
A bit of quality from James, standing the ball up, and Russo could not miss with the header.
England 1-0 Sweden
20:47 , Matt Verri
45 mins: Three minutes added on.
James in a central position in space, clips a ball over the top to Russo.
Arsenal striker seems to just stop, and Bronze behind her can’t catch up with it.
England 1-0 Sweden
20:44 , Matt Verri
43 mins: A rare England attack, as Russo holds the ball up in the box and lays it off to Clinton. Shifts onto her right foot, shot blocked.
Again Clinton involved as the Lionesses drived forward, plays it wide to James. Poor first touch though and the chance goes.
Simon Collings at Wembley
20:41 , Matt Verri
Hardly a classic so far and that cross from James is the only real moment of quality we’ve had this half.
England need to up it.
England 1-0 Sweden
20:41 , Matt Verri
40 mins: The Swedish pressure continues.
Rytting Kaneryd skips away from Charles, rolls a superb ball across the face of goal… nobody there for a tap-in.
England 1-0 Sweden
20:39 , Matt Verri
37 mins: Another corner coming up, great ball in from Rolfo. Greenwood smacks a clearance off Wubben-Moy and behind.
Walsh gets the ball out of play – England under pressure at the moment.
England 1-0 Sweden
20:37 , Matt Verri
36 mins: Lionesses have been really loose in possession. Again Sweden can counter, this time winning a corner.
Asllani takes, scrappy in the middle until Walsh clears it away.
England 1-0 Sweden
20:35 , Matt Verri
33 mins: Hemp has got into a lot of good positions – not a lot of good decisions to go with that.
Loses the ball here, Sweden break and Blackstenius is one-on-one with Wubben-Moy. The Arsenal centre-back slows her down, and Bronze then clears the danger.
England 1-0 Sweden
20:32 , Matt Verri
30 mins: Asllani played through for Sweden, shot from a tight angle is saved by Earps.
Offside flag goes up – that was very tight though. Charles may well have been playing Asllani on. No VAR tonight.
England 1-0 Sweden
20:28 , Matt Verri
27 mins: Intensity of the match has gone up since that goal.
England pressing high, pushing for a second straight away. Sweden struggling to get their front players involved now.
Dom Smith at Wembley
20:27 , Matt Verri
That’s a sensational goal from England and the first moment of real quality in this game.
Pleasing for Sarina Wiegman that it was her striker, Alessia Russo, who scored it.
Lauren James with such a teasing ball into the box. Sweden’s defence stand still, and in comes Russo to put a diving header home.
GOAL! England 1-0 Sweden | Alessia Russo 24′
20:26 , Matt Verri
ENGLAND LEAD!
James gets involved and the Lionesses are in front.
The Chelsea star is out on the right, dinks a ball to the back post and Russo is there to head home from close range.
England 0-0 Sweden
20:25 , Matt Verri
24 mins: Better from England, direct running and Hemp wins a corner for the Lionesses. Greenwood to take.
Sweden initially deal with it, but Charles then looks to be in as Greenwood pings the ball to the back post. Lundkvist somehow sticks a foot in and comes away with the ball.
Dom Smith at Wembley
20:23 , Matt Verri
Close from Rolfo there, but she just drags it wide.
England way too open down the Swedish left flank there, allowing the ball through for Rolfo.
England 0-0 Sweden
20:22 , Matt Verri
21 mins: Really poor pass from Walsh and Sweden can break.
Ball played into the space that Bronze has left, Rolfo is in behind and she drags a shot just wide of the far post. Not far away at all.
England 0-0 Sweden
20:21 , Matt Verri
20 mins: Hemp briefly interested after charging down a clearance, but the ball bobbles out of play.
One shot in the match so far, that Clinton volley from a free-kick. It’s a struggle from open play.
England 0-0 Sweden
20:17 , Matt Verri
16 mins: James does now get on the ball, immediately excitement in the stadium.
Plays it out wide to Hemp, who puts far too much on the cross. Straight into Falk’s arms.
Simon Collings at Wembley
20:16 , Matt Verri
All very stop-start so far, with neither side hitting their stride yet. England getting some joy out wide, though, with Hemp looking sharp.
England 0-0 Sweden
20:14 , Matt Verri
13 mins: Earps under pressure, can only launch the ball straight out of play.
Was aimed towards James, who I don’t think has had a touch yet.
England 0-0 Sweden
20:12 , Matt Verri
11 mins: After a few minutes of playing with ten, England are back to full strength as Russo comes back on.
Play stopped again now, Clinton down now. Swiftly back up though. Not much flow to the match in the opening stages.
England 0-0 Sweden
20:10 , Matt Verri
9 mins: Greenwood puts the ball into the box, headed out to Clinton and she volleys wide.
Came to her quickly, but that was a decent chance. Just sliced across it.
England 0-0 Sweden
20:09 , Matt Verri
8 mins: Referee urging the physios and Russo to continue this off the pitch.
Sweden a bit bemused as to why it took three minutes for that to happen. Eventually Russo is up as she trudges to the touchline and sits back down.
At long last, we’re up and running again.
England 0-0 Sweden
20:08 , Matt Verri
7 mins: Mead and Kelly are warming up, as Russo continues to get treatment.
She got to the ball just ahead of Eriksson, who basically kicked through the England striker. Her right calf is being strapped up, seems to have been cut too.
England 0-0 Sweden
20:06 , Matt Verri
5 mins: Russo’s work off the ball wins England a free-kick in a decent position, gets the home fans going.
Slight concern though, the Arsenal striker has stayed down after taking that blow. Looks in a fair bit of pain.
England 0-0 Sweden
20:05 , Matt Verri
4 mins: Blackstenius again threatening, this time Charles can only turn the ball behind for a corner. Sweden looking really dangerous early on.
Swung in at the near post, comes back out to Andersson. Put back into the middle, England deal with it well.
England 0-0 Sweden
20:03 , Matt Verri
1 min: Strong start from Sweden, sharp move down the right.
Greenwood gets dragged out wide, low ball into the middle and Wubben-Moy does well to slide in and block the shot from Blackstenius. Should be a good battle between the Arsenal team-mates.
KICK-OFF!
20:01 , Matt Verri
Up and running at Wembley!
Here we go!
19:56 , Matt Verri
The teams are out at Wembley – for about the second time this year in London it is not raining.
Time for the anthems.
Simon Collings at Wembley
19:53 , Matt Verri
Not a sellout tonight, but still around 60,000 expected here tonight. Decent going considering it is school holidays and many people are away.
The biggest cheer so far has been for when Leah Williamson’s name was read out.
Wiegman not paying attention to 2022 win
19:50 , Matt Verri
It was a memorable occasion when these sides last met on England’s way to winning Euro 2022, but Sarina Wiegman is expecting a much tighter affair than that 4-0 win.
“The last time we faced Sweden was one of my most memorable [games] in charge,” says Wiegman.
“It was a wonderful night and a game where everything seemed to go for us – but that result doesn’t reflect how close the two countries are in a sporting sense.
“Sweden are always a good team and we expect a very difficult game tonight.”
England eye back-to-back Euros
19:45 , Matt Verri
Lucy Bronze says England are already eyeing the possibility of defending their European crown, before a minute of the qualifying campaign has been played.
“Obviously we want to qualify for the Euros and that is the goal with this campaign,” Bronze said.
“But I think the long-term goal would obviously be to win the tournament.
“We go into every tournament wanting to win it, but that would be a special part of history; to be a team that could potentially go back-to-back in a tournament.
“It’s difficult in any tournament… but it would be a next-level achievement to do that on an international stage.”
Blackstenius to deliver again?
19:34 , Matt Verri
Stina Blackstenius starts for Sweden tonight.
She’s full of confidence, after firing Arsenal to victory over Chelsea in the Conti Cup final.
Highlights of that here…
Charlies: I am in a great place
19:26 , Matt Verri
Chelsea’s Niamh Charles says she has “struggled mentally” on her journey to the top but is now in a good place after seeking help and becoming a regular starter for the Lionesses.
The 24-year-old defender, in the side tonight, has started each of the last six England matches after her involvement against Austria and Italy earlier this season, while 11 of Charles’ 15 international caps, including her first Women’s World Cup campaign this summer, have come since the start of a sensational 2023.
But it hasn’t all been plain sailing for the left-back, who has admitted for the first time that she has sought mental health help to cope with life on and off the field.
“In the last few years, there have been times when I have struggled mentally,” Charles tells Standard Sport. “There are times when I’ve needed help, and thankfully, I got help and spoke to someone. Those were just small instances, but I also realised it is not just about when I am struggling and need help.
“But now it is a completely everyday thing. I am in a great place and I am aware of things I can do to keep myself in it. Just talking about it makes a big difference.”
Read our full interview here!
In the building!
19:21 , Matt Verri
High fives everywhere you look as the Lionesses arrive at Wembley.
Sweden team news
19:14 , Matt Verri
Starting XI: Falk, Lundkvist, Sembrant, Eriksson, Andersson, Angeldahl, Asllani, Zigiotti Olme, Kaneryd, Blackstenius, Rolfo
Simon Collings at Wembley
19:09 , Matt Verri
Sarina Wiegman’s side need to make a fast start…
Williamson on the bench
18:59 , Matt Verri
So Williamson has to wait to make her first Lionesses appearance in a year. Imagine that will come at some point off the bench tonight.
It’s Wubben-Moy and Greenwood at the back, while Clinton and Stanway line up alongside Walsh in midfield.
Exciting front line for England – James, Russo and Hemp.
England team news
18:49 , Matt Verri
Starting XI: Earps, Bronze, Wubben-Moy, Greenwood, Charles, Walsh, Stanway, Clinton, James, Russo, Hemp
Subs: Hampton, Rendell, Carter, Toone, Williamson, Kelly, Mead, Kirby, Daly, Park, Morgan, Turner
Lionesses schedule
18:41 , Matt Verri
After kicking off the qualification campaign tonight, England then travel to Dublin on Tuesday night to face the Republic of Ireland.
Sarina Wiegman’s side then face France twice in the space of four days at the end of the season, before taking on Sweden and Ireland again in July.
It’s a relatively swift process, assuming no play-offs are required.
England sporting new look as Euros bid begins
18:29 , Matt Verri
It is just over seven months since the World Cup Final but, as the Lionesses begin the road to Euro 2025 tonight, there are signs they are evolving under Sarina Wiegman.
England overcame injuries and a disrupted build-up to reach the final in Australia, before suffering heartbreak at the hands of Spain.
The team then was built around defensive solidity, with Wiegman’s switch to a back-three during the middle of the tournament proving a masterstroke.
The side hosting Sweden at Wembley tonight, however, will have a different look and there should be excitement over what lies ahead.
Read Simon Collings’ full preview here!
Wiegman ‘surprised’ by Arsenal friendly
18:20 , Matt Verri
Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman was “surprised” by Arsenal’s decision to arrange a post-season friendly in Australia just a week before England host France in a Euro 2025 qualifier.
The Gunners are facing an A League All Stars team on May 24 in Melbourne, just six days after the final game of the Women’s Super League season.
The match could be prove problematic for England, who are hosting France at St. James’ Park on May 31 as they bid to qualify for Euro 2025.
The Lionesses will then travel to France four day later for the reverse fixture in Saint-Etienne.
“I think with the calendar we have talked about that a lot – the windows, congested schedule – and those are a lot of challenges for the players, and for us too,” said Wiegman.
“So, we are now working towards the summer. We have had very good conversations with the clubs.
“I was surprised about that trip [Arsenal are doing]. The competition finishes at the end of May, then there is one week in between, and then we go into the international break.
“I think for all the players, with already the complicated calendar, it’s not good for them to go to the other side of the world.”
More of the same?
18:12 , Matt Verri
These two sides met in the semi-finals of Euro 2022, as England booked their place in the final.
Alessia Russo scored a very special goal, with the Lionesses in ruthless form.
A similar display tonight is just what Sarina Wiegman is looking for.
Stage is set!
18:03 , Matt Verri
All eyes on Wembley tonight – another huge crowd expected.
Standard Sport prediction
17:55 , Matt Verri
England will be confident of getting their campaign off to a strong start, even if Sweden are capable of testing them tonight.
Goals have not been a problem for the Lionesses – we’re backing them to come out on top in an entertaining encounter.
England to win, 3-1.
England team news
17:47 , Matt Verri
Leah Williamson is finally set to make her England comeback, a year on from here last Lionesses appearance.
The Arsenal star missed last summer’s World Cup after suffering a serious knee injury in April. Williamson had been due to return for England last month for friendlies against Austria and Italy, but she was forced to withdraw from the squad due to a hamstring strain.
Goalkeeper Khiara Keating has returned to Manchester City and been replaced in the squad by Southampton’s Kayla Rendell.
Manchester United’s Maya Le Tissier has missed out on the squad and instead her team-mate, Millie Turner, has got the nod.
There is still no place for Chelsea defender Millie Bright, who captained England at the World Cup last year, due to a knee injury.
How to watch England vs Sweden
17:39 , Matt Verri
TV channel: Tonight’s game will be broadcast live and free-to-air in the UK on ITV1. Coverage starts at 7:30pm BST ahead of an 8pm kick-off.
Live stream: The ITVX website and app, free with a subscription, will offer a live stream service online.
LIVE coverage: Follow all the action right here, with expert analysis from reporters Simon Collings and Dom Smith at Wembley.
Good evening!
17:31 , Matt Verri
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of England vs Sweden!
The Lionesses kick off their Euro 2025 qualifying campaign tonight, as they look to build towards Switzerland next summer, where they will be defending champions should they qualify as expected.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 8pm BST from Wembley!
[ad_2]
Source link
Медицина в Москве [url=http://backgroundsingapore.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=https://doktor77.ru/]http://danspine.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=https://doktor77.ru/[/url]