No more surprises, Women’s Euro semi-finals full of favourites

It was decided in the end of the matches, two quarterfinals went to overtime, so the playoffs of the Women’s Euro were definitely not boring. The semi-finals remained forbidden to the underdogs, the Belgian and Austrian women were outclassed by the quality of their opponents despite their fierce performances. The reigning European champions from the Netherlands are also out.

England, Sweden, Germany and France are the top four teams at the European Women’s Football Championship. It’s only a step to Wembley in London for the final on 31 July, which has been sold out since the tournament began.

The quarter-finals kicked off with a showdown between hosts England and Spain, and the “Lionesses” went all out against the pre-tournament favourites. The Spaniards outplayed them from the start, were better in all game situations and went into a deserved lead after less than an hour of play.

But the Albion representatives showed the tremendous strength of their team. With six minutes to go, Ella Toone levelled the scores and the scalded Spaniards were finished off by Georgia Stanway in the sixth minute of extra time.

The Iberian players were unable to take advantage of the game’s superiority – they held the ball 62% of the time in extra time – and bid farewell to the tournament. The English women, on the other hand, are still nurturing their chances for the domestic continental title.

The spectators also saw the entire 120 minutes in the match between France and the Netherlands, with the reigning world and European champions conceding just one goal each. In the 102nd minute, midfielder Dominque Janssen was clumsy and tripped striker Kadidiatou Diani in the whitewash. Eve Perisset handled the penalty to help France overcome the quarter-final curse.

It is the first time in history that the women of the Gallic cockerel country will be among the top four teams in Europe. The Dutch confirmed their retreat from the pinnacle of women’s football, which they climbed to 12 years ago, with an underwhelming performance.

The proud defiance of the outsiders was not enough to advance

The Austrians caused a stir in the group stage when they unexpectedly advanced past the strong Norwegians. The Germans, however, were already beyond their strength. A defensive line-up did not help Austria and when they scored after 25 minutes, their chances of progression were more or less theoretical.

They only scored three times in the group, so two goals against a strong German side was a utopia for a defensive-minded team. The Austrians produced only one shot on target, and the Germans added a second goal in the 90th minute to secure their promotion to the top four.

But despite the elimination, Austria was a pleasant surprise and proved that the gap between the women’s national teams is continuously narrowing and no one has their way in big tournaments anymore.

Belgium eventually advanced out of a tangled Group D with France and faced the top-ranked selection from Sweden in the quarter-finals. Why their quarter-final appearance was a surprise unfortunately became fully apparent in the match.

The Swedes outplayed their opponents 34:3, the Belgians missed the target between the three posts, but the Northerners waited for a goal until the very end. Juventus’ experienced striker Linda Sembrant kept the winning goal until the second minute of stoppage time, when she found a hole in the Belgian wall after a shot.

England will face Sweden at Wembley and there is optimism about the chances of reaching the final in the Islands. What is certain is that a possible final with England in it would be a match with a special intensity.

The other semi-final will be played between Germany and France, and in men’s football England have a certain rivalry with both countries. Whether we will see a more thrilling final, perhaps this time with a home celebration, we will find out on 26 and 27 July.

Schedule:

SF1 26 July 21:00 England – Sweden (Bramall Lane, Sheffield)

SF2 27.7. 21:00 Germany – France (Stadium MK, Milton Keynes)

Final 31.7. 18::00 (Wembley, London)

Source: UEFA