Women's EURO 2022 semi-finals: England vs Sweden match facts, stats, ones to watch

England vs Sweden: Head-to-head

• England take on Sweden in the first UEFA Women's EURO 2022 semi-final at Bramall Lane with the hosts aiming to defeat their opponents at a major tournament for the first time since 1984.
• Both sides were involved in late drama in their respective quarter-finals. England came from behind to beat Spain in Brighton & Hove on 20 July, Ella Toone levelling six minutes from time before Georgia Stanway's spectacular extra-time winner (96).
• Two days Sweden sealed their spot in the last four thanks to Linda Sembrant's close-range finish two minutes into added time against Belgium in Wigan & Leigh.
• The winners will take on Germany or France in the final at Wembley on 31 July.
• The nations are meeting for the first time since a third-place play-off at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, Sweden winning 2-1 via goals from Kosovare Asllani (11) and Sofia Jakobsson (22). Fran Kirby's response (31) was not enough for England.
• The Blågult have won the last two matches between the sides, also recording a 2-0 friendly victory in Rotherham on 11 November 2018 with Jakobsson hitting the tenth-minute opener – and are unbeaten in the last three.
• England's only success in their last five games against Sweden is a 4-0 friendly win in Hartlepool in August 2014; Kirby was among the Lionesses' scorers.
• This is the first Women's EURO fixture between the pair since a 1-1 group stage draw in Finland in 2009.
• Sweden have won three of the last four Women's EURO meetings between the sides, including a 3-2 extra-time semi-final victory in Norway in 1987, which was the last EURO knockout stage tie between these teams.
• England have managed only one win in their six EURO fixtures against Sweden; even then it proved in vain, a 1-0 second-leg victory in Luton in the second leg of the inaugural final in 1984 preceding a 4-3 defeat on penalties.
• England are aiming to become the third nation to win EURO on home soil since the group stage was introduced in 1997, after Germany (2001) and, last time out, the Netherlands under Sarina Wiegman.
• England have twice been beaten EURO finalists, losing that penalty shoot-out to Sweden following a two-legged tie in the inaugural tournament in 1984 (0-1 a, 1-0 h, 4-3 pens) before Hope Powell's team suffered an emphatic 6-2 defeat at the hands of Germany in the 2009 edition.
• Sweden are appearing at their 11th EURO, fewer only than Italy and Norway (both 12). Champions in 1984, the Blågult have reached the quarter-finals or better on each occasion, alternating between being eliminated in the semi-finals and the last eight since their most recent final appearance in 2001, when they lost in extra time to hosts Germany.
• Sweden sealed their spot at an eighth successive EURO by clinching first place in Group F, winning seven and drawing one of their eight fixtures, scoring 40 goals and conceding only two. Their only failure to record maximum points came with a 1-1 draw against eventual runners-up Iceland in Reykjavik in September 2020.
• England have been victorious in four of their last six knockout fixtures at this tournament, and seven of their 14 overall; all of those victories have been by a single-goal margin.
• The Lionesses have reached the last four in successive EURO tournaments; they lost in the last four of EURO 2017 to a Netherlands side coached by current Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman.
• England have lost three of their last four EURO semi-finals – the exception in that run is their 2-1 extra-time win against the Netherlands at the 2009 edition, Jill Scott scoring the 116th-minute decider.
• The Lionesses' only other semi-final success in this competition (W2 L3) came at the inaugural tournament in 1984, when they secured a 3-1 aggregate victory against Denmark (2-1 h, 1-0 a).
• Sweden have reached the EURO semi-finals for the ninth time; Germany – who will compete in the last four for the tenth occasion at EURO 2022 – are the only nation to have featured more.
• The Blågult have lost their last two EURO matches at this stage, and their only victory in their last four semi-finals at this tournament is a 1-0 defeat of Denmark at the 2001 edition.
• Sweden have been eliminated in four of their last six semi-final appearances; they also progressed 7-5 on aggregate in a two-legged tie against Norway in 1995 (3-4 a, 4-1 h).
• Sweden's record in their eight previous Women’s EURO semi-final ties is W4 L4.
• The Lionesses made history with their 14 goals en route to topping Group A at EURO 2022, setting a new record for the highest scorers in the group stage overtaking Germany's previous landmark of 11 in 2001. England won all three matches in their section for the second EURO tournament running, becoming the first side to do so in successive editions since Germany did so in 2001, 2005 and 2009.
• England have won eight of their last nine EURO matches, the exception the 2-1 semi-final defeat to Wiegman's Netherlands in 2017.
• The Lionesses have set a new national record for most goals at a UEFA EURO (16), surpassing their 12 in 2009. Only Germany (21 in 2009) have hit more at a single EURO edition.
• Their EURO 2022 campaign has increased England's best-ever unbeaten run to 18 games, all under Wiegman (W16 D2); they have scored 100 goals in that time, conceding just four.
• The Lionesses have kept 14 clean sheets in those 18 games under Wiegman.
• Sweden topped Group C with seven points, finishing first on goal difference ahead of the Netherlands.
• The Blågult have won their last three matches at EURO 2022 following a 1-1 Matchday 1 draw with the Oranje; they could record four successive Women's EURO victories for the first time.
• Sweden had managed just one win in their previous six EURO knockout matches prior to their 1-0 quarter-final success versus Belgium on 22 July. The Blågult have won just three of their last ten Women's EURO fixtures in the knockout rounds (L7).
• Both sides' only previous EURO penalty shoot-out came in this fixture; Sweden's 4-3 victory in the 1984 final second leg.

Ones to watch: England

Fran Kirby

• The 29-year-old scored the Lionesses' goal in the last meeting between these sides, Sweden's 2-1 win in the 2019 World Cup third-place play-off.
• Kirby made her senior England debut against the Blågult, getting the Lionesses' second goal in a 4-0 friendly victory in Hartlepool in August 2014.
• The attacker has supplied three assists at EURO 2022 – the joint-most in the group stage at this edition, along with Beth Mead and Sweden's Asllani.
• Her opener in the 5-0 Matchday 3 success against Northern Ireland at this tournament was England's 50th EURO finals goal.

Georgia Stanway

• The 23-year-old scored the extra-time winner in their quarter-final versus Spain, England's 100th goal since Wiegman took charge.
• The attacking midfielder's goal stretched England's winning streak to ten matches, a new national record.
• Stanway has scored seven times in nine outings for the Lionesses since the beginning of April.
• She signed a three-year deal to join Bayern München in May having won seven major honours in as many years with Manchester City.

Ellen White

• The 33-year-old scored the opening goal in England's eventual 4-1 friendly away defeat by Sweden in July 2013.
• White struck England's equaliser in their 2-1 semi-final loss to the United States at the 2019 World Cup.
• The forward's two goals against Norway on Matchday 2 took her international tally to 52, one behind Wayne Rooney's all-time England goalscoring record.
• The Manchester City striker has started 11 of England's last 12 EURO finals matches stretching back to 2013; she was an unused substitute in the Matchday 3 win against Portugal in 2017.

Ones to watch: Sweden

Kosovare Asllani

• The 32-year-old scored the opening goal in Sweden's last meeting with the Lionesses, that 2-1 victory at the 2019 World Cup.
• Asllani's quarter-final outing against Belgium was her 17th Sweden appearance at a Women's EURO, one behind Caroline Seger's national record (18).
• The forward spent just over a year with Women's Super League side Manchester City after joining in January 2016.
• The attacker was a team-mate of England's Lucy Bronze, Nikita Parris, Ellie Roebuck, Jill Scott, Georgia Stanway, Demi Stokes, Ella Toone and Keira Walsh in Manchester.

Hedvig Lindahl

• The 39-year-old made her Sweden debut in a 5-0 friendly victory against England in Spain in January 2002.
• Lindahl won her 100th Blågult cap in the 4-0 defeat by England at Hartlepool in August 2014.
• The goalkeeper played in every minute of Sweden's EURO 2005 campaign in England as they reached the semi-finals before losing in extra time to Norway in Warrington.
• She spent over four years with Women's Super League side Chelsea after joining in December 2014, winning two league titles and a pair of Women's FA Cups.

Linda Sembrant

• Sembrant made her Sweden debut as a substitute in the 2-0 friendly triumph against England in Cyprus in February 2008.
• The defender struck the added-time winner in the quarter-final victory against Belgium, becoming Sweden's oldest EURO scorer in the process aged 35 years 68 days.
• She played every minute for Sweden at EURO 2017 having missed the 2009 and 2013 editions due to injury.
• In May, the centre-back renewed her contract with Juventus until 2023, having won the Serie A title in all three seasons with the club plus the 2021/22 Coppa Italia.