Uefa Women'S Euros

Wiegman's side are seeking a third appearance in the final of this competition when they clash with the 1984 champions at Bramall Lane on Tuesday - and first since 2009.

Following their dramatic quarter-final victory over Spain, the Lionesses are now unbeaten in 18 matches, while Sweden have not lost since a 2-1 defeat by Denmark in March 2020.

The tournament hosts will also be aiming to avoid a fourth successive semi-final defeat in major competitions, having fallen at this stage of the 2017 European Championship as well as the World Cup in 2015 and 2019.

Meanwhile, Wiegman is looking to lift this trophy for the second time in as many editions, after guiding her native Netherlands to glory five years ago.

And Kirby, who has played in every match of England's run to the last four, believes the 52-year-old's previous experience of the big occasions will be hugely beneficial in the Lionesses' quest to avert further semi-final heartache.

"She's been there and done it; she's got to finals, she's won major finals," the forward said. "The best person to get us through is her.

"I think she'll come with a lot of experience and a lot of advice; she already has done leading into this tournament.

"For her, it's a case of doing what's normal because she's been to a few now. I'm sure we'll lean on her a little bit in order to get through it.

"First and foremost, she's a great coach; the way that she sees football, the way that she analyses other teams. 

"But I think her management of players sticks out for me and the way that she's made every person feel valued in this team - whether you're a starter, whether you're coming in as a sub, whether you don't get any minutes.

"I think everyone knows what their role is in the team and what they're there to do. They've taken that in their stride.

"I think that's a compliment to her in how people have managed themselves and made sure that when you're called upon, you're ready to go. It's not easy to do things like that when you've been sat on the bench.

"To make people still feel valued and feel hungry when they come on the pitch that they can change it, and they can help is a really special quality, and I think she has that."

Paris Saint-Germain's Grace Geyoro marked her 50th cap by becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in the first half of a Women's European Championship match, and France led 5-0 at the break in the Group D clash.

Geyoro spoke of it being "a great collective effort from the team", largely deflecting well-earned personal praise.

Diacre, whose squad selections faced scrutiny after she omitted France's record scorer Eugenie Le Sommer and Champions League player of the match Amandine Henry, was glad to reflect on a job well done.

She was asked whether it had been the kind of start that France anticipated.

"No, even though we wanted to get off to a strong start in the first match," Diacre said. "The players have done very well in their first game."

France have now won their opener in each of the last five Women's Euros tournaments. They were only the third side to score five or more goals in their opening game of an edition of the competition, after Norway in 1997 (5-0 v Denmark) and England in 2017 (6-0 v Scotland).

It was France's biggest win at the Euros in their history and means they have equalled a team-best run of 11 wins in competitive games.

Still, few were talking up France's chances heading into the tournament, with the likes of England, defending champions the Netherlands, and Spain getting the most attention. This was the kind of performance that might change a few minds.

There were aspects of France's display that were not quite as glorious as their all-action early raids on Italy's backline, with Diacre admitting the second-half display "was less good", albeit crediting the opposition, saying: "The Italians brought a little more."

She was told supporters had been chanting her name in Paris but said it was important to "stay vigilant... stay focused... stay humble".

Italy head coach Milena Bertolini said she felt her side were overly stretched in the first half.

"Maybe we thought we could play it evenly, but we are not on a par with France in terms of physique, technique and intensity," she said.

The Netherlands had won eight of their past nine games in the competition, a run that took them all the way to glory five years ago, but they were outclassed by France at the New York Stadium in Rotherham.

Dutch keeper Daphne van Domselaar produced a number of fine saves to frustrate Les Bleues, the best of which saw her deny Wendie Renard from the final act in normal time.

But France found a breakthrough in the 102nd minute through an Eve Perisset penalty, awarded following a VAR check after Dominique Janssen clearly brought down Kadidiatou Diani.

Van Domselaar got fingertips to the spot-kick but could not keep it out and the Netherlands, who eliminated France at this stage in 2009, were unable to find a leveller.

Corinne Diacre's side, who finished with an expected goals (xG) value of 4.45 to the Netherlands' 0.60, will now face Germany on Wednesday for a place in the final.

England and Sweden meet in the other semi-final on Tuesday, with the final set for July 31 at Wembley.

Corinne Diacre's France side are still through to the last eight as Group D winners, but missed the chance to go three wins from three in Rotherham on Monday.

Despite the loss of Marie-Antoinette Katoto to a knee injury, France seized a swift lead in the opening minute through Melvine Malard, with the PSG forward and Grace Geyoro also having goals disallowed.

That gave Iceland a modicum of hope to move into the last eight, but Dagny Brynjarsdottir's 102nd-minute penalty - after a lengthy VAR deliberation - proved to be too little, too late.

It was Belgium who advanced in Manchester thanks to a Tine De Caigny finish shortly after the interval, which sends them into the quarter-finals of a major tournament for the first time in their history.

They will make the short trip to Leigh, where they will face much-fancied Sweden on Friday, with France in Rotherham once again to do battle with the Netherlands on Saturday.

The 23-year-old scored in the opening 5-1 win against Italy but was forced out of Thursday's 2-1 victory over Belgium after sustaining a right knee problem early in the game.

Speaking after the game, France head coach Corinne Diacre said she believed Katoto's injury to be a sprain; however, tests on Friday showed it was significantly more serious.

Katoto has scored 26 goals in 32 internationals, and her form for club side Paris Saint-Germain marked her out as the team's most obvious match-winner.

She has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, pointing to a lengthy spell out of action for club and country.

A national team statement on the French Football Federation (FFF) website said: "Injured in the right knee, the striker of Les Bleues will not take part in the rest of Euro 2022 in England and will leave the group.

"Examinations carried out today confirm a sprained right knee with damage to the anterior cruciate ligament. She is made available to her club. The French women's team and the FFF wish her a good recovery."

Diacre left France's record scorer Eugenie Le Sommer out of her squad for the finals, which may come back to haunt the coach.

Already assured of a place in the quarter-finals, France conclude their group campaign against Iceland in Rotherham on Monday.

Corinne Diacre's French team have already made a colossal impact on the tournament in England, starting from when they smashed five goals past Italy in the first half of their opening group game.

That felt like a statement 45 minutes, a message to their rivals that this France team are different to those who have come before. Although France have not quite hit those swashbuckling heights since, they are through to their first Women's Euros semi-final, after falling in the quarters in each of the last three editions.

Coach Diacre made some tough choices for this tournament, omitting star forward Eugenie Le Sommer and Champions League player of the match Amandine Henry, and Les Bleues suffered a crushing blow when star striker Marie-Antoinette Katoto suffered an ACL injury during the group stages.

It became imperative that those players Diacre has trusted to perform delivered for the coach, and a 1-0 quarter-final win over the Netherlands, secured by Eve Perisset's extra-time penalty, took France further than they have ever gone before.

However, and here comes the kicker, each of the last four first-time semi-finalists fell at this hurdle: Spain (1997), Finland (2005), Netherlands (2009) and Austria (2017).

To boot, Germany have progressed from eight of their nine previous European Championship semi-finals, with the lone defeat coming in 1993 against Italy.

France will be up against it in Milton Keynes, with their opponents yet to concede a goal in these finals.

Germany might not be at their absolute pomp, but their next goal will be Die Nationalelf's 100th in European Championship football. No team has yet reached that landmark.

Germany look to turn back time

Germany's players do not need to look far to be served a reminder of their rich heritage in this tournament. Coach Martina Voss-Tecklenburg was a four-time European champion in her playing days, helping the national team to titles in 1989, 1991, 1995 and 1997.

A run of six consecutive European titles was ended with a shock quarter-final exit to Denmark five years ago, and Voss-Tecklenburg was hired in November 2018 to lead the team forward.

She played 125 games for her country, scoring 27 goals, and was twice Germany's footballer of the year.

Germany cannot rely on past glories once the whistle sounds on Wednesday, even if France will be aware of their opponents' illustrious history.

This is the third Women's Euros clash between Germany and France, and the previous two resoundingly went Germany's way: 3-0 in 2005 and 5-1 in 2009, both in the group stage.

There are players in Germany's 2022 squad looking to live up to the feats of stars gone by, and captain Alexandra Popp can become the first ever player to score in five consecutive appearances at the Women's Euros when she lines up against France. Her four goals so far put her outright second in the race for the Golden Boot ahead of the semi-finals getting under way, one behind England's Beth Mead.

Collectively, Germany have been solid and have yet to concede a goal after four games. Only Germany themselves have kept five or more consecutive clean sheets in the history of this tournament (seven in a row between 2001 and 2005).

French fancy a final flourish

The Wembley final beckons on Sunday, and France would dearly love to be involved in that showpiece. They have won two of their last three internationals against Germany (L1), most recently a 1-0 victory in a friendly in June 2021.

Germany won on penalties when these sides met in the 2015 World Cup quarter-finals, their last major tournament clash, but sufficient time has passed for that to have little bearing.

Diacre is expected to be rewarded with a new contract after this tournament, with French Football Federation president Noel Le Graet saying at the weekend it was important to put that on the backburner for now.

Le Graet said, quoted in L'Equipe: "The competition is not over. Decisions are made when it's all over. It is logical that we will discuss it again soon. I am very happy with Corinne and the progress that has been made. The players and Corinne are very motivated and good together."

If anything has been holding back France, it has been their finishing, which might be a surprise given how deadly they were in that opening 45 minutes against Italy.

Overall, they have had 94 goal attempts but scored just nine times, with their 9.6 per cent shot conversion rate the lowest of the four semi-finalists prior to the last-four games getting under way.

Curiously, France have scored eight of those nine goals in the first half of games, and the other came in the first half of extra time as they knocked out the Dutch, who were the reigning champions.

France were one of the stories of the opening round of fixtures, as they romped Italy 5-1 to get their tournament off to a brilliant start.

And they started their second game impressively too, going ahead after only six minutes when Kadidiatou Diani leaped highest at the back post to nod a Sakina Karchaoui cross into the back of the net.

However, the French were pegged back on 36 minutes with Belgium’s first shot of the match, when Janice Cayman poked a through ball from Tessa Wullaert past the oncoming Pauline Peyraud-Magnin.

Les Bleues had been completely dominant and did go into the break ahead, after Belgium failed to clear a corner. Clara Mateo whipped another delivery into the box, where Griedge Mbock Bathy was waiting to head home.

Corinne Diacre's team should have added a third heading into injury time, when a penalty was awarded for an Amber Tysiak handball. Tysiak received a second yellow card, but Wendie Renard's penalty was saved before she missed an open goal on the rebound.

Renard wasn't made to pay for her miss though, as France saw out the remaining minutes to clinch Group D and get them into the next round.

Italy and Iceland had never played each other at a Euros, and the former were desperate to put a humiliating 5-1 defeat to France in their tournament opener behind them.

Yet they found themselves behind just three minutes after kick-off, when a long throw into the box from Sveindis Jonsdottir wasn’t dealt with properly by the Italians. It sat up perfectly for Karolina Lea Vilhjalmsdottir, who rifled a half-volley into the top right corner to put Iceland 1-0 up.

Italy were arguably the better team in the remainder of the first half, but a number of good saves from Sandra Sigurdardottir maintained her side’s lead going into the interval.

That advantage would only last until the 62nd minute however. Barbara Bonansea came on at half-time, and it was her good work down the left-hand side that created the goal, as she drove to the byline before pulling the ball back for Valentina Bergamaschi. The Milan midfielder took it first time, and fired past Sigurdardottir to make it 1-1.

Bonansea herself hit the post on 73 minutes, when her dipping effort looked to be sneaking into the bottom corner until an important hand from Sigurdardottir tipped it onto the frame of the goal.

The two teams had chances to nick a winner late on, but neither could take them and they were forced to share the spoils as both still wait for their first win of the tournament.

Iceland sit second in Group D, while Italy remain bottom. Iceland will face France on Monday, knowing that a win will guarantee their place in the next stage of the competition. Italy and Belgium have one point each, and will both need to get a result before hoping France do them a favour if their competition is to continue.

Eight-time European champions Germany had already won the group before Saturday's clash in Milton Keynes, but there was no let-up from Martina Voss-Tecklenburg's impressive side.

Sophia Kleinherne headed Germany ahead shortly before the interval and Alexandra Popp doubled their lead early in the second half – the 31-year-old's third goal in as many games at the tournament.

Nicole Anyomi then made it 3-0 to Germany, who will face Austria at the Brentford Community Stadium on Thursday in the last eight.

Spain left it late to edge past Denmark at Brentford.

Marta Cardona headed in the 90th-minute winner to set up a quarter-final clash against in-form hosts England in Brighton on Wednesday.

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Geyoro, winning her 50th cap, became the first player in tournament history to score three times before half-time, with Les Bleues' five goals heading into the interval also a record.

In an explosive performance that only solidifies their credentials as one of the pre-tournament favourites, France extended their winning run to 15 games across all competitions to go top of Group D after the first round of fixtures.

Geyoro's opener in the ninth minute set the tone for a superb first half at New York Stadium, with Marie-Antoinette Katoto doubling the lead three minutes later, before Delphine Cascarino sparked a madcap stretch before the interval that saw her team-mate grab her second and then third.

Matters looked to have gone from bad to worse for Italy after captain Sara Gama was shown a red card in the 66th minute for a high, mistimed tackle on Geyoro, but the VAR recommended a pitchside review, which controversially saw the decision downgraded to a booking.

That kept a full contingent of players on to help seize a late consolation goal through substitute Martina Piemonte, but Milena Bertolini's side now face a serious test of their character to see how they respond to such an emphatic drubbing.

Next, they play Iceland, who drew 1-1 with Belgium in Manchester as Justine Vanhaevermaet converted a spot-kick and Berglind Thorvaldsdottir missed one.

Thorvaldsdottir did get on the scoresheet five minutes after half-time, having earlier seen a tame penalty saved by Nicky Evrard, but Vanhaevermaet struck from 12 yards to secure a share of the spoils for the Red Flames.

The Manchester City boss is recognised as a coach who encourages technical excellence, having been brought up through the Barcelona system and taken the teachings with him.

As head coach of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and latterly City, Guardiola has nurtured teams through innovation, looking for his players to produce a possession-based game.

There has been fluidity and intensity at the core of his teams, and the end result has been the emergence of some of football's most entertaining, highly skilled teams of the modern era.

He recognises excellence when he sees it, and Guardiola believes it is coursing through the women's game at present.

Sunday's final is set to be played in front of a full house at Wembley, with the tournament having already smashed previous European Championship attendance records.

"Well I think they deserve all the credit, women footballers around the world, how they rise, how they are doing incredibly good, so they deserve what they are getting," Guardiola said.

"Before, years ago, there was maybe not the media, maybe it was not being followed like it is, and it has happened because they are doing incredible things in the style, the way they play."

Given his previous Bayern allegiance, Guardiola is reluctant to pick a winner, even though a number of England's squad play for City's women's team, including Ellen White, Lauren Hemp and Keira Walsh.

Germany have won the Women's Euros eight times previously, while England have yet to be champions.

"Before, I was working in Germany, I want the best for both [teams]," said Guardiola, whose City team will face Liverpool in the Community Shield in Leicester on Saturday.

"Of course, we want a good final. England can play a good game, and it's a big success for both national teams to get to the final. Of course both will want to win it, at an incredible scenario at Wembley.

"I think the crowd will be completely full and hopefully they can enjoy a good game and the best team wins. Congratulations. It's so nice for England – arriving at the final is a big achievement."

Finland's Linda Sallstrom found the opener just 49 seconds into the contest with her right-foot strike back across the keeper into the bottom-left corner – but from that point on it was all Spain.

Spain controlled 79.3 per cent of the first-half possession, taking the game by the scruff of the neck, and they were rewarded with an equaliser in the 26th minute from Irene Paredes.

Aitana Bonmati gave Spain a 2-1 lead in the 41st with a header from near the penalty spot, their half-time advantage well deserved after completing 294 passes compared to just 47 from Finland in the first 45 minutes.

The second half was even more dominant, with Spain attempting 20 shots to Finland's one, racking up 2.42 expected goals in the process.

Their dominance paid dividends in the 75th minute when Lucia Garcia finally gave the seventh-ranked team in the world some breathing room, before Mariona Caldentey put the icing on the cake deep into stoppage time.

Germany then turned on the style in a 4-0 win over Denmark, with Lina Magull opening the scoring in the 21st minute after dispossessing one of the Danish defenders and powering her shot high into the top corner.

After striking the post twice in the first half, Germany opened the floodgates in the second.

Magull turned provider by assisting Lea Schuller to make it 2-0 in the 57th minute. It was the 24-year-old Schuller's 26th international goal from her 40th cap.

Lena Lattwein was brought off the bench in the 61st minute and got herself on the scoresheet 17 minutes later, getting on the end of a Lena Oberdorf assist to net Germany's third, before fellow substitute Alexandra Popp completed the rout in the 86th minute with a point-blank header from Sydney Lohmann's cross.

Germany and Spain's next fixture will be against each other on Tuesday, when Finland face Denmark.

Hegerberg had been absent from her national team since 2017 following a dispute with Norwegian football authorities over the disparity in pay between their male and female sides.

However, the maiden winner of the Ballon d'Or Feminin has returned to the fold for her country in the run-up to this year's Euros, scoring a hat-trick in her first game back during a 2023 Women's World Cup qualifier against Kosovo in April.

Hegerberg – a six-time Women's Champions League winner with Lyon – did not net in Norway's opening 4-1 win over Northern Ireland but was highly influential and did provide an assist.

She appears to represent the greatest threat to Wiegman's hosts England in their second group game on Monday, but the Lionesses manager would still rather have one of the world's best players involved.

Asked at her pre-match press conference if she would rather Hegerberg was not playing, Wiegman responded: "Absolutely not.

"I think every player from that level, you just hope to be in the tournament because it's so good for the women's game.

"You want all the best players in these tournaments because that helps the game.

"It's so nice to watch and that's our responsibility, too, all of us, to get the best players on the pitch, so people that come to watch the games see the best players."

In Hegerberg's five-year absence from the national team, Norway crashed out at the quarter-final stage of Euro 2017 against England.

Wiegman has not noted any change in Norway's approach for Hegerberg's return but acknowledges she makes the side much better.

"I don't think [Norway] have changed that much," she said. "I think [Hegerberg] is just a quality player that makes the level of the team higher.

"When you put another player in, she fills in her role a little differently than the other one who will play there, and she does a pretty good job."

Wiegman's switch to coach the Lionesses has served as a key sub-plot to the tournament, which will put women's football in the spotlight throughout July.

It gets under way when England play Austria at Old Trafford on Wednesday, women taking the spotlight in a year when the men's World Cup unusually takes place in November and December.

Almost 120,000 spectators attended games when England's north west staged Euro 2005; however, the overwhelming majority were either at games featuring England, or at the final between Germany and Norway at Blackburn Rovers' Ewood Park.

That meant some games were sparsely attended, with just 957 spectators seeing France beat Italy in the group stages in Preston. This time, with the tournament boosted from eight to 16 teams since England were last hosts, over 500,000 tickets have been sold, meaning near-empty stadiums should be a thing of the past.

Here, Stats Perform looks at what to expect from the 26-day finals.

German dominance gives way as rest of Europe catches up

Germany used to be the queens of the Women's Euros, but their crown has slipped. After winning six consecutive titles, the Germans fell short at Euro 2017 when they lost to eventual runners-up Denmark in the quarter-finals.

It was all rather end-of-an-era stuff, with the rise of professionalism across Europe's most powerful and forward-thinking footballing nations only likely to be further in evidence this year. Germany, of course, are included among those powerhouses, but they have plenty of company now at the top table.

The Dutch hosts roared to glory at Euro 2017, with Vivianne Miedema scoring twice in a 4-2 victory over the Danes in the final, having demolished Mark Sampson's England 3-0 to reach that stage. Miedema joined Arsenal shortly before that tournament and has become the Women's Super League's record scorer while with the Gunners, the defining player of the blossoming WSL.

This is a tournament that was first officially staged in 1984, with Sweden beating England on penalties in Luton after the teams finished tied on aggregate after home and away ties.

From the second staging in 1987 through to 1997, the tournament was staged every two years, with Norway triumphing in 1987 and 1993. Germany – and West Germany in 1989 – otherwise swept the board and continued to do so when it became a quadrennial championship.

The mighty Germans dismissed England 6-2 in the 2009 final in Helsinki, with a Lionesses team that included Alex Scott, Kelly Smith, Karen Carney, Eni Aluko, Fara Williams and Casey Stoney overwhelmed. Another survivor from that match, veteran midfielder Jill Scott, features in Wiegman's squad this year.

Mighty Spain top list of trophy contenders

Spain are favourites with the bookmakers, and what a team they are, built on classic foundations of players from Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. Their sensational midfielder Alexia Putellas could own this tournament, but the Spanish rise was checked by Barcelona's stunning defeat to Lyon in the Champions League final.

French outfit Lyon have been established titans of the women's game for years, but Barcelona looked to have surpassed them, winning all 30 of their Primera Division games last season in a display of their might. Yet on the biggest club stage of all, Barcelona, with their many Spain stars, were caught cold and slumped to a 3-1 loss.

That should give Spain's Euros rivals some hope, as should the blow that Spain suffered when star forward Jennifer Hermoso was ruled out by a knee injury.

There are plenty of credible challengers, with hosts England among them. Since Wiegman replaced Phil Neville, England have won every match under their new coach, including a 5-1 victory over the Netherlands at Elland Road in June, and they should be able to handle group games against Austria, Norway and Northern Ireland.

Expect the familiar European giants to contend. Women's football is gradually becoming big business, and the richest countries are building the best facilities and funding the game on a professional level, which is a far cry from how the game was a decade ago.

England go Dutch, Dutch go English, Scandinavians on a mission

France have left national team greats Amandine Henry and Eugenie Le Sommer out of their squad, so how they cope without that illustrious duo remains to be seen, while England are without long-standing former captain and defensive mainstay Steph Houghton, who was judged not fit enough by Wiegman after an injury lay-off.

The hosts have Barcelona's new recruit Lucy Bronze, another rock of their team for many years, while the likes of winger Lauren Hemp and strikers Ella Toone and Alessia Russo should announce themselves on the big stage. Not for the first time, England look forward-heavy, with question marks over their midfield strength. New captain Leah Williamson attended the last Euros as a fan, so this is a significant step up.

While England are coached by a Dutchwoman, the Netherlands are bossed by Englishman Mark Parsons, who had a long spell with the Portland Thorns before replacing Wiegman. The reigning champions are contenders again, given the presence of Miedema and the mercurial Lieke Martens, who has traded Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in the off-season. The thumping by England was a jolt, but don't read too much into that result.

Denmark's Pernille Harder and Norway's Ada Hegerberg are superstar strikers in teams that might cause a surprise, Sweden sit second in the FIFA rankings so rightly fancy their chances, and then you have Germany. The eight-time winners lack the star power of their rivals and must play Denmark and Spain in the group stage, but their squad is packed with experience, so count them out at your peril.

Two of the pre-tournament favourites faced off at Bramall Lane, and it was Sweden, unbeaten so far in 2022, who took a 1-0 lead into the break after a low Kosovare Asllani cross found Jonna Andersson to slot a 36th-minute opener.

The Netherlands defeated the Swedes in the semi-finals of the 2019 World Cup, and they equalised in the 52nd minute when a fortunate deflection ran into the path of Roord who fired into the bottom-left corner.

Sari van Veenendaal in the Netherlands goal was forced off due to injury in the first half, and substitute goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar made an important stop to deny Fridolina Rolfo a late winner.

Portugal came from two goals down to finish 2-2 with Switzerland in Leigh, in the day's other Group C game.

Switzerland had not won in six matches prior to their opener, including 4-0 and 7-0 thrashings from England and Germany respectively in their pre-tournament friendlies.

But their Euros campaign looked to be off to a flyer when a 25-yard shot from Coumba Sow and a powerful header from Rahel Kiwic put the Swiss 2-0 up after just five minutes.

Portugal had not had a shot on target by the time the referee blew the half-time whistle, and needed to improve if they were to find a way back.

They did exactly that and halved the deficit after 58 minutes when Diana Gomes met a corner from the left. Her initial header was saved, but she made no mistake with the rebound to make it 2-1.

The Portuguese then got themselves on level terms just seven minutes later, when a superb cross from Tatiana Pinto picked out Jessica Silva in the box, and she smartly side-footed into the bottom corner.

Both teams hit the woodwork late on in their pursuit for a winner, with Geraldine Reuteler and Telma Encarnacao the players going close.

In the next round of fixtures on Wednesday, the Netherlands play Portugal in Leigh as they look to get a foothold in Group C, while Switzerland and Sweden face off at Bramall Lane.

With Sweden's 33rd and final attempt of the match, Sembrant fired home to break the hearts of a Belgium side who were contesting their first knockout game in Women's European Championship history.

Peter Gerhardsson's side will now take on hosts England in the semi-finals in Sheffield on Tuesday.

Stina Blackstenius thought she had given Sweden the lead in the 25th minute, but her goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.

Belgium mustered just one attempt on goal in the first half and Sweden continued their domination after the interval, but Nicky Evrard's instinctive save kept Blackstenius' close-range header out in the 73rd minute.

The Scandinavian side finally found the breakthrough in the second added minute. Belgium failed to defend a corner and although Evrard saved Nathalie Bjorn's effort, Sembrant turned home on the follow-up.

The news emerged just 13 hours after Groenen played the full 90 minutes against Sweden in the Netherlands' opener, a 1-1 draw at Sheffield United's Bramall Lane stadium.

In a statement on Twitter, Oranje team officials stated: "Jackie Groenen has unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19 and will therefore be in isolation for the next few days. When she is free of complaints and tests negative, she can rejoin the selection."

After the draw with a Sweden team who are strongly fancied to advance alongside the Dutch to the quarter-final stage, the Netherlands play their next game against Portugal on Wednesday in Leigh, before returning to Bramall Lane next Sunday to tackle Switzerland.

Groenen plays club football for Manchester United, with the 27-year-old having played for the Women's Super League side since the 2019-20 season.

She became the team's first-ever overseas recruit, arriving following United's promotion to the English top flight.

Playing in front of a crowd of 68,871 at Old Trafford – a new record for a match in this competition – much-fancied England failed to sparkle but got the job done.

The decisive moment arrived in the 16th minute when Arsenal forward Mead controlled Fran Kirby's lofted pass and lifted the ball over club-mate Manuela Zinsberger.

Austria defender Carina Wenninger appeared to hook the ball off the line and against the crossbar, but goal-line technology awarded it to give the host nation lift-off.

England spent much of the game on top without extending their lead, which almost came back to haunt them when Mary Earps was called into action to deny Barbara Dunst.

The Lionesses, aiming to win their first major tournament, are now unbeaten in 15 matches and top Group A ahead of Northern Ireland's meeting with Norway on Thursday.

Miedema scored 14 goals in 22 Women's Super League appearances for runners-up Arsenal last season, a tally only bettered by Chelsea's Sam Kerr (20).

The 25-year-old, widely regarded as one of the best players in the women's game, has also netted an incredible 94 goals in 112 international appearances, making her the Netherlands' all-time leading scorer.

Miedema started her country's Euro 2022 opener on Saturday, a 1-1 draw with Sweden, but coronavirus will prevent her facing Portugal.

An update from the Oranje's Twitter account read: "Vivianne Miedema has unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19 and will therefore be in isolation for the next few days. 

"When she no longer has any symptoms and tests negative, she can re-join the selection."

Miedema has scored 11 goals for the Netherlands since head coach Mark Parsons took charge last year – no Dutch player has more – and netted four times as the side won the last edition of the Women's Euros in 2017, including a brace in a 4-2 final win over Denmark.

It remains unclear whether the Arsenal forward will be back in action by the time the Netherlands finish their Group C campaign against Switzerland at Bramall Lane on Sunday.

After a goalless first half, Spain snatched the lead in the 54th minute when Esther Gonzalez found space in the penalty area and finished low and hard across Mary Earps in the English goal.

With their tournament hanging in the balance, Ella Toone was subbed on with half an hour to play, and she proved to be the hero when she got on the end of Alessia Russo's squaring head to stab in the equalising volley from the edge of the six-yard box in the 84th minute.

Locked at 1-1, extra time was needed, and England made sure their fans would head home happy after Georgia Stanway found what would turn out to be the match-winner in the 96th minute, firing a rocket across the Spanish keeper into the top-left of the goal from well outside the penalty area.

Speaking to the media after the result, Bright talked about finding a different way to win, knowing it would be a very different contest than their recent drubbings of Northern Ireland (5-0) and Norway (8-0).

"It's all part of the game, and you're gonna come up against different challenges," she said. "Again, we knew that they were going to have a lot of the ball. 

"We were gonna have to find that different way of winning, and having been in games where, like I said, we scored a lot of goals. But it's about being clinical when you get those chances. I thought the players that were on and the players that came on did that excellently.

"I think, obviously, we were dealing with not having the ball a lot, and having to stay really tight defensively. Then knowing when we got the ball, it's how we use it, and how we can punish them and work towards their weaknesses.

"But yeah, it was just a matter of trying to rush a little bit without kind of turning it over and making mistakes, and obviously, we knew we had that pressure. 

"I think everyone is aware of the clock in the game and the score line. But yeah, I think for us, we stuck together as a team, knew what we needed to do, and executed it."

Bright also touched on the atmosphere inside Amex Stadium, saying they feel the pressure, but are "loving every minute".

"[It was] probably one of the biggest [nights of my career] to be honest," she said. "Just with it being our home Euros and, you know, having all the fans there and the atmosphere is incredible. 

"Everyone keeps talking about the pressure that's on us, but we embrace every moment, we're embracing the fans.

"There's always pressure in football at the highest level, so we've all dealt with that in the past, and yeah, we're just loving every minute."

La Roja beat Denmark 1-0 at the Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday through a late Marta Cardona goal to set up a last-eight showdown with a much-fancied England side on Wednesday.

England won all three of their group matches, scoring 14 times and conceding none, while they have netted at an average of 5.8 goals per game in their 17 matches under Sarina Wiegman (98 goals in total).

Just as remarkably, the Lionesses have conceded just three goals across those 17 games under Wiegman and never more than once in a single contest, keeping 14 clean sheets in the process.

Spain are ranked one place above England in the latest FIFA rankings, however, and Bonmati does not see any reason for her side to fear the rampant hosts in Brighton next week.

"It's motivating," said Bonmati, who plies her club trade for Barcelona. "I'm not scared and I think my team-mates aren't scared either.

"We played against England in the Arnold Clark Cup. We know that they are a good team and they have had many good performances.

"We have seen their three group games and they did very well. But we think we can beat them if we improve our style and play better [than against Denmark]."

England and Spain have faced each other on 15 previous occasions, with the Lionesses (six) winning twice as many games as La Roja (three) across all their meetings.

However, Spain are unbeaten in the past two of those meetings, beating England 1-0 in the SheBelieves Cup in 2020 (1-0) and drawing 0-0 against them in the Arnold Clark Cup in February. 

Only once previously have Spain gone three in a row without defeat against England, doing so between 1993 and 1996 (four games).

Echoing the views of team-mate Bonmati, Ona Batlle is optimistic of advancing to the semi-finals, where a showdown with one of Sweden or the Netherlands may await.

"We've seen a lot of their games and I think they play really well, really good. They have a really good squad and it is not just the starting players. Everyone there is a good player," she said.

"They are very strong and they are playing in England, so they have that [home advantage]. But that's going to be a boost for us because we know everything [about them] and we are ready for them. I think we can do it."