England beats Sweden on penalties to reach Euro 2025 semifinals after dramatic comeback

ZURICH (AP) — With 12 minutes remaining, defending champion England was heading out of the Women's European Championship.

But then the Lionesses came roaring back. Two quick goals saw them stage an improbable comeback to draw 2-2 against Sweden and then win a penalty shootout to advance to the semifinals.

“Very hyper, still very emotional, I think lots of adrenaline still in my body, I mean,” England coach Sarina Wiegman said, who added that it was the most chaotic match that she had ever been part of. “I can’t remember anything like this.

“I think that’s a quality that’s so strong from this team, that together they’re fighting back and not playing well, but sticking together, that shows so much resilience.”

The shootout featured some terrible attempts — nine misses in all — before England triumphed 3-2 with 18-year-old Smilla Holmberg missing the last one after Lucy Bronze had powerfully dispatched hers for the Lionesses.

“Stressful. Stressful watching, stressful playing,” England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton told British broadcaster the BBC when asked about the shootout.

“Every time I saved one I was thinking ‘please just put it in so we have a bit of a cushion.’ Their keeper then just went and saved the next one and I was thinking ’oh goodness, here we go.'”

England would have been thankful to get to penalties, however, as its earliest exit from a major tournament in more than a decade loomed before goals from Bronze and teenage substitute Michelle Agyemang took the match to extra time.

It is the first time in the history of the Women’s Euros that a team has fought back from two goals down in a knockout match.

“Today I thought three times we were out," Wiegman said. "And then when you miss so many penalties then I was really conscious ‘OK now it’s done’ and then they missed again.

“So that needs a little bit of luck of course that they then missed, for them of course the most horrible way to go out of the tournament and for us maybe even more exciting.”

England will face Italy in a semifinal in Geneva on Tuesday.

Sweden had topped its group with maximum points after three wins, including a memorable 4-1 victory over Germany last time out, and it started where it left off in Zurich.

England appeared on the back foot from the off and as they tried to play it out from the back a pass rebounded off Filippa Angeldahl and came to Stina Blackstenius, who teed up a completely unmarked Kosovare Asllani to slot into the bottom left corner.

The goal was timed at 1 minute, 46 seconds.

Sweden was finding space on the right flank and exploited it again to double its lead. Blackstenius raced onto Julia Zigiotti Olme’s pass and held off Jess Carter as she surged into the area and calmly dispatched the ball into the far bottom corner.

Hampton pulled off fine saves to deny Fridolina Rolfö and Blackstenius and keep England in the game and that proved crucial.

Chloe Kelly was brought on in the 78th minute and she had an immediate impact as she whipped in a cross from the left for Bronze to head in at the back post.

And another precise cross two minutes later was nodded down for fellow substitute Agyemang to head in the equalizer.

It was the 19-year-old’s second goal for England in her third appearance.

There were few real chances in extra time, meaning that penalties would be needed to separate the sides.

Both Sweden and England had won their last penalty shootouts, in the round of 16 at the 2023 World Cup.

Four players from each team missed their spot kicks before Bronze scored hers and Holmberg blazed hers over. Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk managed to save four penalties but blasted her own attempt over the bar.

It evened the teams' records in penalty shootouts at the Euros — the only other time either team had faced one was against each other in the 1984 final, which Sweden won.

"All analysis feels fairly pointless right now, right now it’s melancholy. You feel a certain sadness that it turned out this way,” said Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson, who is leaving after eight years in charge that saw him lead the team to two World Cup semifinals, a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics and the Euro 2022 semifinals.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

England's Lucy Bronze scores a penalty past Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk during a shootout of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Sweden's Smilla Holmberg, 3rd left, is conforted by her teammates after missing the decisive penalty in a penalty shootout at the end of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

England players run to England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton celebrating after winning a penalty shootout at the end of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

England's Lucy Bronze scores a penalty during a shootout of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

England's Lucy Bronze celebrates after scoring a penalty during a shootout of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Sweden's Kosovare Asllani, right, and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, center, celebrate beside England's Jess Carter, left, after Asllani scored the opening goal during the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP)

England's Michelle Agyemang celebrates after scoring her side's second goal during the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

England's Michelle Agyemang, right, celebrates with Lauren James after scoring their second goal during the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP)

England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton celebrates during a penalty shootout at the end of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

England's Lucy Bronze scores a penalty past Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk during a shootout of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Sweden's Smilla Holmberg, 3rd left, is conforted by her teammates after missing the decisive penalty in a penalty shootout at the end of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

England players run to England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton celebrating after winning a penalty shootout at the end of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

England's Lucy Bronze scores a penalty during a shootout of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

England's Lucy Bronze celebrates after scoring a penalty during a shootout of the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Sweden's Kosovare Asllani, right, and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd, center, celebrate beside England's Jess Carter, left, after Asllani scored the opening goal during the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP)

England's Michelle Agyemang celebrates after scoring her side's second goal during the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

England's Michelle Agyemang, right, celebrates with Lauren James after scoring their second goal during the Women's Euro 2025 quarterfinals soccer match between Sweden and England at Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich, Switzerland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. (Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Alison Lee seized a share of the lead at the 81st U.S. Women's Open on Friday with a second-round 68 in her native Los Angeles area, joining Ruoning Yin at 4-under 138 atop a crowded leaderboard at Riviera.

World No. 1 Nelly Korda jumped into the hunt for her first Women’s Open title by shooting the day’s lowest round at 67, leaving her just two shots back after struggling Thursday.

Opening-round leader Jennifer Kupcho, Sei Young Kim and Mexico's Gaby Lopez were in a group of six at 3-under 139, while Korda and three others were at 140.

The venerable course at this 100-year-old country club is hosting its first U.S. Women’s Open, and it remained unforgiving for the world’s best. Only two players managed a bogey-free round Friday — including China's Yin, who semi-jokingly called Riviera “passive aggressive" despite being the only player in the field to shoot two sub-70 rounds so far.

“I love it,” Yin said. “I always say that the more difficult (the course), the better.”

Yin carded her second straight 69 in the same city where she earned her first LPGA Tour victory in 2023, a couple of months before she won the Women’s PGA Championship. She tied for fourth at last year's U.S. Open at Erin Hills.

Lee played under par for the second straight day at Riviera, highlighted by back-to-back birdies just before the turn. The new mother’s first two rounds are an extension of a strong start to the season that includes a third-place finish at the Mizuho Americas Open four weeks ago.

“To win in basically my backyard, where I grew up, would be super cool,” Lee said. I don’t want to get ahead of myself ... but if you’d told me I would be in this spot at the beginning of the week, I probably would have started crying.”

The 31-year-old Lee grew up in suburban Valencia and had a stellar junior career before playing at UCLA and embarking on her pro career. She is a two-time Solheim Cup participant, but she has yet to win on the LPGA Tour while managing just two top-10 finishes at 44 majors.

“I'm not going to lie, it’s been very tough,” Lee said. “I’ve gone through a few stages, a few slumps, if you want to call it, in my career, even since I was like 15 years old. ... no matter what I did, no matter how much I practiced, it just wasn’t going my way.”

Lee then took most of last year off for the birth of her son, Levi. While she says her sleep rhythms are regularly interrupted by her 13-month-old these days, her parents and extended family in Valencia have relieved some of the burden during the Open.

Levi was in attendance for Friday's round, but Lee's partner only brought him out to watch the 18th hole because the youngster has a tendency to get excited: He yelled “Ball!” during his mom's backswing at The Chevron Championship earlier this year.

With family around her, Lee is finally having the moment she had long anticipated.

“I feel like I’ve definitely underachieved what I could have done out here on tour,” Lee said. “It’s definitely been really frustrating. I’m at a point now where I’ve truly accepted it, but like I said, that’s part of why I want to come back and play. I feel like I was so close so many times.”

Kim was one shot behind Kupcho after the opening round, and she was thrust into the lead early in the second despite shooting 1 over on the front nine. She bogeyed the 18th to drop her share of the lead in one of the day's final groups.

Kupcho scuffled to a second-round 73 after carding the only 66 of the tournament so far on Thursday.

Among the players who missed the 36-hole cut were world No. 3 Hyo Joo Kim, three-time major champion Lydia Ko, five-time major champion Yani Tseng and Michelle Wie West, who largely left golf in 2023.

The 36-year-old Wie West returned to competition last month at the Mizuho Americas Open, but she isn't currently planning to play beyond this U.S. Open.

She shot 7 over at Riviera — the former club of her late father-in-law, Lakers icon Jerry West — after using the final year of her exemption from winning the 2014 U.S. Open. Her husband, Jonnie West, was her caddie.

“Obviously, I would be lying to say I wasn’t disappointed,” Wie West said. “I would have loved to have made the cut today, but I had a blast, honestly, playing here at Riv. Such a special week to have played it, and to have family, friends, a lot of familiar faces coming out. It was a lot of fun. I hit some good shots, hit some good putts and kind of felt that feeling again, which is awesome.”

AP golf: https://apnews.com/golf

Hyunjo Yoo, of South Korea, walks on the third hole during the second round of the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament Friday, June 5, 2026, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Nelly Korda hits off the 13th tee during the second round of the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament Friday, June 5, 2026, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Sei Young Kim, of South Korea, hits of the 13th tee during the second round of the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament Friday, June 5, 2026, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

Ruoning Yin, of China, talks with her caddie on the sixth hole during the second round of the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament Friday, June 5, 2026, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Alison Lee hits off the 11th tee during the second round of the U.S. Women's Open golf tournament Friday, June 5, 2026, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)