Our 3️⃣ points as Sweden beat Belgium at the death | OneFootball

Belgium may have held firm for over 90 minutes on Friday evening but in the end, the waves of Swedish attack found a way through as they move on to the Euro 2022 semi-finals.

Here’s what we made of it.

Sweden leave it later than anyone else (sort of)

As the clock ticked into added time and we prepared ourselves for another 30 minutes of stunning Belgian defending, Sweden finally found their breakthrough.

The goal had been coming since the early exchanges of the game (yes, we will talk about that Nicky Evrard performance in just a second) but the way Belgium defended had everyone believing.

In fact, Sweden had 33 shots on the night and it was the 33rd, Linda Sembrant’s effort as she latched onto a loose ball in the box that sealed it.

It was also the first time that a knockout game in the UEFA Women’s Euros has been won in stoppage time.

Drama at the death – what more can you ask for?

Every team needs an Evrard

Rarely does a neutral come out of a game feeling so gutted for the losing side. But that’s the joy of witnessing the sheer brilliance of an individual masterclass.

Nicky Evrard in the Belgian goal had to be on top of her game from the first exchanges when Filippa Angeldahl tested her with a stunning strike from range.

Although the saves became less frequent after the break, the way Evrard denied Stina Blackstenius point blank effort seemed indicative of the kind of night she was having, and made every Beligan fan believe they could get something.

Sweden fired 33 shots at her goal, 10 of which were on target and had an xG of 3.6 but needed a loose ball five yards from goal in the dying minutes to beat the Genk number one (who had just saved another point-blank effort).

‘Player of the Match’ may feel very irrelevant to the 27-year-old this evening, but she will soon be able to reflect on what was one of the Euro’s best performances between the sticks.

Mouth-watering semi-final match-up awaits

Having come from behind to beat Spain in dramatic fashion earlier this week, Sweden’s semi-final opponents England have proven they know what it takes to remain in games.

Although it took a few matches for them to find their groove, Sweden have dominated their last two opponents and emerged deserved winners.

Their next game, however, will be their biggest challenge since the opening day fixture against the Netherlands. England are a team not only full of talent but, as they showed the other night, full of reslience also.

Although they aren’t one-dimensional by any means, their stature (literally, physical stature) has played an important role as, through set-pieces, they create the most dangerous chances.

A tough test to come for Sarina Wiegman’s side, but what a match-up its set to be.