da apostaganha： The Barcelona defender failed to check her shoulder and club-mate Fridolina Rolfo took advantage to ensure the spoils were shared at Wembley
da bet nacional： A Lucy Bronze error cost England a perfect start to their European title defence on Friday night as the Lionesses were held to a 1-1 draw by Sweden in a flat start to their 2025 UEFA Women's Euro qualifying campaign. Alessia Russo gave Sarina Wiegman's side the lead in the first half but Fridolina Rolfo levelled things up just past the hour as the spoils were shared.
The Lionesses took some time to get going and it was Rolfo who came closest to opening the scoring after a mis-hit pass by her Barcelona team-mate, Keira Walsh, but Mary Earps was able to watch the Swede's left-footed shot fly wide. It was a chance that seemed to wake England up, as just minutes later Lauren James showcased her magical footwork before delivering a cross right onto the head of Russo, who couldn't miss.
Having started strong, Sweden regained control of the game in the second half and they got their reward when Bronze failed to check her shoulder and Rolfo was there waiting to convert a great cross from Rosa Kafaji, the 20-year-old starlet who had barely been on the pitch a minute when she created the equaliser.
Both teams had chances to win the game, none bigger than when Stina Blackstenius found herself one-on-one with Earps but somehow missed the target. England saved their brightest moments for late on as Lauren Hemp and Beth Mead both tested Jennifer Falk but couldn't beat the Sweden goalkeeper. A draw was probably a fair result in the end, with both sides in need of improvement.
GOAL rates England's players from Wembley Stadium…
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Mary Earps (6/10):
Didn't have anything to do except pick the ball out of her own net.
Lucy Bronze (4/10):
Should've been aware of Rolfo behind her for Sweden's equaliser.
Lotte Wubben-Moy (6/10):
Came up with some big defensive interventions in a good first half, though her level dropped in the second.
Alex Greenwood (5/10):
Despite some notable contributions, another who was shaky at times in a vulnerable looking defence.
Niamh Charles (6/10):
Struggled for support and was regularly under pressure. Given those circumstances, she did well.
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Keira Walsh (6/10):
Mis-hit pass gave Rolfo a great chance to open the scoring. Was near-faultless on the ball after that, without doing anything spectacular.
Georgia Stanway (5/10):
Struggled to get involved, really. Her and Clinton were almost too similar in the midfield at times.
Grace Clinton (5/10):
Picked up the ball in some decent areas in the final third but couldn't make the most of those opportunities.
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Lauren Hemp (7/10):
Struggled to get involved on the right but was much brighter down her usual left. Tracked back well more often than not.
Alessia Russo (7/10):
Good movement between the defenders to get on the end of James' ball to put England ahead. Only real chance she had and she took it.
Lauren James (6/10):
Lovely run and cross for Russo to break the deadlock. Should've helped her defence out a lot more than she did.
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Ella Toone (5/10):
Came on for more than half an hour but did so when Sweden were taking control and struggled to make an impact as a result. Did her defensive duties well.
Beth Mead (5/10):
Had over 20 minutes to make her mark but only notable involvement was a late effort that was saved by Falk.
Chloe Kelly (N/A):
Only on for the final 10 minutes or so and wasn't able to contribute much in that time.
Jess Carter (N/A):
Came on at left-back for the final stages.
Sarina Wiegman (6/10):
Decision to switch James and Hemp around around midway through the first half paid dividends immediately when James teed up Russo to score. Line-up lacked pace, midfield didn't have any real spark and the subs couldn't change the game, either.