The group stages showed the best and the worst of England as France exploited their defensive frailties and kicked them into gear for the remaining two matches.
Bruised by their opening defeat, the Lionesses vowed to do their talking on the pitch – and they did.
Emphatic victories against the Netherlands and Wales followed as they finished runners-up in the group, avoiding a heavyweight quarter-final tie with Germany in the process, and a potential meeting with world champions Spain or hosts Switzerland in the semi-finals.
Where they finished in the group did not concern manager Sarina Wiegman – outwardly at least – but she was pleased with the “urgency” that the France loss gave them.
“That really brought us together and everyone really wanted to perform and be successful,” she said.
“In the Netherlands game, we really created urgency and momentum by playing really well and to our strengths.
“With that loss, the urgency came and I think the team really responded well. Now hopefully we can show that again against Sweden.”
England were dominant in their wins over the Netherlands and Wales, scoring 10 goals in the process, and displaying some of their best free-flowing football.
Lauren James stood out with her individual quality, Ella Toone proved her worth in the starting XI and Alessia Russo was the glue up top.
“It doesn’t seem it at the time but [losing to France] was probably the best thing that could have happened to us as a team and it motivated us,” said England forward Beth Mead.
“We had hard conversations, we figured things out. You don’t win or lose a tournament in the first game.
“Now we are in a position where we are building quite nicely.”
Midfielder Keira Walsh said their “slow start” may have “kicked them into gear” but they found confidence and bravery that had been lacking in Zurich.
It would have been a huge disappointment had England failed to qualify for the knockout stages but having progressed from the toughest group in the tournament, Georgia Stanway said it was something worth celebrating.
“There have been many days in this tournament where we could have been going home. To be staying a few more days is something we can be proud of,” she added.
About The Author
