July 16 – England captain Leah Williamson said there needs to be a greater recognition of the quality of their quarter-final opponents Sweden, who she said were a “relentless” team at major tournaments.
The Swedish had flown under the radar at Euro 2025 until they demolished Germany 4-1 to claim top spot in Group C with a perfect record. They came from behind to defeat one of the tournament favourites who had Carlotta Wamser dismissed in the first half. It was a statement win that left Williamson reflecting.
“Sweden’s previous results of tournament are incredible,” said England captain Leah Williamson. “They’re relentless when it comes to tournament football.
“Maybe disrespectful is too strong a word, but I do think they deserve a little bit more recognition,” Williamson continued.
“When you have a team who work for each other like Sweden, then you don’t need to necessarily have a crazy standout threat because everyone plays their roles.
“They are hard to prepare for in that sense. The discipline for them all to complete their jobs on the pitch makes them a dangerous side.”
Sweden won bronze at the previous two World Cups and reached the semi-finals of Euro 2022 when England were too strong, beating them 4-0. Alongside England and France, they are the only country to have reached the last eight in all five major tournaments since 2017.
Williamson will be facing her Arsenal colleague Stina Blackstenius who was on target against Germany. The Swedish striker also scored the winning goal for Arsenal in the Champions League final. “Stina is an incredibly powerful footballer,” said Williamson. “She’s very intelligent with her run. She is hard to play against in that respect.”
“We were celebrating her success at Arsenal – but not so much now! She’s a great player and she has been for many years now. Her experience speaks for itself.”
Williamson also spoke of her journey as England captain. She was part of the 2022 team that won the European championship on home soil, setting a new benchmark for the Lionesses. She admitted that the role took some adjusting.
She explained: “I lead from within, and that’s my style.”
“Sometimes you have to be a bit more engaged and deal with things when they’re actually happening. Maybe it’s that development of just trying to recognise moments where it would be beneficial to act rather trying to step back from the spotlight as much as possible.”
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