Players from England and Sweden commend each other despite backlash over the penalty shootout

England's 3-2 shootout win against Sweden, which earned the defending champions a spot in the Euro 2025 semi-finals, included missed attempts and saves from both goalkeepers.

However, with England missing four and Sweden failing on five of their seven attempts, the players faced significant online backlash.

"For anyone to step up, it takes a lot, so we should applaud anyone who takes a penalty in those moments," England forward Alessia Russo stated.

After what was termed on the BBC website as the "greatest and worst shootout of all time," Sweden defender Smilla Holmberg received support, not condemnation, from players on both teams after missing the crucial kick.

"(We told her) that she should feel proud, that she is courageous, that she has had a fantastic championship, and that she is remarkable," an emotional Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk informed reporters.

The paltry 36% conversion rate marked the lowest combined penalty shootout success rate in UEFA Women's Euro history, according to ESPN; the only other instance below 50% was the 2017 semi-final between Denmark and Austria (43%).

Nonetheless, former Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl, who faced a similar 3-2 shootout loss in the 2021 Olympic final against Canada, told Reuters on Friday that Falk and England's keeper Hannah Hampton merited recognition in the shootout.

"We must acknowledge the goalkeepers who truly owned that moment last night ... with each save that Falk executed, she gained respect from the penalty-takers, and so did Hampton," she remarked after Falk made four saves compared to Hampton's two.

"Consider Magda Eriksson's penalty - it's not a poor penalty just because she hit the crossbar. That occurred because she aimed for a tighter margin against Hampton in goal, placing it closer to the post than she typically would. That reflects good goalkeeping," Lindahl clarified.

The shootout faced harsh criticism from fans on social media, with many using it to argue against the women's game.

Research has indicated, however, that the conversion rates in penalty shootouts are comparable between women and men, with both achieving success rates around 75 to 80%.

Lucy Bronze successfully converted her first-ever penalty for England - and her team's decisive shot - despite dealing with hamstring tightness, delivering a strike that reached 102.51 kph, the third-fastest goal of the tournament thus far.