England downs Spain 2-1 in Euro 2022 quarterfinal thriller

A thunderous winner from Georgia Stanway sent England to the Euro 2022 semis

England and Spain produced a thriller in the quarterfinals of Euro 2022, with England winning 2-1 after extra time at a packed Falmer Stadium on Wednesday.

Spain dominated much of the first half, testing England goalkeeper Mary Earps, but had a sigh of relief in the final seconds of the first half. Ellen White’s goal just before halftime was called back, with multiple England players narrowly offside.

However, early in the second half, Spain took the lead after some wonderful work from Athenea del Castillo. The Real Madrid attacker nutmegged Rachel Daly before teeing her club teammate Esther González up to finish from eight yards out.

With the backing of a vociferous crowd in Brighton, England began to grow desperate, even throwing center back Millie Bright forward as an auxiliary forward for the final minutes. That direct approach paid off in the 84th minute, with Lauren Hemp chipping a ball to the back post for Alessia Russo. The Manchester United striker fought off two defenders to nod the ball down for Ella Toone to stab home the equalizer.

With the momentum in their favor to start extra time, England were flying forward, and Georgia Stanway charged forward to send a thunderbolt past Sandra Paños in the 95th minute to give the Three Lionesses a stunning lead.

Spain, showing signs of an old habit of being too easily thrown out of their stride, never truly mounted a push for a late winner until the very final minutes. However, even with Paños coming up for a stoppage time corner, England’s resolve held, sending the hosts through after an absorbing 120 minutes.

England will face the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal between Sweden and Belgium in a semifinal on Monday, July 26.

Enjoy Georgia Stanway’s wonder goal

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