Penalties and Goalkeeper Heroics: What Stood Out And What's Next At Euro 2025

Four teams are left standing in the UEFA 2025 Women's Euros. That means two juicy semifinal matches this week before Sunday's grand finale. 

But before we get into that, let's talk about that dramatic quarterfinal round. Reigning champions England won in a wild penalty shootout over Sweden. Germany somehow made it past France (also on PKs) with only 10 players. Spain is marching on after ousting hosts Switzerland, and Italy's renaissance continues after beating Norway for its first semifinal since 1997.

Here's what stood out from those matches and what's ahead for semifinals:

The story of the quarterfinals was the bizarre outcomes from penalty kicks across several matches. For starters, the shootout between England and Sweden was one of the wildest we’ve ever seen, with 14 spot-kicks taken to decide the winner. 

Sweden led the game 2-0 almost from the start, scoring goals in the second and 25th minutes, before the Lionesses scored consecutive goals in the waning moments of regulation to force extra time. With both sides unable to find the back of the net again, the game came down to PKs, which could arguably be described as the most painful/emotional/shocking shootout in history.

Five were scored, six were saved and three were missed. England ultimately advanced with a 3-2 victory, the game-winner coming from Lucy Bronze, which was followed by Smila Homberg’s shot sailing over the crossbar. It was also the first time in the history of the Women’s Euros that a team came back from a two-goal deficit to win a knockout match.

It wasn't the only game where penalties were a factor. Norway’s Ada Hegerberg missed a penalty in the second half that could have shifted momentum before her team was ultimately defeated by Italy.