Ella Toone issued a warning to Englandâs quarter-final opponents Sweden following an emphatic 6-1 win over Wales on Sunday, where the midfielder was on the scoresheet for a second successive game.
Georgia Stanway, Toone, Lauren Hemp, Alessia Russo, Beth Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones were all on target for England, who finished Group D runners-up to France after their 5-2 victory over the Netherlands.
âThey should be scared,â Toone said, speaking to ITV Sport as England ensured qualification from the toughest quartet in the tournament.
âItâs going to be a difficult game,â she continued stood next to team-mate Russo. âWe watched Sweden the other night, and they were really good â a very good counter-attacking team. We just need to be on our best game. We have been these past couple of games.â
Toone celebrates scoring Englandâs second goal against Wales
Sweden, who won all three of their games to top Group C, came from behind with a four-goal haul to beat ten-player Germany on Saturday and set up the last-eight meeting in Zurich on Thursday.
The Lionesses have now reached the knockout rounds for a third Euros tournament in a row, and the fourth in the last five.
Toone added: âWe were really good. Itâs always hard to play against a team that sits in a low block and thereâs not a lot of space for us, but I think we tired them out, and it was nice that we got early goals in the first half. We really enjoyed the game.â
The second-place finish could also be an unexpected bonus as provided they get past the Swedes, England would avoid world champions Spain in the semi-finals.
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England midfielder Georgia Stanway speaks to Sky Sports Newsâ Anton Toloui
âWe scored six goals and a big part of the game we dominated, a very good game,â England boss Sarina Wiegman said. âPlaying well is the most important, who scores is not that important.â
Much was made about the rivalry between the two nations, with Wales wanting nothing better than to spoil Englandâs party but the reigning champions showed their vast experience against a Wales side making their major tournament debut.
England have won 10 of the 11 meetings between the two teams, with Walesâ best result being a 0-0 draw in 2018.
Wiegman added: âIâm very happy. We knew ahead of this tournament how hard this group was going to be, then when you lose the first game there is massive urgency to win the other two.
âIt gave a lot of learnings with the team and it brought us together â I think thatâs pretty good.â
Wilkinson: âPainfulâ loss shows gap between us and âtop teamsâ
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Wales head coach Rhian Wilkinson gave a call to arms for âequal opportunities for young girlsâ in football akin to the Lionessesâ open letter to the government in 2022
Wales boss Rhian Wilkinson speaking on ITV Sport:
âThis was not our game. We were outplayed and I was out-coached. We know weâll take a lot from it, but I feel for the players. I wouldnât want to stand with any other team.
âThereâs a gap between us and the top teams and we know that. My job is to continue to push and close that gap.
âI want to thank all of our support. It was a tough game to stay loud and they did for us. Back home weâve got work to do. This isnât a team that is ready for tournament play in terms of three, four, five games back to back.
âThat is an area of improvement. This was a painful one.â
Englandâs fear factor returns
England have clicked into gear just at the right time
Analysis by Sky Sportsâ Laura Hunter:
Englandâs fear factor looks to have returned just in time, scoring ten goals across their last two games. The draw has opened up, too â avoiding Germany and Spain until the final can only be a good thing.
That is not to say Englandâs path is easy â Sweden have been near-perfect so far â but the Lionessesâ recent record is favourable.
Those who remember 2022 with fondness will have particular memories of the 4-0 semi-final win over the Swedes on the way to being crowned champions â the pick of the strikes being a remarkable Alessia Russo back-heel.
England are now three games away from retaining their title. That France result is feeling more and more like an anomaly. Keep playing like this and making a third successive major tournament final in a row should be the minimum expectation.
Euros quarter-finals ties
All kick-offs at 8pm BST
July 16
QF1: Norway vs Italy (Geneva)
July 17
QF2: Sweden vs England (Zurich)
July 18
QF3: Spain vs Switzerland (Bern)
July 19
QF4: France vs Germany (Basel)
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