مدير عام كرة القدم
- England edged Sweden in shootout
- Holmberg blazed shot over the bar
- Ibrahimovic reaches out to compatriot
At the end of a ridiculous penalty shootout which saw nine shots either saved or missed in total, Holmberg stepped up but could only lift her effort clear of the bar, helping England reach the semi-finals where they will face Italy.
Holmberg was pictured in tears after the shootout and was consoled by her Sweden team-mates, but she has also been contacted by Ibrahimovic, according to her father. Ibrahimovic is widely regarded as the greatest Swedish footballer of all time but he also suffered spot-kick heartache in 2004, when his miss against the Netherlands resulted in defeat with a squad containing the likes of Freddie Ljungberg and Henrik Larsson.
Holmberg’s father, Ola Persson, told Swedish radio: “It was a sad daughter I held in my arms about an hour after the game. She is strong and she has received a lot of support from both the team, supporters, friends and relatives. She even got a text message from Zlatan here this morning.”
Holmberg was the youngest player in Peter Gerhardsson’s squad and now has four international caps having made her debut against Italy back in May. She was in inspired form when Sweden thrashed Germany 4-1 during the group stage.
The semi-final lineup is in, with England taking on Italy on Tuesday evening before Spain meet Germany on Wednesday. The final then takes place next Sunday at St. Jakob Park.
