Has the draw just opened up for the Lionesses?! Winners and losers after England ease into Euro 2025 knockouts as super-subs Beth Mead and Aggie Beever-Jones find form behind all-star attack

England fans were justified in coming to Switzerland with a few nerves. The Lionesses were drawn in the trickiest of all four groups at the 2025 European Championships, alongside France, the Netherlands and Wales, meaning at least one big contender for the trophy wasn't even going to make it to the knockout rounds. Fortunately for Sarina Wiegman and her side, though, the reigning champions did not fall short, with Sunday's 6-1 win over Wales sealing their place in the quarter-finals.

It was actually quite a calm and comfortable end to what had been a chaotic group stage. England opened things up with a really concerning 2-1 loss to France, one which left them with no margin for error in their next two outings, but responded emphatically when they battered the Dutch 4-0 a few days later. It meant victory over Wales would seal their place in the last eight, regardless of what happened as the Oranje met France.

There were worlds in which achieving that would be tough. The Dragons were certainly not going to roll over and let their neighbours pass through, playing with plenty of pride and passion on their major tournament debut. However, England's world-class quality shone through despite the efforts of the Welsh, allowing them to enjoy a rather relaxing ending to the first part of their European title defence, after all the drama that had come before it.

It's hard to know how much to read into the performances of the last two games. Yes, the Lionesses have improved dramatically and Wiegman has made changes that have helped in that regard, with her tactical tweaks ahead of the win over the Netherlands certainly making England more solid and more threatening at the same time. But the Dutch were really poor in that loss and Wales were the lowest-ranked side at this tournament.

On Thursday, we will see just how serious the Lionesses' title challenge is. Sweden, their quarter-final opponents, will present a hugely difficult match as they bid to reach a seventh semi-final in their eighth major tournament since 2016. They have the experience, the quality and the tactical know-how needed to succeed in knockout football. But there are several reasons why Sunday's win over Wales had England star Ella Toone declaring that the Swedes "should be scared".

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from the Kybunpark...