England legend Kelly Smith slammed the Lionesses’ semi-final opponents Sweden as unimpressive after they scraped past Belgium.
Linda Sembrant swept the ball home from close range in the 92nd minute of their Women's Euro 2022 quarter-final to set up a last four showdown with the Lionesses at a sold-out Bramall Lane on Tuesday.
The highest ranked team in the tournament toiled against a stubborn Belgium side who relied on heroics from their keeper Nicky Evrard to keep the Red Flames in the match.
ALSO READ: England star Lucy Bronze named in all-time Women's Euro XI by Lionesses legends
Sweden racked up a tally of 33 shots - nine on target - at Leigh Sports Village, and former England and Arsenal forward Smith said England have nothing to fear following the final whistle.
“England are looking at this thinking we can take this Sweden side. They've won the game, but they haven't impressed me tonight,” Smith told the BBC.
“England will be very happy with what they've seen tonight because Sweden don't look clinical in front of goal - I wasn't impressed with the creativity and the dimensions up front. It's just not clicking for them.”
And Reading striker Natasha Dowie concurred with Smith’s assessment on BBC Radio 5 Live, saying the world’s No.2 side must improve to match the Lionesses’ level.
Speaking after Sweden's win over Belgium, Dowie said: “Sweden need to find a second gear if they are going to compete with England because England look much stronger - they will be confident.
“Compare the England game against Spain, the quality and difference between the two games is massive. The game tonight was pretty boring, lacking in quality and slow. You expect more from Sweden.”
Everton midfielder Izzy Christiansen concurred and warned free-scoring England could run riot against Sweden if their opponents fail to deliver a better performance.
She added on BBC Radio 5 Live: “The way England can play out from the back, with Keira Walsh and Leah Williamson, England will carve through them if they press like that again.
“Sweden need their bigger players to turn up against England. The backline needs to sharpen up against Beth Mead and Lauren Hemp.”
But Arsenal’s Swedish head coach Jonas Eidevall said he expects Sweden to deal with England’s attacking threats with a change of shape.
“England are the team that will try and be attacking and create, and that fits Sweden better,” Eidevall told the BBC. “The games so far have not fitted Sweden so well with the way they play.
“The wide players that England have - Mead, Hemp and Chloe Kelly - you can't allow them to get this much space, so I think Sweden will use three central defenders to always give back-up to the wing-backs.
“It's going to be a very different game - they will have to be really solid defensively and have enough numbers to play out from England's press, because England will press a lot more than Belgium did today.”
Tickets are on sale now for fans to experience a history-making tournament that aims to unite football and communities and amplify the growth of the women’s game. www.uefa.com/womenseuro/ticketing
