England’s Hannah Hampton Hits The Headlines In Latest Act Of Unlikely Career

The image of Terry Butcher’s blood-stained garment during an England tie against Sweden successful 1989 is immortalised successful nan country’s shot history. Now different English player’s stoic show against Sweden – this clip pinch a bloodied chemoreceptor – will beryllium etched into nan annals aft Hannah Hampton’s heroics during nan Lionesses’ remarkable shootout victory complete Sweden successful Zurich.

Hampton, pinch an absorbent shoved up her correct nostril aft an extra-time collision successful nan punishment area caused a nosebleed, recovered nan composure, attraction and agility to prevention 2 Sweden penalties to thief Sarina Wiegman’s squad triumph 3-2 successful nan shootout and book Tuesday’s semi-final gathering pinch Italy aft an improbable comeback to tie 2-2 aft other time.

It was a coming-of-age capacity for nan 24-year-old from Birmingham, who besides produced 2 pivotal saves erstwhile England had been 2-0 down, and surely banished immoderate lingering uncertainty astir her readiness to beryllium England’s first-choice goalkeeper. Hampton was confirmed by Wiegman arsenic England’s No 1 aft Mary Earps retired from world football successful May. It had been nan guidance of recreation but those were large gloves to fill. Hampton’s player-of-the-match capacity successful nan quarter-final connected her 20th elder world quality intends England fans person a caller keeper to idolise.

Having a master shot profession is simply a singular accomplishment for nan Chelsea player, formerly of Birmingham City and Aston Villa player, who was calved pinch a superior oculus information and was warned by doctors not to play football. She underwent aggregate operations arsenic a youngster to effort to correct her imagination but still has depth-perception issues. Hampton, though, has defied nan aesculapian likelihood to thrive for nine and country, winning a home treble of trophies pinch Chelsea this year. Her capacity against Sweden, epistaxis and all, was her biggest infinitesimal yet pinch England.

“As a fewer of nan girls person said, I’m amended pinch 1 nostril truthful possibly I’ll person it [a nosebleed] again successful nan adjacent crippled to beryllium honest,” Hampton joked aft nan match. “The girls person sewage down maine a lot. They cognize really reliable it’s been for maine while being successful and astir nan England environment. To beryllium capable to spell retired and thief them tonight, for nan full squad to put connected a capacity for illustration we did, it’s a beautiful moment.

“All nan girls were ecstatic. They’ve seen each nan difficult activity that I’ve put successful and really difficult it’s been and really they’ve helped maine get to nan constituent that I americium now and being happy to beryllium wearing an England garment again. I conscionable want to do immoderate I tin for nan squad to get that win. I don’t attraction if I person 1 touch successful a crippled aliases if I person aggregate … We conscionable didn’t want to spell home.”

Hampton appeared to beryllium alluding to a play successful nan autumn of 2022 was she was dropped from nan England team, pinch Wiegman saying astatine nan clip “she has immoderate individual issues that she has to lick truthful for her, astatine this moment, it’s amended for her to enactment astatine her club”. On Thursday night, Wiegman was afloat of praise for Hampton and said location had ne'er been doubts wrong nan Lionesses campy complete whether Hampton could deliver. The England guardant Beth Mead said: “Sometimes you request your goalkeeper to measurement up and Hannah did that today. Hannah made immoderate astonishing saves.”

Hannah Hampton joked that she was ‘better pinch 1 nostril’ aft an extra-time collision. Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Getty Images

It was nan first Women’s European Championship fixture to beryllium decided by punishment kicks since 2017, nary shootouts having been required erstwhile England hosted nan tourney successful 2022, and nan nerve-shredding play successful Zurich appeared to beryllium trying to dress up for that agelong wait. Sweden doubly missed kicks to triumph nan title and only 5 of nan 14 spot-kicks were successfully converted. The subordinate who scored England’s important seventh punishment was nan right-back Lucy Bronze, who besides offered up immoderate imagery that will specify really nan nighttime will beryllium remembered.

The Chelsea defender required strapping astir her correct thigh precocious successful other clip but, because nan aesculapian squad were tending to Alex Greenwood and Hampton, Bronze applied nan portion astir her ain limb while sitting connected nan pitch, epitomising nan aforesaid battle-hardened cognition arsenic her goalkeeper. The erstwhile Barcelona subordinate past ripped disconnected her bandages moments earlier stepping up to occurrence her punishment emphatically down nan mediate of nan extremity and put England connected nan verge of victory. When Sweden’s Smilla Holmberg past blazed complete nan Lionesses were through.

Bronze, who had taken nan captain’s armband aft Leah Williamson was substituted pinch an ankle wounded but had worn it connected her wrist alternatively than successful nan accustomed spot supra nan elbow, said of her strapping: “I thought: ‘I conscionable request to get done to make judge I tin support going.’ But past I thought: ‘It’s going to inhibit maine successful a penalty.’ I didn’t expect it to spell to nan sixth penalty, truthful I didn’t return it disconnected and past it was my punishment and I thought: ‘I request to return this off, I’m going to smack it.’”

The late-night play delayed nan News astatine Ten connected BBC One and millions of tv viewers will tune successful again connected Tuesday – connected ITV – erstwhile England meet 1 of nan tournament’s acheronian horses successful Geneva. It will beryllium nan Lionesses’ sixth consecutive quality successful a awesome tourney semi-final, a series that began successful 2015. Their awesome runs successful nan large events proceed and caller heroines are emerging each nan time.