‘Didn’t know what to do’ – Beth Mead after firing England to final by hitting opener in four-goal Sweden win

Arsenal forward Mead got the ball rolling with a thunderous 34th-minute strike before further efforts from Lucy Bronze, Alessia Russo and Fran Kirby put the game beyond the world’s second-ranked team.

Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses await the winner of Germany and France in Sunday’s showpiece final.

Russo may have scored the goal of the match – and probably the tournament – but the scoreline suggested a dominance that was absent in a first half in which Sweden excelled, with Stina Blackstenius hitting the crossbar early on. It was Mead’s strike that reset the momentum of the match.

And Mead said after the match that she was just relieved to be able to help the team.

“I enjoyed it,” she began.

“I think it came at a good time – there was a lot of pressure on us and they had a few good chances. It was a good time to get in front and to help the team,” she added as ‘Sweet Caroline’ billowed out behind her.

The final whistle was met with a wall of noise inside Bramall Lane, and Mead said the magnitude of the team’s achievement had not settled on many of the players as the match ended.

“When the full-time whistle went, we did not know what to do,” added Mead in her post-match interview.

“It was an unbelievable atmosphere and we are excited to be in the final.”

Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman praised her team’s resilience after a poor start.

“I think they have shown a couple of times they are very resilient,” said Wiegman

“We didn’t start well – we had a hard time. We found a way. The players in the game found a way to get out of their pressure. I’m so incredibly proud of them.”

England will now face either France or Germany in a sold-out Wembley Stadium in the final on Sunday.