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Johanna Rytting Kaneryd says Sweden can go “the whole way” at Euro 2025 because “there is something different” about this squad.

Saturday’s thumping 4-1 win over Germany was a statement victory for Peter Gerhardsson’s side, who claimed top spot in Group C ahead of the eight-time champions.

Sweden won the inaugural Women’s European Championship in 1984 but have never lifted the trophy since – finishing runners-up on three occasions and last doing so in 2001.

It has been a recent tale of ‘always the bridesmaid, never the bride’, but this could be the year they finally shake off that tag after winning all three group matches, scoring eight goals and conceding just one.

“Of course we always want to win,” said Sweden’s Chelsea midfielder Rytting Kaneryd. “We always want to do better.

“We know we have been doing good in tournaments before, but we also know we haven’t gone the whole way.

“I have a really good feeling. You can see that in the squad there is something different this year and we always believe.

“We want to reach the final and with that being said we need to take every game for what it is. We can’t look too much ahead. It’s going to be a challenge but we are ready.”

While they turned in an impressive display for a first success in seven meetings against Germany at a Euros, Sweden were also lifted to victory by a sea of 2,500 supporters in blue and yellow, who did not stop singing throughout.

The players celebrated and danced to music with their fans afterwards, which was a special moment for Rytting Kaneryd.

“I couldn’t dream about more,” said the 28-year-old. “This is incredible. I can’t really explain the feeling.

Gerhardsson has been in charge of Sweden since 2017 but is set to step down after Euro 2025.

As winners of Group C, his side will face the runner-up of Group D and will know their quarter-final opponents after the conclusion of England’s tie with Wales and Netherlands against France on Sunday (both 20:00 BST kick-offs).

The 65-year-old led Sweden to the semi-finals of Euro 2022, where they were beaten 4-0 by eventual winners England.

While Gerhardsson said he is “not a dreamer”, if he is to bow out with one last hurrah in Switzerland, his side will exact revenge if they land England in the last eight.

“That was a special game,” he recalled of their previous encounter at Bramall Lane. “Now we have other players, they have other players.

Germany were backed as one of the pre-tournament favourites by many, but have been unconvincing so far in Switzerland.

They beat Poland and Denmark 2-0 and 2-1 respectively, but struggled to convert their dominance into goals and showed they were vulnerable in defence.

Their final Group C game against Sweden was always going to be the toughest test, and boss Christian Wuck repeatedly spoke of their desire to finish in top spot.

It didn’t go to plan, especially when they went down to 10 players from the 31st minute after full-back Carlotta Wamser was sent off for a deliberate handball to prevent a goal.

Wuck is hoping the loss – Germany’s heaviest at a Euros – is nothing more than a slight setback.

“It is different than we imagined,” he said of finishing second in the standings and a potential meeting with Group D leaders France in the last eight.

“We wanted to be first in the group, we wanted to be in place number one. Now we have to analyse that with the players.

“We will shake that off and be very happy to play the quarter-finals whoever that is, the English, the French or whatever.

Argentina: (17) 17

Tries: Cinti, Mendy Cons: Carreras 2 Pen: Carreras

England: (14) 22

Jack van Poortvliet scored a last-gasp try to hand England a dramatic victory in the second Test and an impressive 2-0 series win over Argentina.

With the scores locked at 17-17 for most of the second half in San Juan, England were closing in on a series victory after winning the first Test, but Van Poortvliet ensured they would claim a clean sweep.

The 2-0 win will please head coach Steve Borthwick, with his side missing 14 British and Irish Lions and coming against a side who beat the Lions in Dublin in June.

Inside centre Seb Atkinson, one of those to step up and impress, opened both the scoring and his England account while Freddie Steward added his second try in as many games in a superb, end-to-end first half.

The hosts were lacklustre a week ago but recovered well in the second Test as tries from Lucio Cinti and Ignacio Mendy, plus a Santiago Carerras penalty, handed them a slender lead at the interval.

George Ford restored parity from the boot after the break before the sides became locked in an arm wrestle as they pushed for the decisive score.

Argentina rarely threatened the England line but the visitors allowed multiple opportunities to evade them before Guy Pepper made the crucial break and offloaded for his fellow replacement Van Poortvliet to dive over in the corner.

Ford missed the subsequent conversion but, with the clock in the red, England caught the restart and fired the ball into the stands to claim their 10th Test win in Argentina.

England’s preparations were altered at the 11th hour after co-captain Jamie George became the 15th Englishman called up by the British and Irish Lions.

George watched from the sidelines in San Juan before he flies out to join the Lions in Brisbane on Sunday, as Saracens team-mate Theo Dan was handed a Test start and Curtis Langdon stepped on to the bench.

The visitors were not hampered by the late adjustment though, and picked up where they left off in La Plata with a renewed fluidity in attack.

With Fin Smith and Marcus Smith both with the Lions, Ford produced another controlled display from fly-half and had an influential hand in Atkinson’s opening try.

The Sale fly-half, on his 101st cap, first put up a high kick which was safely palmed back, before a pin-point cross-field was clung on to by Tom Roebuck. The ball was fed inside to debutant centre Luke Northmore, who offloaded to Atkinson to score his maiden try on his second appearance.

The Pumas hit back after Ben Curry had been sent to the sin-bin, as scrum-half Simon Benitez Cruz juggled his way past a helpless Tom Willis before feeding Cinti for the hosts’ opening try.

Another neatly devised move resulted in Steward diving in at the corner but the England full-back was unfortunate when Carreras’ chip over the top ricocheted off the post for Mendy to gather and score.

Argentina were resolute in defence but barely fired a shot after the interval before being reduced to 14 players when Pablo Matera – who surpassed Agustin Creevy to become the Pumas’ most-capped player on his 111th Test appearance – was sent to the sin-bin for foul play at the breakdown.

England’s pressure finally told late on when Pepper, who was influential in the loose off the bench, made the break before feeding Van Poortvliet for a run-in.

England fly-half George Ford said: “We found a way in the end. We had a lot of opportunities in the 22 but couldn’t get over the line. I’m proud of the boys. I like our fight, our togetherness, showing how much we care.

Argentina: Elizalde; Moroni, Cinti, Piccardo, Mendy; S Carreras, Cruz; Gallo, Montoya (capt), Kodela, Petti, Rubiolo, S Grondona, Gonzalez, Matera

Replacements: Bernasconi, Vivas, Delgado, Paulos, Isa, B Grondona, Moyano, Roger

Sin-bin: Matera (58)

England: Steward; Roebuck, Northmore, Atkinson, Muir; Ford (capt), Spencer; Baxter, Dan, Heyes, Ewels, Coles, B Curry, Underhill, T Willis

Replacements: Langdon, Rodd, Opoku-Fordjour, Cunningham-South, Pepper, Dombrandt, Van Poortvliet, Murley

Sin-bin: Curry (21)

Morocco finished top of Group A at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) after Yasmin Mrabet’s penalty earned the hosts a 1-0 victory over Senegal, while Zambia also won to secure their passage to the quarter-finals.

Morocco emerged triumphant from a scrappy encounter in Rabat, which rested on a controversial decision made with the help of VAR late in the first half.

Referee Shamirah Nabadda initially appeared to miss a coming together between Senegal goalkeeper Adji Ndiaye and Morocco striker Ibtissam Jraidi, but replays clearly showed Ndiaye strike her opponent in the face with one forearm while carrying the ball with the other.

After a lengthy delay, Nabadda was advised to go to the monitor, and although screens said it was to check a possible red card, Nabadda pointed to the spot instead and issued the fortunate Ndiaye with only a yellow.

Mrabet kept her cool to send the keeper the wrong way in the second minute of stoppage time, converting Morocco’s third penalty of the group stage.

Racheal Kundananji’s ninth-minute goal was enough to see off the Leopardesses, who had midfielder Falonne Pambani sent off in the 69th minute for a foul on Ireen Lungu.

Zambia face the winners of Group B in the last eight, which will provide a blockbuster clash against Nigeria if the record nine-time Wafcon winners avoid defeat against Algeria on Sunday (19:00 GMT).

Morocco, meanwhile, will take on the third-placed finisher in Group B or Group C.

The atmosphere inside the Olympic Stadium in Rabat was crackling with anticipation ahead of kick-off between Morocco and Senegal and, for the first time this tournament, there was not a spare seat to be seen.

Pounding drums helped lift the volume further, while giant Moroccan flags waved in a stiff breeze that made conditions far cooler once the sun went down.

But fans hoping to be entertained by two teams who had found goalscoring easy in their first two group games were left disappointed by a stop-start affair that often threatened to become ill-tempered.

While the decision for Mrabet’s goal was the most important intervention of the evening, the assistant referees’ flags also played a key role.

Both teams had the ball in the net during the 90 minutes, only to see the goals ruled out by a late flags for offside. Jraidi and Senegal forward Nguenar Ndiaye also saw the flag go up following good chances they failed to finish.

While most of those offside decisions were clear, VAR had to intervene again in added time at the end of the game after Morocco captain Ghizlane Chebbak found the back of the net.

Referee Nabadda was also busy keeping discipline in what developed into a niggly affair, issuing a total of seven yellow cards.

While Senegal huffed and puffed, the West Africans never really looked like creating much in the way of clear chances.

The hosts always looked the superior footballing side and saw Chebbak and Jraidi also spurn excellent opportunities that were onside.

Topping the group means Morocco stay in the capital for their quarter-final on Friday, while Zambia remain in Mohammedia for their clash the same day.