Match ends, England 0, Sweden 2.
England Women 0-2 Sweden Women: Lionesses lose in skipper Steph Houghton's 100th cap
- From the section Football
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Phil Neville says his England Women side "needed" their loss to Sweden to give them a "jolt" as they prepare for next summer's World Cup.
The Lionesses were beaten on home soil for the first time since 2015 as Sweden won Sunday's friendly 2-0 in Rotherham.
Sofia Jakobsson curled Sweden into the lead before Anna Anvegard hooked in the second to put a dampener on the day England skipper Steph Houghton won her 100th cap.
"With 20 minutes to go, I was actually enjoying the fact that maybe we all should suffer," head coach Neville told BBC Sport.
"Sometimes in life you have got to put yourself through a little bit of pain to get where you want to.
"For the last 12 months everything has been going really smoothly and there's a massive euphoria, and rightly so. But along the way, you're going to get bumps. This feels like a bump in the road, and a jolt for us.
"Today was what we needed. I do think that we needed it, the whole of the FA women's division.
"It's just a little bump in the road to remind everyone that no one is going to just give us the World Cup. We've got to keep working hard."
The defeat was Neville's second loss as head coach, and first at home, and saw the Lionesses end 2018 with seven wins, three draws and two losses from his 12 games in charge.
Up against a Swedish side ranked ninth in the world, England - who sit third in Fifa's rankings - were beaten at home for the first time since a 1-0 loss to the USA at Stadium MK in February 2015.
Robust and well-organised Sweden, who won silver at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, gave the hosts a masterclass in defending at times, on a day when two moments of relatively uncharacteristically sloppy play at the back cost the Lionesses.
England dominated after the break, as they tried to get back in the game, but substitute Toni Duggan's fizzing effort was saved and the Women's Super League's new record scorer Nikita Parris headed wide at the far post.
Swedes spoil skipper Houghton's special day
It was not the celebration many of the lively 9,561 fans at Rotherham's New York Stadium were hoping to see on the day Houghton reached 100 senior international appearances.
The Manchester City centre-back has been a stalwart for the Lionesses since she won her first cap against Russia in March 2007.
Her tenure as captain has seen the side reach consecutive semi-finals at major tournaments, including a third-placed finish at the 2015 World Cup in Canada.
On 99 caps before this week, she had been left out of Thursday's 3-0 win in Austria by Neville, who wanted the 30-year-old to enjoy reaching her century milestone on home soil.
Line-ups
England Women
- 1Telford
- 2BronzeBooked at 27mins
- 5Houghton
- 6Bright
- 3Greenwood
- 8ScottSubstituted forStaniforthat 83'minutes
- 4ChristiansenSubstituted forStanwayat 73'minutes
- 7Parris
- 10Nobbs
- 11MeadSubstituted forDugganat 45'minutes
- 9DalySubstituted forLawleyat 73'minutes
Substitutes
- 12Blundell
- 13Earps
- 14McManus
- 15Williamson
- 16George
- 17Staniforth
- 18Duggan
- 19Carney
- 20Stanway
- 21Roebuck
- 22Lawley
- 23Ubogagu
Sweden Women
- 1Lindahl
- 13Ilestedt
- 3Sembrant
- 6Eriksson
- 15SamuelssonSubstituted forBjornat 61'minutes
- 23RubenssonSubstituted forRoddarat 90+3'minutes
- 17SegerSubstituted forFolkessonat 79'minutes
- 2Andersson
- 10JakobssonSubstituted forHurtigat 79'minutes
- 9AsllaniSubstituted forSchoughat 90+3'minutes
- 19AnvegardSubstituted forRolföat 61'minutes
Substitutes
- 5Bjorn
- 7Karlenäs
- 8Hurtig
- 12Andersson
- 14Folkesson
- 16Carlsson
- 18Rolfö
- 20Roddar
- 21Musovic
- 22Schough
- 24Spetsmark
- Attendance:
- 9,561
Match Stats
Home TeamEngland WomenAway TeamSweden Women
- Possession
- Home53%
- Away47%
- Shots
- Home14
- Away5
- Shots on Target
- Home5
- Away3
- Corners
- Home1
- Away7
- Fouls
- Home14
- Away15
Live Text
Full Time
Second Half ends, England 0, Sweden 2.
Foul by Alex Greenwood (England).
Fridolina Rolfö (Sweden) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Substitution
Substitution, Sweden. Olivia Schough replaces Kosovare Asllani.
Substitution
Substitution, Sweden. Julia Roddar replaces Elin Rubensson.
Attempt saved. Toni Duggan (England) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Nikita Parris with a cross.
Foul by Georgia Stanway (England).
Amanda Ilestedt (Sweden) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt missed. Nikita Parris (England) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Georgia Stanway.
Substitution
Substitution, England. Lucy Staniforth replaces Jill Scott.
Toni Duggan (England) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Magdalena Eriksson (Sweden).
Corner, Sweden. Conceded by Carly Telford.
Attempt saved. Fridolina Rolfö (Sweden) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Nathalie Bjorn.
Substitution
Substitution, Sweden. Lina Hurtig replaces Sofia Jakobsson.
Substitution
Substitution, Sweden. Hanna Folkesson replaces Caroline Seger.
Foul by Jordan Nobbs (England).
Fridolina Rolfö (Sweden) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jill Scott (England).
Kosovare Asllani (Sweden) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Jill Scott (England) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Kosovare Asllani (Sweden).
Foul by Jill Scott (England).
Kosovare Asllani (Sweden) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt blocked. Toni Duggan (England) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Lucy Bronze with a cross.
Substitution
Substitution, England. Melissa Lawley replaces Rachel Daly.
Substitution
Substitution, England. Georgia Stanway replaces Isobel Christiansen.
Lucy Bronze (England) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Kosovare Asllani (Sweden).
Corner, Sweden. Conceded by Lucy Bronze.
Corner, England. Conceded by Linda Sembrant.
Foul by Jill Scott (England).
Kosovare Asllani (Sweden) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Jill Scott (England).
Elin Rubensson (Sweden) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Offside, England. Carly Telford tries a through ball, but Rachel Daly is caught offside.
Substitution
Substitution, Sweden. Nathalie Bjorn replaces Jessica Samuelsson.
Substitution
Substitution, Sweden. Fridolina Rolfö replaces Anna Anvegard.
Toni Duggan (England) wins a free kick on the left wing.
