England thrash Wales to seal quarter-final spot

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport women’s football news reporter in St Gallen

England strolled into the quarter-finals of Euro 2025 with an emphatic victory over Wales, whose exit from the tournament was confirmed after three successive defeats.

Sarina Wiegman's side knew victory would secure their place in the last eight - where they will face Sweden - and they showed why they were worthy of the spot from the first minute in St Gallen.

Georgia Stanway opened the scoring from the penalty spot after the video assistant referee spotted contact from Carrie Jones on the midfielder was inside the box.

Manchester United midfielder Ella Toone joined in on the act shortly afterwards, firing her rebounded effort into the roof of the net, before turning provider for Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo in a ruthless first-half display.

While the onslaught tailed off in the second half, substitute Beth Mead still made her mark, jinking past Josephine Green in the box to slot home England's fifth after good work from Aggie Beever-Jones.

Chelsea forward Beever-Jones joined in too, adding a late goal shortly before the full-time whistle.

England's dominance did not waiver and Wales, competing in their first major tournament, were shown the brutal level of Europe's elite.

However, there was some consolation for Wales as Hannah Cain thumped the ball past goalkeeper Hannah Hampton later in the second half, causing an eruption of celebration from the supporters behind the goal.

It was still a bruising night for Rhian Wilkinson's side, who have lost all three of their group games against France, the Netherlands and England, scoring two goals and conceding 13.

'Squeezes it in!' Hemp heads home England's third

What was the main talking point for England?

It was a matter of doing the business for England.

Wales had attempted to heap on the pressure in their pre-match media conference, stating it was up to England to perform and ensure they delivered with their heavy favourites tag.

Having impressed against the Netherlands, catapulting themselves into a strong position in the group, England did not take their foot off the gas.

They were not fazed by Wales' early attempts to slow the game down and were full of creativity and flair, allowing them to break through a fragile defence.

Their position in the group was still affected by the result in Group D's other match between the Netherlands and France - where the winner of the group would set-up a quarter-final with 2022 finalists Germany and slot into the perceived tougher half of the draw.

But England did not allow themselves to think about the possibility of not finishing top and they played with the confidence and ability that has helped them reach back-to-back major finals.

It has not been a smooth group-stage campaign, having to bounce back from a bruising opening defeat by France, but they look in good shape going into the knockout stages.

What was the main talking point for Wales?

'Big moment' - Cain scores for Wales

Wales knew their hopes of getting anything out of the game were slim given the gulf in quality and experience between the sides.

With that in mind, they were determined to go out with a bang in Switzerland and manager Wilkinson vowed to take it to England and "show up to spoil the party".

But it was a party only enjoyed by England on the pitch as Wales struggled to make their mark and were quickly dismantled.

Rachel Rowe came close with a fierce strike from the edge of the area in first-half stoppage-time, after Angharad James had earlier tested goalkeeper Hampton.

Cain's wonderful finish was reason to celebrate but did not impact the result and only gave supporters one last moment to relish.

However, on the whole, it was a painful way to exit the competition, which has brought so much joy and pride to Wales.

In their first ever major tournament, their fans took over the streets of St Gallen and Lucerne and belted out the national anthem proudly one last time against England.

This was the ultimate test for Wilkinson's side and having experienced what it takes to compete with Europe's best, that can only help the development of Welsh women's football when they return home.

Which players stood out?

'No-one more deserving' - Russo adds England's fourth

Chelsea's Lauren James has stolen the spotlight in this tournament, showcasing her world-class talents once again in St Gallen before coming off to a standing ovation.

It was also another impressive outing for England striker Russo, who was rewarded for her relentless endeavour with a goal.

But it was Toone who was the pick of the bunch, showing why she deserves to start in the number 10 role for England, having been overlooked against France.

She linked up with best friend Russo on countless occasions in the first half and drifted effectively into wide positions to disrupt Wales' backline.

Having been one of England's 'super-subs' at Euro 2022, Toone is quickly turning into one of their key players in Switzerland and will no doubt play a starring role in the quarter-finals.

It was a tough evening for Wales but goalkeeper Olivia Clark made some fantastic saves to deny Keira Walsh and Toone, and kept the scoreline down.

What are the standout stats?

Stanway has now scored all 10 of the penalties she has taken for England (excluding shootouts), with three of those at a Euros or a World Cup.

England had 79% of the possession in the first half and 35 touches inside Wales' box.

Mead has been directly involved in 14 goals in 14 major tournament appearances for England.

Jess Fishlock, who assisted Cain's strike, has been directly involved in both of Wales' goals at this tournament.

What's next for these teams?

England have set-up a quarter-final clash with Sweden, ranked sixth in the world, after finishing runners-up in Group D. They will return to Zurich to face them on Thursday at 20:00 BST.

Wales' experience of a first major tournament has come to an end and they exit at the group stages having suffered three defeats.

Player of the match

E. Toone
8.22
10 E. Toone
8.22
23 A. Russo
8.07
11 L. Hemp
7.81
7 L. James
7.69
8 G. Stanway
7.39
5 A. Greenwood
7.31
9 B. Mead
7.31
4 K. Walsh
7.25
19 A. Beever-Jones
7.21
6 L. Williamson
7.14
1 H. Hampton
7.07
2 L. Bronze
6.75
18 C. Kelly
6.72
20 J. Park
6.46
3 N. Charles
6.30
16 J. Carter
6.26
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