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Approach Kybunpark and be confronted by the hulking corrugated metal outline of St. Gallen’s IKEA, the stadium seemingly just an appendage to an extensive shopping centre.
In the stadium next door to the Swedish furniture giant, the Lionesses ran out comfortable 6-1 winners against a Wales side who offered very little in response.
After France and the Netherlands exchanged leads before Les Bleues stormed to a 5-2 victory, it confirmed England’s second place finish in Group D.
It means England will face Sweden in the quarter-finals, a team they defeated 4-0 at Euro 2022 and the birthplace of affordable flat-pack home furnishings.
But as England have built into Euro 2025, their group stage has felt very much like the process of constructing the so-called 'ready to assemble' furniture.
Against France, Sarina Wiegman’s side stuttered. The pieces were there but they neither clicked together nor looked cohesive against a side so willing to exploit their weaknesses.
The pace of French wingers Sandy Baltimore and Delphine Cascarino proved overwhelming for England’s defence as they fell to 2-1 defeat in their opening game.
Wiegman, however, would embrace the loss as a learning opportunity as pressure ramped up on her side’s need to perform with anything but a win against the Netherlands not enough.
“When you lose the first game of course there is a massive urgency to win the other two,” she told ITV Sport.
“Now, with the score between France and the Netherlands that wasn’t that urgent but you want to keep it in your own hands.
“So it gave a lot of learnings again with the team and it brought us together that first loss so I think that is pretty good.”
And as Wiegman read the instructions from the France game with care and moved the pieces at her disposal around accordingly, a cohesive shape began to form.
Alex Greenwood’s switch to left-back, which saw Jess Carter move into the centre keeping Chasity Grant and Kerstin Casparij silent in a Netherlands display that left much to be desired.
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Similarly in attack, Ella Toone’s entry into the team as the number ten to face the Dutch saw Lauren James moved out wide and unleashed in a roaming role that culminated in a brace and 4-0 win.
“It looks like she is really enjoying herself and she is working hard. She looks really relaxed and that relaxation makes her really fluid,” said Wiegman of James.
“The team tries to put her in positions where she can make a difference and at the same time when necessary she works hard in defending transitions to win the ball back together.”
A clipped ball through to Toone inside the box played the number ten in behind to square for Alessia Russo who tapped home with confidence for England’s fourth.
In St. Gallen, all the signs were there that Wiegman had found her formula with the England team clicking and construction complete on what appears to be a quality furnishing.
Key to that has been the introduction of Toone, who proved unplayable against Wales. Since her first start at the tournament against the Netherlands, she has made herself an immovable part of the English furniture.
In just 45 minutes of action against Wales, she became the first player at a Women’s European Championships to score, assist and finish with a 100 per cent pass completion record.
Her role both in the press, closing down Wales as soon as the ball entered the central pocket and in attack, to find space where the Dragons had tried to leave none, was phenomenal.
Toone’s goal, England’s second of the match, was another case of right place, right time as she was on hand to turn home from the centre of the box after receiving from Russo to her left.
With the build complete, the Lionesses look ready to face the test of their Swedish counterparts who will undoubtedly challenge them in new ways.
Direct passing and a pacey forward line will test the strength of their construction, but the Swedish know better than anyone that Wiegman is building to last.
English (US) ·