England beat Sweden 3-2 in an astonishing penalty shootout that featured 14 attempts to reach the Women’s Euros semi-finals on Thursday after the reigning champions had fought back from 2-0 down to force the game to extra time.

It was a thrilling climax to a game in which England teetered on the brink of elimination, only to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

In all, Sweden keeper Jennifer Falk saved four penalties, but she skied the potentially winning spot kick over the bar, throwing a lifeline to England that they gleefully grabbed.

Lucy Bronze fired the holders into the lead before Swedish teenager Smilla Holmberg blasted her effort high over the crossbar to end the contest.

It all looked so different for the Swedes as they roared into an early lead, Stina Blackstenius teeing up captain Kosovare Asllani to score in the second minute after England gave the ball away cheaply, and Blackstenius then out-ran Jess Carter to score with a confident finish herself in the 25th minute.

The Swedes looked more than comfortable throughout the first half as England floundered.

Following the interval coach Sarina Wiegman rang in the changes, bringing on Beth Mead, Michelle Agyemang and Esme Morgan in the 70th minute, and the introduction of Chloe Kelly a few minutes later added even more attacking verve.

Bronze pulled a goal back for England in the 79th minute, meeting Kelly’s cross and heading home from a tight angle to re-ignite the white-clad fans in the crowd and Agyemang levelled two minutes later with a superb poacher’s finish to send the game to extra time.

Both sides had their fair share of chances in extra time but the game went to penalties, and though the Swedes missed their first spot kick, Falk’s superb saves soon put them in the driving seat.

She had the chance to win it but she sent her kick high over the bar, and though she saved from Grace Clinton, Bronze beat her from the spot.

After Sofia Jakobsson’s miss, the pressure proved too much for the 18-year-old Holmberg, who fired over.

“Right now, I don’t know, I don’t know,” England keeper Hannah Hampton, who suffered a bloody nose in the game, said when asked how she felt after the dramatic victory.

“It’s just all gone so quick, like that last little bit in the penalty shootout, but… we’re very happy, obviously, you can see all the celebrations going around.”

Wiegman breathed a sigh of relief at the final whistle.

“It was hard. One of the hardest games I’ve ever watched. Very emotional. We could’ve been out four or five times during the game. When you’re 2-0 down at halftime, it’s not good,” she said.

“We started really badly and then at the end of the first half we got better and in the second half we got better but we didn’t create anything so we had to change shape. Then we scored two goals so that was crazy already.

“Then we go into extra-time, some players injured, some players cramping, Hannah Hampton with blood all over the place, then we go to the penalty shootout and we miss a lot but they miss even more and we’re through,” she added.

England will face Italy in Geneva on Tuesday for a place in the final.