England are ready to face Sweden in the Euro 2025 quarter-finals in Zurich on Thursday evening [Philipp Kresnik/SheKicks/SPP]

THEY shone in England colours in the last European Championship, and on Sunday Arsenal duo Alessia Russo and Beth Mead both impressed with a goal and assist apiece in a resounding 6-1 win over Wales in St Gallen.

The result took the Lionesses into the last eight where they will face a Sweden team that includes the Gunners’ Champions League winning goalscorer Stina Blackstenius and former Arsenal players Lina Hurtig and Amanda Ilestedt.

“They pose a very, very different threat and it’s a team we’ve played a lot in the past and hopefully we can nullify what they’re very good at and bring our strengths into the game,” Mead told reporters as she looked ahead to facing the Swedes in Zurich on Thursday.

For debutants Wales, however, it was the end of the road – but it seems fair to say that even without a victory in three tough matches, the lowest ranked team in the group and their fans departed EURO 2025 having lit up this competition.

Wales certainly won this hotly anticipated group stage battle with rivals England off the pitch.

Their captain Angharad James and head coach Rhian Wilkinson had not just gone through the motions in their pre-match press conference, they had spoken with a passion and intensity that felt refreshing.

The Wales fans filled the streets on the walk to the stadium with colour and noise [Catherine Etoe]

Their red, yellow and green bucket-hatted fans served up a treat too, joyously playing a boot-the-ball-high game in one of the town squares of St Gallen before kick-off, then filling the streets on the walk to the stadium with colour and noise.

England fans were happy to join in the party too, the two sets of supporters jovially mixing before kick-off, sharing drinks, songs and stories in a lively fan zone with a camaraderie that showed the women’s game at its very best.

But after a Welsh national anthem that was sung with such emotion that it could send shivers down the spines of the most neutral of observers, it was the defending champions who emerged victorious in front of almost 16,000 fans at St Gallen Arena.

Off the mark with a confident spot-kick from Georgia Stanway, Sarina Wiegman’s charges were 2-0 up within 20 minutes when a determined Russo found Ella Toone in the box.

Manchester United star Toone’s goal celebration included a kiss to the sky in honour of her late father and when Mead scored England’s fifth later in the game, she too celebrated with a nod to her mum.

“There’s an expectation for forwards to score, especially for England,” Mead said afterwards. “It was nice to get on the scoresheet and nice to be able to think about my mum in those moments as well.

“You look to the stands for your person and they’re not there anymore and my mum was the first person I would look for in the stands so I understand what Ella felt in that moment and it’s just special to be able to think about them and dedicate it to them.”

Toone certainly did her family proud, not only scoring but supplying two assists, the first the cross that Manchester City winger Lauren Hemp headed in for 3-0. Then, just before half time, her intelligent pass was gratefully seized upon by Russo for her first goal of the championship.

It took until late in the second half for England fans, backed by drums and trumpet as they trotted out that old EURO favourite “Sweet Caroline”, to get the fifth goal they craved. Substitute Mead delivered it, controlling an unselfish pass from Chelsea’s Aggie Beever-Jones to let fly past Olivia Clark.

Wales were not done, however, and four minutes later evergreen 38-year-old Jess Fishlock ran half the length of the pitch, slipped the ball through to Hannah Cain and the substitute belted the ball beyond Hannah Hampton for 5-1.

But England finished the stronger, Mead returning the favour to Beever-Jones who headed in to finish the rout.