SLAMMING eight goals past a hapless Norway is all well and good, but if you’re going to win a major tournament, you’re going to have to dig deep and come through a bit of adversity.

With six minutes of last night’s quarter-final against Spain to play, England Women were heading out of the Euros. The fact they found a way to turn things around says more about their credentials as potential champions than any of the 14 goals they scored to come through the group stage.

England’s players displayed resilience, character and some much-needed composure as they survived the whirlwind of Spain’s slick passing approach before gradually imposing their own game on a set of opponents who raised their performance levels markedly after limping out of their group.

Their manager, Sarina Wiegman, was equally impressive, acting boldly and decisively with her second-half substitutions to alter the focus of England’s attack and ask different questions of a Spanish defence that had looked comfortable against Ellen White and Beth Mead but that suddenly looked all at sea when posited against the much more physical Alessia Russo and the explosive Ella Toone.

From a position where England had seemingly run of ideas, having spent more than an hour being frustrated by a Spanish side who had clearly done their homework and worked out that shutting down Keira Walsh was the key to neutering the English midfield, the Lionesses rediscovered their roar when they needed it most.

The question now, ahead of a semi-final against Sweden or Belgium and a potential final that could well pit England against either Germany or France, is what last night’s win has taught us for the remainder of the tournament. Having come this far, what do England have to do next if they are to walk away with the Euro 2022 trophy at Wembley a week on Sunday?

The first key takeaway from the Spain success is that the Lionesses are unquestionably potential champions. The players probably knew that anyway, having been building for this home tournament ever since Wiegman was appointed as Phil Neville’s successor last year, but it can’t help to be reminded of just how strong a group England’s Dutch head coach has assembled.

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The starting XI proved its worth in the group matches – the supporting cast rode to the rescue when things were going wrong last night. Other teams have their superstars, but England boast the deepest group of talent at the Euros.

The Lionesses have also proved they can handle the weight of expectation and pressure generated by a capacity home crowd. The atmosphere at England’s matches has been electric, and is set to get even better at Bramall Lane next Tuesday and hopefully at Wembley on the following weekend. For all they have starred on the world stage at World Cups and Olympic Games, England’s players had never previously sampled the unique pressures of a tournament knockout game in front of home fans. They have now – and the experience, especially in the closing stages, appeared to lift them to an even higher level. That could be crucial in the remainder of the tournament.

Wiegman’s selections will also be hugely important, and after sticking with the same 11 players for all four matches so far, the head coach finds herself with plenty to ponder ahead of Tuesday night.

England weren’t awful in the opening hour of the Spain game, but they certainly looked leggy and predictable in attack. Mead and Lauren Hemp, so devastating against Norway and Northern Ireland in particular, were marked out of the game by Spain’s athletic full-backs, and with Walsh being shadowed by Aitana Bonmati, the Lionesses couldn’t get their high-pressing game going.

Wiegman is far too experienced a coach to go in for any kneejerk reactions, and England’s game plan for the semi-final will clearly be influenced by the outcome of tomorrow’s quarter-final between Sweden and Belgium. However, whoever England find themselves playing against in the last four, the likes of Russo, Toone and Chloe Kelly in particular must come into contention for a starting spot.

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At the other end of the field, Rachel Daly suffered a torrid time after Athenea del Castillo came off the bench at the interval, and while the Harrogate-born 30-year-old performed creditably in the three group games despite being a right-footed defender playing at left-back, England looked much more defensively balanced when Alex Greenwood replaced her for the final eight minutes of normal time. Greenwood has to have a strong shout of starting the semi-final whoever England find themselves lining up against.

From Wiegman’s perspective, one of the key positives to have emerged from yesterday’s win is that each and every member of the squad has been reminded that they could be the player that makes the key difference in either a semi-final or final. Whereas some managers are reluctant to make decisive changes, perhaps wanting to disguise the fact that they initially got things wrong, Wiegman will not hesitate if she feels to has to move to a Plan B, or even a Plan C or D.

“It starts with the quality of the players,” said England’s head coach, when asked about her second-half alterations against Spain. “We have so much quality in the team, so it is easier to make those substitutes and know they will make a difference. That is not me, that is the quality of the players.”

True, but you also need a manager who knows how to make the most of them. In the crucial closing stages of last night’s game, both elements were in place.

The Lionesses head into next week’s semi-final in a buoyant mood. Two games to go; two games standing between England’s players and footballing immortality.