England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton's odds-defying journey to the Euro 2025 final

Yet that was the case for Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk who was upstaged by her England counterpart Hannah Hampton in a remarkable penalty shoot-out in the Euro 2025 quarter-final. 

Hampton had denied Filippa Angeldahl earlier in the shoot-out but misses from Lauren James, Beth Mead and Alex Greenwood put Sweden on the cusp of victory. 

That was until goalkeeper Falk inexplicably blazed the potential decider over the crossbar - allowing Hampton, who was a student in Burntwood, to take centre stage. 

Bruised, battered and bloodied-nosed, Hampton plunged to her right to claw Eva Jakobsson's penalty on to the post in sudden death. 

England initially failed to capitalise until Lucy Bronze finished emphatically to swing the pendulum in the Lionesses' favour. 

Moments later, Smilla Holmberg blasted over and England had made it through to back-to-back Euro semi-finals.

For Hampton, it was her first, and England's dramatic 2-1 victory over Italy in extra-time on Tuesday night means she will now be playing in her first Euro final on Sunday in Basel. 

Her dream (which she will be eager to crown with glory) has turned into a reality, but her journey to stardom is what makes it taste extra sweet. 

From birth, Hampton has defied the odds and required multiple surgeries to correct a serious eye condition. She was told by doctors she should not play football. 

"I had to just accept it and find ways to go around that. I think I've managed that," Hampton reflected in an interview beamed on ITV prior to the semi-final. 

"My parents told my doctors that I was a footballer and they basically said she will never be able to play in professional sport due to not having any depth perception. 

"There were times when I thought: is it going to hinder me? Is it going to stop me? 

"But I was determined to not let people tell me what I can and can't do, and proving people wrong." 

Proving the doubters wrong is exactly what Hampton did. The Birmingham-born shot-stopper actually started out as a striker where she was scouted by Villarreal after emigrating to Spain aged five. 

After returning to England in 2010, Hampton joined Stoke City's centre of excellence which is where she made discovered her aptitude between the sticks. 

During her time with the Potters, she also attended Erasmus Darwin Academy and visited her old school ahead of the tournament, clearly remembering her roots which eventually helped propel her to the top. 

"We're all backing her here in Burntwood," former PE teacher Emma Heighway told BBC last month. 

"She was incredibly talented across a lot of sports, she could have gone international at a lot of things. 

"She would play outfield against the boys and would run rings around every single person she came up against. 

"It's amazing, obviously as an academy we feel incredibly proud of her journey, it's brilliant to have this local hero." 

From there, Hampton joined hometown club Birmingham City, although she spent her youth supporting West Midlands neighbours West Brom. 

After rocketing through the ranks with the Blues, the 24-year-old signed her first professional contract in 2018 and broke into the first team following the departure of veteran goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger. 

Hampton was an ever-present for her final two seasons with Birmingham before she made the switch to cross-city rivals Aston Villa in 2020.

By this stage, Hampton had been called up for the England senior team, but would have to wait another two years for his international bow. 

As Mary Earps shot to fame during the Lionesses' famous Euro 2022 triumph, Hampton watched on from the sidelines. Worse was to follow when it was claimed that she had been dropped by Sarina Wiegman due to her behaviour. 

Hampton later admitted she considered quitting at this stage, but she returned to the squad as Earps' understudy as England finished runners-up at the World Cup in 2023. 

After two seasons at Villa, Hampton made the switch to WSL giants Chelsea and it was in the capital that she has cemented her status as one of England's finest. 

Her debut season heralded her first league crown, before she won the Golden Glove en route to a domestic treble in 2024-25. 

Over the past two years, Wiegman has carefully overseen a changing on the guard in the goalkeeping department. 

Earps, two-time FIFA Women's goalkeeper of the year, faced serious competition at the turn of 2024, and Wiegman admitted earlier this year that Hampton was "slightly ahead" in the battle for the No 1 berth. 

Then, Earps, who won 51 caps for her country, shocked everybody by announcing her international retirement just five weeks before the start of Euro 2025. 

Hampton, who was in pole position to travel to Switzerland as first-choice anyway, suddenly came under unprecedented scrutiny. 

Yet amid the doubters and critics, Hampton remembered what it took to reach the top, and has no intentions of slowing down on her pursuit to greatness. 

"I never liked it when the fans didn't want me in the team and it was hurtful at times," she added in her ITV interview. 

"It got me upset, but I just want them to know that I will just give everything for this team and I will give everything for this nation to make us all proud. 

"All the comebacks that I've had from the setbacks, yes I've always had to prove people wrong. 

"I think that's what I love the most. Hopefully now you might've changed your mind, but if not then I'll keep proving you wrong and keep changing opinions."