Zlatan Ibrahimovic consoles young Swedish player after Euro 2025 penalty miss

Zlatan Ibrahimovic extended his support to young defender Smilla Holmberg after her penalty miss ended Sweden’s journey in the Euro 2025 quarter-finals against England.

Sweden suffered a 3-2 defeat in the penalty shootout — after 18-year-old Holmberg sent the ball over the crossbar in a shootout session that involved 14 players.

Ola Persson, Holmberg’s father, spoke to Swedish radio about his daughter’s distress after the match.

“I held my sad daughter in my arms about an hour after the game. She is strong and has received lots of support from the team, supporters, friends, and relatives — she even got a message from Zlatan this morning,” revealed Persson.

Ibrahimovic, who is a shareholder in Holmberg’s club Hammarby, sent a message to the young defender encouraging her to take the next penalty and keep believing in herself.