07/12/25 05:25:00
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07/12 17:23 CDT Sweden's crushing win over Germany at Women's Euros sets up
easier path to final
Sweden's crushing win over Germany at Women's Euros sets up easier path to final
By DANIELLA MATAR
AP Sports Writer
ZURICH (AP) --- Sweden put down a statement 4-1 win over Germany at the Women's
European Championship on Saturday and secured a potentially easier route to the
final.
This could be the year Sweden shakes off its ?bridesmaid' reputation.
Sweden won the first Women's Euros in 1984 and has finished as runner-up three
times since then. In coach Peter Gerhardsson's eight-year tenure, Sweden was
twice a World Cup semifinalist, took the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics and
reached the Euro 2022 semifinals.
"We've always been doing good in the tournaments before but never gone all the
way," midfielder Johanna Rytting Kaneryd said. "I have a really good feeling
and you can see that in the squad, its just something different this year."
Record eight-time champion Germany was dominated, and Sweden's task was made
easier after German forward Carlotta Wamser was sent off --- barely half an
hour in --- for swatting a ball away from the goal-line with her arm.
By that point Sweden was up 2-1 after goals from Stina Blackstenius and
teenager Smilla Holmberg canceled Jule Brand's early opener for Germany.
Fridolina Rolf calmly slotted the penalty after Wamser's red card and
substitute Lina Hurtig wrapped up the scoring to cap a miserable night for
Germany, which conceded four goals for the first time in any Euro match,
including qualifiers.
It also was the first time Sweden beat Germany at the Euros and ensured it
topped Group C with maximum points and avoided the possibility of facing World
Cup champion and Euro 2025 favorite Spain in the semifinals.
Sweden will face the runner-up of Group D in the quarterfinals, with Germany
facing the team that tops that group. That will be France, England or the
Netherlands.
"We wanted to finish first in the group, so now we have to analyse that with
the players, but don't forget we were outnumbered for 60 minutes," Germany
coach Christian Wck said.
"We are down at the moment but we will shake that off and we are very happy to
play the quarterfinals, no matter who the opponents are."
Germany and Sweden had already qualified for the knockout stages but their
match was decisive for top spot in the group, with a draw being enough for
Sweden thanks to a better goal difference.
There were four good chances in the opening five minutes and Germany took the
lead in the seventh when Brand ran onto a smart throughball from Wamser and
fired in.
It was the first goal Sweden conceded in the tournament but it recovered from
that setback just five minutes later. A rapid counterattack saw Blackstenius
collect the ball near the halfway line and race into the area before slotting
calmly past Ann-Katrin Berger.
Sweden led in somewhat fortunate circumstances in the 25th. Holmberg sprinted
into the area and was tackled by Germany defender Sarai Linder, who
inadvertently kicked the ball off the Swedish teen's shin and it ricocheted
into the net.
It was a first international goal for the 18-year-old Holmberg, who recently
graduated from high school.
It got worse for Germany when Wamser was shown a straight red card for blocking
a shot by Rolf with her arm. Wamser was in the team in place of Giulia Gwinn,
and the injured Germany captain put her arm around the young defender when she
left the pitch in tears.
Rolf dispatched the penalty into the bottom left corner.
Sweden's attack was relentless in the first half but, with the result seemingly
decided, it slacked off after the break, although Hurtig tapped in another in
the 80th.
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