Sweden defeats Poland and advances to the quarter-finals with Germany
The Swedes deservedly beat Poland on the second day of group play thanks to a strong performance and three headed goals. This puts Sweden, along with Germany, in the quarterfinals of the European Championship. Poland, however, was eliminated.
Lina Hurtig (left) sealed the deal with the 3-0 win. IMAGO/Bildbyran
For Sweden and Poland, the starting position before the second group matchday was simple: a win would take Sweden to the quarter-finals, while Poland would be eliminated early.
Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson made two changes to the back four after the 1-0 win against Denmark . Andersson and Sembrant were replaced by Nilden and Ilestedt. At the other end, Poland coach Nina Patalon made three substitutions after the 2-0 defeat to Germany : Wos, Grabowska, and Krezyman started in place of Dudek, Kamczyk, and Padilla-Bidas.
A one-sided game from the startFrom the very first minutes, it became clear that the match between Sweden and Poland would be a one-sided affair: The Swedes pressed the Poles back and created chance after chance. However, there was still room for improvement in the utilization of their opportunities. After 13 minutes, Asllani (3') and Janogy (13') had each hit the crossbar with their headers.
And the number of chances didn't really decrease as the game progressed: In the 22nd minute, Blackstenius, who was repeatedly deployed on Rytting Kaneryd's strong right flank, could have made it 1-0, but she shot over. Six minutes later, she did better, heading in the long-awaited opening goal after a cross from Asllani.
Always BlacksteniusSweden should have made the score more clear before the break, but Blackstenius (35th, 43rd, and 45th) didn't exactly show her finishing prowess. The Polish women couldn't get a grip on the striker at all, but they weren't punished for it. So, they went into the break with a narrow 1-0 lead.
| stadium | Swisspor Arena |
| Viewers | 14,176 |
After the break, Poland showed their first serious attack, but Sweden responded coolly with a 2-0 lead. Naturally, the attack came down the right wing: Rytting Kaneryd was simply too big for Poland's defense, she crossed in front of goal and captain Asllani headed in the 52nd minute. After that, Poland lost some of their momentum. Blackstenius could have made it 3-0 in the 61st minute, but was denied by Szemik. After this chance, the Swedes went into administration mode. Nevertheless, the 3-0 goal was still scored: following a corner, substitute Hurtig sealed the victory with her third header of the evening.
Almost the consolation goalShortly before the final whistle, the Poles, who have yet to score a goal at this European Championship, almost had a consolation goal, but Kokosz hit the post (90+4). This well-deserved Swedish victory, which underscores the Scandinavians' European Championship ambitions, puts Sweden and Germany ahead of the quarterfinals. The final for the group winner will take place at 9 p.m. on Saturday. Poland, who have been eliminated, will play the also-eliminated Denmark at the same time.
