Match report: Denmark 0-1 Sweden
Group C: Filippa Angeldahl scored the only goal in the game to give Peter Gerhardsson’s side an early advantage in Group C, writes Sophie Downey from the furnace that is Stade de Geneve
Kosovare Asllani: On the occasion of her 200th cap, the Sweden midfielder is presented with a jersey with her name and the No200 on the back. She and her teammates adjourn to one end of the ground, where they assemble for a mass selfie with all the Sweden fans behind the goal. Asllani stands proudly on the advertising hoarding looking very proud of herself and well she might. congratulations to her on a hugely impressive milestone.
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A quick recap: A ridiculously long VAR check, identical twins going off with possibly identical niggles, a couple of goalline clearances, the woodwork being struck, a thunderbolt of a free-kick saved brilliantly, a fine team goal, a student studying physics in the stands and a woman with a megaphone singing Abba songs …
The higlights package of this match will certainly be worth watching, even if nothing much seemed to happen for long periods. We almost certainly have the heat to thank for that but chapeau to the players of both teams for putting on such a decent show in very trying circumstances.
Full time: Denmark 0-1 Sweden
The winner takes it all! The better team over 90 minutes (it was nearer 106) despite being forced to ride their luck at times, Sweden take the points courtesy of Filippa Angeldahl’s strike after some fine build-up play by herself and her teammates. Denmark went close on a couple of occasions, never more so than when Pernille Harder struck a fine shot off the woodwork. The Swedes go top of the group, with Germanby and Poland due to face off in St Gallen in 50 minutes.
90+9 min: Instead of heading for the corner flag to run down the clock, Stina Blackstenius drills a low ball across the face of the Denmark goal but is unable toi pick out Lina Hurtig. What are you doing?
90+8 min: Pernille Harder sends a header wide, failing to connect properly with a cross. That might be that for the Danes.
90+5 min: We’re deep into kitchen sink time for Denmark and Janni Thomsen cuts in from the left wing, wends her way to the edge of the area and unleashes … a disappointingly feeble shot that trickles straight into the waiting arms of Jennifer Falk. It was a dismal effort from Thomasen after more good work down that wing but to be fair, she must be absolutely shattered.
90+1 min: We’ll have nine minutes of added time, which seems a little excessive. Sanne Troelsgaard is on for Denmark, while Hanna Bennison is on for Sweden. Emma Snerle and Filippa Angeldahl the goalscorer make way.
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86 min: Hurtig is straight into action, blocking a powerful header from – that woman again – Denmark’s Pernille Harder, who had got on the end of a Janni Thomsen corner. The ball’s cleared to Nadia Nadim, whose ambitious overhead kick lands in the gloves of Jennifer Falk.
84 min: Sweden double-substitution: Lina Hurtig and Sofia Jakobsson in for Asllani and Rytting Kaneryd.
81 min: Sweden’s Rebecka Blomqvist has a shot blocked at one end and moment’s latwr at the other, Pernille Harder advances, cuts inside Linda Sembrant and unleashes a rising drive that smashes off the woodwork. That was a chance! A great chance!
77 min: Denmark have made anotyher change, bringing on Nadia Nadim for Sara Holmgaard. Both twins are off with niggles and the veteran Afghanistan-born 37-year-old is on. She’ll be retiring from international football once Denmark’s interest in this tournament ends.
75 min: Or maybe it’s none of those things and the players of both teams have simply been hypnotised by the Sweden fan with the megaphone who is singing the chorus of Abba’s Lay All Your Love On Me on a loop in the stand. There are worse ear-worms, I suppose.
72 min: Maybe it’s the heat, maybe it’s the interruptions for the substitutions, or maybe a combination of both but the game seems to have lost all it's impetus and rhythm. It’s a state of affairs that will suit Sweden just fine as they seek to see out their win.
69 min: I joked in the first half about twins feeling each other’s pain but get this – Karen Holmgaard has gone off with what looked like a hamstring injury and now her twin sister Sara appears to be limping too. Spooky, eh?
Denmark double-substitution: Josefine Hasbo and Signe Bruun are on for Karen Holmgaard and Amalie Vangsgaard.
Sweden double-substitution: Smilla Holmberg and Rebecka Blomqvist are on for Janogyand Lundkvist.
65 min: Sweden’s Madelen Janogy dives to get her head to an excellent Hanna Lundkvist cross towards the far post. She sends her effort wide and thumps the ground in frustration.
62 min: Oh my! Sweden go this close to scoring their second from a corner only for Frederike Thorgerson to hook away a Stina Blackstenius shot that was going into the corner. Sweden thought they’d scored but were denied by a brilliant goalline clearance.
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58 min: Denmark’s Janni Thomson gallops down the left wing and drifts inside with the ball at her feet but her excellent, energy-sapping work comes to nothing when she fails to either shoot, hold the ball up or pick out a teammate and just gives away possession after running into traffic.
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57 min: Denmark attempt to restore parity immediately but Sweden centre-back Nathalie Bjorn is in the right place to block a low, goalbound shot from Emma Snerle that was trundling towards the bottom corner.
GOAL! Denmark 0-1 Sweden (Angeldahl 55)
Sweden lead! Angeldahl plays a give-and-go with Kosovare Asllani on the edge of the Denmark box, receives the return pass and fires a low shot into the far corner.
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54 min: For Sweden, Asllani receives the ball in a good position on the inside left but isunable to … oh, hang on – there’s been a goal.
52 min: Sweden advance with Kaneyrd on the ball. She has the freedom of the pitch and charges to the edge of the Denmark box before laying it off to Angeldaahl. She tries to curl a shot into the bottom corner from 20 yards but is unable to get the necessary bend on her shot, which cannons into a defender.
51 min: After an extremely lively start to the first half, the corresponding minutes of the second have been utterly uneventful.
49 min: A couple of the stand have completely emptied due to the searing heat. I’m not sure where the occupants have moved to but they obviously found the temperature unbearable.
46 min: Emma Snerle gets the second half under way for Denmark and there are on changes in personnel on either side. During the break, a cameraman on the Uefa feed zoomed in on the reading material of one young Danish fan who was deeply engrossed in a textbook entitled Particle Physics. A real page-turner, if I remember correctly.
Half-time: Denmark 0-0 Sweden
It’s been an absorbing enough opening half but good chances have been very few and far between. Sweden have been the better team and had the pick of the chances, with FIlippa Angeldahl forcing a wonderful save out of Denmark goalkeeper Maja Bay with a thunderbolt of a freekick a little under 10 minutes ago.
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45+7: Emma Scherle is booked retrospectivewly for a late challenge on Angeldaahl after our Brazilian referee had allowed Sweden to play the advantage. And that’s it for the first half …
45+6 min: “Re: your choice of beverage during the drinks break,” writes Joe Pearson. “As it was only 12:30 or so here in Indiana, I went with a Chardonnay. No judgment.”
45+4 min: Snerle spreads the ball wide for Denmark but the intended recipient of her pass, Karen Holmgaard, is unable to control the high ball properly. Sweden win it back.
45+2 min: We’re into seven minutes of added time, most of them due to the five minutes it took various officials to decide not to award what would have been a massively unjust penalty to Denmark earlier in the game. Swedish continue to have the upper hand but they’re certainly not having it all their own way.
44 min: There wasn’t much finesse about that free-kick; Angeldahl just leathered a surface-to-air screamer towards the goal. I was certain it was going into the top corner but Bay’s save was terrific and well worth the congratulations she received from various relieved teammates seconds later.
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43 min: Sweden get a free-kick in a great position just outside the Denmark penalty area. The Danes form a red wall of resistance and Filippa Angeldahl steps up to strike. Her shot is a beauty and looks destined for the top corner until Denmark goalkeeper Maja Bay pulls off a superb save.
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41 min: Karen Holmgaard is OK to continue and I can confirm that just because she hurt her knee, her twin sister Sara didn’t appear to feel her pain. You hear that about twins, sometimes … or have I imagined that?
39 min: There’s a break in play as Danish midfielder Karen Holmgaard receives treatment for an injury and the players of both teams return to the touchline to get more liquids on board. The temperature out on the pitch in Geneva is hovering around the 30c mark.
37 min: Denmark win a corner but the inswinger is comfortably claimed by Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk.
36 min: On the edge of the Swedish penalty area, a little left of centre, Pernille Harder picks up a pass from her Danish teammate Emma Snerle and tries to arrow a shot into the far corner. It’s not a terrible effort but the ball sails over the angle of crossbar and upright.
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34 min: Sweden win their fifth corner of the game and the delivery is punched clear by Jennifer Falk. The Swedes recycle the ball, get it back in the box and it’s cleared to Nathalie Bjorn on the edge of the area. She curls a shot well wide and it’s head-in-hands time for the centre-half.
31 min: Sweden continue their policy of getting the ball wide to Rytting Kaneyrd on the right touchline as often as possible but the Chelsea winger is not getting a great deal of change out of an extremely well organised Danish defence.
329 min: Sweden corner. Nathalie Bjorn gets her head to the ball at a crowded near post but sends her effort wide. She’s then penalised for a non-existent foul on the Danish goalkeeper because they happened to be standing in the same Swiss canton.
26 min: It’s getting tasty out there. Denmark’s Amelie Vangsgaard appeals for a free-kick or something more punitive as Julie Zigotti Olme flies in with a challenge and sends her up in the air. She doesn’t get one and there’s a pause for a drinks break. Seeing as it’s a Friday evening, mine’s a large vodka, lime and soda, please. Don’t spare the ice.
24 min: Sweden keep turning the screw but Denmark are looking fairly obdurate in defence. The Swedes get the ball wide to Kaneryd, who has touchline chalk on her boots, but Sara Holmsgaard is on hand to intercept and put the ball out for a throw-in.
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22 min: Shaping like rugby’s Jonny Wilkinson readying himself to take a penalty kick from inside his own half, Denmark’s Emma Snerle launches another free-kick from distance towards the Sweden penalty area. I’ll tell you what – she can’t half hoof the ball but on this occasion she is unable to pick out a teammate.
20 min: Despite that earlier, extremely lengthy penalty scare, Sweden definitely look a class above their Danish opponents and have had much the better of this game in the opening 20 minutes.
17 min: Sweden attack again. Johanna Rytting Kaneryd canters down the inside right and pulls the ball back to Stina Blackstenius from the byline. Before the two-times Ballon D’Or runner-up can sort her feet out and get a shot away from six yards, Katrine Veje gets back to steal the ball with an excellent challenge. She had to turn her after-burners on there.
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15 min: Sweden win a couple of corners in quick succession but are unable to make them count. They advance upfield again with Asllani on the ball, she plays it inside from the left wing and Denmark win it back.
13 min: A recap: Janogy was trying to chase Harder as the Danish captain tried to latch on to the long ball ball into the box. She lost her balance and fell over with her arms outstretched to protect herself – as people tend to do – and the ball hit her hand. If that had been given as a penalty the Swedes would have had every right to feel very aggrieved.
VAR check complete: No penalty ...
11 min: It took an eternity but we got there in the end. Janogy breathes a sigh of relief and Denmark don’t get a penalty. I think it’s the right decision but Pernille Harder and others disagree with me.
9 min: After a lengthy delay, the VAR officials abdicate responsibility and send our Brazilian referee to her pitchside monitor. Janogy was falling to the ground when the ball hit her arm and I’m not sure what she could have done to avoid the contact. We’re into our fifth minute of this nonsense now …
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VAR check for a penalty!
6 min: Denmark win a free-kick about 10 yards inside the Sweden half and Emma Snerle tries to pick out Pernille Harder at the back post with a ferociously struck welly. She gets contact on the ball but is only able to steer a weak effort towards Sweden goalkeeper Jennifer Falk. There’s a VAR check for a potential handball by Sweden’s Madelen Janogy, who was marking Harder.
4 min: From the counter-attack, the Danes win the second corner of the game after a Janni Thomsen cross is put out of play. Sweden clear their lines.
3 min: Sweden go close, with Johanna Rytting Kaneryd cutting into the Denmark penalty area from the right and picking out Filippa Angeldahl. Her shot takes a deflection and goes out for a corner from which the Danes break upfield. It’s a lively start.
1 min: Within seconds of kick-off, Denmark’s Karen Holmgaard gets an early ticking off from referee Batista for a rough challenge on Kosovare Asllani and some post-tackle “afters”. She avoids a booking.
Denmark v Sweden is go ...
1 min: With Germany near certainties to top the group and tournament debutants Poland expected to do little more than make up the numbers in Group C, this match is huge. Following a perfectly observed silence for Diogo and Andre, Sweden get the ball rolling, with the players of both teams wearing … well, the colours of Denmark and Sweden respectively. Game on!
Not long now: Referee Edina Alves Batista and her team of match officials lead out the teams, who line up for their national anthems. Once those who have been sung, they’ll assemble around the edge of the centre-circle and have a minute’s silence for Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, the Portuguese footballing brothers who lost their lives in a traffic accident in Spain yesterday.
Andree Jeglertz: Denmark’s head coach is also heading for the exit door as soon as the nation’s interest in this tournament is over but begins it with a match against his native Sweden. The 53-year-old’s contract with Denmark expires this summer, at which point he will take over as the head coach of Manchester City women, an appointment that was announced yesterday. He will be replaced in the Denmark role by Jakob Michelse.
Peter Gerhardsson: This tournament will mark the end of the Sweden head coach’s eight-year spell in charge of his country, a period in which he led his team to third plac e in two World Cups, an Olympic silver medal and a semi-final place at the Euros. Despite these impressive achievements, he will, however, be best remembered as the bloke who accidentally wandered into a broom cupboard following a press conference at the last World Cup.
As Ella Lindvall pointed out in her team guide to Sweden, it was an error which was immortalised in cartoon form by the legendary David Squires, much to the genuine delight of Gerhardsson. After this tournament, he – Gerhardsson, not Squires – will be replaced by the former Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson.
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Tonight’s match officials
Referee: Edina Alves Batista
Assistant referees: Neuza Inês Back and Fabrini Bevilaqua da Costa
Fourth Official: Ivana Martinčić
VAR: Tiago Bruno Lopes Martins
Assistant VAR: Jelena Cvetković
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Sweden team guide: Filippa Angeldahl, Stina Blackstenius and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd are among the world-class talents who will spearhead Sweden’s campaign. Words: Ella Lindvall.
Denmark team guide: Pernille Harder will lead from the front but Germany and Sweden are favourites to progress from Group C, writes Sofie Engberg Munch.
Denmark v Sweden line-ups
Denmark (3-5-3): Bay, Faerge, Ballisager, Veje, Thogersen, Karen Holmgaard, Snerle, Sara Holmgaard, Thomsen, Vangsgaard, Harder.
Subs: Larsen, Vingum, Thrige, Obaze, Troelsgaard, Nadim, Kuhl, Hasbo, Bredgaard, Madsen, Bruun, Kramer.
Sweden (4-3-3): Falk, Lundkvist, Bjorn, Sembrant, Andersson, Angeldal, Asllani, Zigiotti Olme, Kaneryd, Blackstenius, Janogy.
Subs: Holmgren, Enblom, Nilden, Eriksson, Hurtig, Jakobsson, Ilestedt, Wangerheim, Rolfo, Bennison, Holmberg, Blomqvist.
Early team news: Sweden’s promising young midfielder Rosa Kafaji will miss the tournament after undergoing surgery on an ankle injury she picked up in April. The 21-year-old has struggled for game time since moving to Arsenal from Hacken but has been earmarked as one for the future by her manager Reneee Slegers.
Barcelona left-back Fridolina Rolfo has travelled with the Sweden squad but there are slight concerns over her fitness after she damaged ligaments in her foot last month. In the extremely likely event that Kosovare Asllani features tonight, she will make her 200th appearance for her country.
Denmark have a comparatively clean bill of health and their manager Andre Jeglertz is likely to set out his stall with three at the back, while a potent looking front three should be comprised of Bayer Munich’s Pernille Harder, Bayer Leverkusen’s Cornelia Kramer and Real Madrid’s Signe Bruun.
Group C: Denmark v Sweden
With a player of the quality of Pernille Harder in their ranks, it’s no surprise our Euro 25 guide to Denmark says they “have the quality to beat anyone”. Unfortunately for the Danes, their most recent match was a month ago against tonight’s opponents in the Nations League and they were battered 6-1. It is an embarrassment they will be hoping to put behind them as they attempt to avoid an unwanted recent hat-trick of consecutive defeats against Sweden.
While Denmark qualified for this tournament by winning top spot in their qualification group ahead of Belgium and the Czech Republic, Sweden were forced to enter through the back door after finishing third in their group. They went on to score 20 goals without reply across playoff ties against Luxembourg and Serbia, and have since beaten Norway in a warm-up game. They go into tonight’s match at the Stade de Geneve on a 12-match unbeaten streak. Kick-off in Switzerland is at 5pm (BST) but stay tuned in the meantime for team news and build-up.
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