Persistence paid off in the end for the Dutch. Their methodical passing was sloppy through the 90 minutes but they eventually found accuracy, possibly helped by Sweden tiring, and their goal came from a fluid move and a super finish by Groenen. They’ll need to do a lot more of that, and a lot sooner, if they are to beat the US.
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Full-time: Netherlands 1-0 Sweden
The Netherlands reach the World Cup final for the first time! Groenen’s superb goal sets up a Sunday showdown between the European champions and the United States! Sweden will face England on Saturday for the bronze medal.
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Et 30+5 min: Asllani is carried off on a stretcher to a warm ovation from the sympathetic crowd.
ET 30 min: Play has not yet resumed following that miss by Van de Sanden, owing to an injury to Asllani. It’s not clear what happened here, but she is treated by medics on the pitch and then helped on to a stretcher, seemingly in pain.
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ET 29 min: Van de Sanden is through on goal with a chance to seal the win! She pokes the ball with the outside of her boot ... way wide! Sweden still have a sliver of hope...
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ET 28 min: Seger strides out of defence and splits the Dutch defence with a splendid low pass. Jakobsson canters on to it down the left-hand channel. She has players in the box demanding a cross ... but another super sliding tackle by Van Lunteren prevents her from delivering one!
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ET 27 min: Sweden are piling on the pressure as they desperately seek an equaliser, but they can’t find enough precision around the box.
ET 26 min: Van de Donk booked for an ill-judged slide into Asllani on half-way.
ET 25 min: Asllani sends in an outswinging corner from the right. Fischer can’t get a clean header, and Van de Sanden is able to hook the ball upfield.
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ET 24 min: Sweden exert pressure ... until Glas is adjudged to have foul Van de Donk, whose smile suggests she’s relieved with that decision.
ET 22 min: The Netherlands flight a good freekick over from the right, Miedema laps high at the back post and nods just wide.
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Sweden substitutions: Larsson and Andersson on, Blackstenius and Erisson off.
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ET 20 min: Lindhal hoofs a mighty freekick into the Dutch area. It’s hit and hope time from Sweden. But it’ll take more than that to unlock this Dutch defence.
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ET 17 min: Roord lopes into the right-hand side of the box then pops over a low cross. It’s sent back out to here, so this time she tries a shot. Sidenetting.
ET 16 min: Asllani makes a beeline for the Dutch box, but as soon as she gets there she’s forced back out by Bloodworth.
Half-time in extra-time: Netherlands 1-0 Sweden
After a well-balanced 90 minutes, the Dutch took charge in extra-time and were rewarded with a fine goal. But Sweden showed enough in the last two minutes to warn against getting comfortable just yet..
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ET 14 min: Asllani goes down in the Dutch box and Swedish fans holler for a penalty. But it was an excellent tackle by Van Dongen.
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ET 12 min: No sign of that second wind yet, as the Dutch hog possession. The Swedes don’t seem to have the energy to chase them so hard any more.
ET 10 min: Now, can Sweden find a second wind and fight back?
GOAL! Netherlands 1-0 Sweden (Groenen ET 9')
There’s the breakthrough! It came a nice passing sequence, which Groenen joined by darting up from midfield to take the ball in her stride and crack a fine low shot into the net from 20 yards!
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ET 9 min: Asllani penalised yet again for a foul on half-way.
ET 8 min: The Netherlands are starting to pen the tiring Sweden back now...
ET 6 min: Van de Sanden charges into the right-hand side of the Swedish box, then chops back on to her left foot and hangs up a cross ... that drifts beyond two teammates.
ET 5 min: Zigiotti is shown a yellow card for an overly rugged challenge on Van de Donk on half-way.
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ET 4 min: Groenen curls the ball into the box from the right. Lindhal comes off her line to push it off the head off Miedema.
ET 2 min: Groenen slides the ball forward to Van de Sanden, bounding down the right. She sends over a well-intentioned cross, but no one can get on the end of it.
ET 1 min: Sweden get things going again.
End of 90 mins: Netherlands 0-0 Sweden
The deadlock remains unbroken, so there’ll be 30 energy-sapping minutes of extra-time. USA are the big winners here so far.
90+2 min: Van de Sanden fires a cross-shot from the right towards the far corner. Lindahl stretches out a hand to flick it behind for a corner!
90 min: The teams have at least five more minutes to find an unlikely winner ...
90 min: Van de Sanden does well on the right and then aims a clever low pass to Van de Donk, who miscontrols 15 yards from goal.
89 min: Blackstenius chests the ball down near half way and then turns and launches into a barnstorming run. She rollicks past three players before finally being stopped at the edge of the box!
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87 min: A careless foul by Van de Donk gives Sweden a freekick in a dangerous location, to the right of the box. Eriksson goes for goal but curls it a yard over the bar.
85 min:Superb turn between two players by Jakobsson. But then she’s dispossessed as she scampers towards the Dutch box. But Van de Donk gives the ball away - not for the first time - and Sweden threaten again, until Bloodworth cleans up.
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84 min: Fischer comes to Sweden’s rescue with a lovely tackle in the box.
80 min: Blackstenius wins a corner after a burst down down the right. Eriksson sends it towards the near post, where it’s headed out for another. This time Eriksseon reverts to the tactic of planting it on top o the keeper. Good idea, because Van Veenendaal’s punch is weak again. But Asllani skies a shot from 12 yards, thanks to pressure put on by Van de Sanden.
78 min: The Netherlands have been better in the last few minutes without achieving real fluency.
Sweden substitutions: Zigiotti and Janogy on, Hurtig and Rubensson off. Will those changes have an effect that avoids extra-time?
74 min: Before the corner is taken, the ref sees fit to lecture the Dutch defence, presumably about holding. The corner is cleared and Van de Sanden collects the ball and romps into opposing territory. With the crowd cheering her on she reaches the box before it’s put out for a corner.
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73 min: Van Lunteren makes another trademark sliding tackle, this time prodding the ball off the feet of Asllani at the expense of a corner.
Netherlands substitution: Van de Sanden on, Beerensteyn off. That’s a popular one, judging by the huge cheers from the Dutch fans.
67 min: Asllani skins Spitse down the left and hurtles along the byline looking for someone to pick out. But no one shows, so she has to go for a hopeful cross into the danger zone. The keeper collects.
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65 min: Excellent tackle in the area by Van Lunteren on Jakobsson.
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63 min: Bloodworth strides forward for the first Dutch corner of the game. IT floats over her but lands on the head of Miedema, who sends it goalward from eight yards. Lindahl’s gets a tiny but critical touch to push it on to the crossbar!
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60 min: The ref doesn’t appear to like the way Asllani goes into tackles. She’s given a lot of freekicks against her. In fact, that goes for the whole Swedish midfield. Sweden have 15 fouls awarded against them, compared to just two for the Dutch.
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58 min: Miedema has to drop back into her own half to get the ball. And when she gets it, she has little choice but to face her own goal and knock it backwards.
56 min: Blackstenius wins a corner on the right. Eriksson puts it right on top of the keeper again. It’s punched weakly to the edge of the box and fired back into the danger zone! When it rebounds out to Fischer, she cracks a low effort from 12 yards towards the bottom corner ... but Van Veenendaal hurls herself to her right to make a tremendous finger-tip save, touching it on to the post!
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54 min: Seger rolls the ball straight to Beerensteyn on half-way. The winger tries to get her skates on but can’t find enough speed to get away from the backtracking defender.
53 min: Van de Donk plays a nice one-two with Miedema to bring the Dutch to within shooting range. Then she flips the ball over to Roord, who shunts it back across the D to Miedema, who tries to bring in a player arriving on the right, but overhits her pass.
51 min: Good pressing by the Netherlands, who win the ball just outside the Swedish box. But Fischer recovers well to nick it back.
49 min: Fischer overruns the ball on halfway and is relieved of the ball, but the Dutch fail to take the initiative - on the contrary, in fact, they knock the ball back into their own half from deep in Swedish territory. And they don’t even do that accurately, so Sweden suddenly have a chance to punish them. But Bloodworth does brilliantly to block a shot by Blackstenius and then tidy up.
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47 min: Van de Donk tries to drop a pass over the top o the Swedish defence into the path of Miedema, but she overhits it badly, as so often in the first half.
46 min: The Netherlands have been forced into a change - Martens’ toe injury has flared up and she’s been replaced by Roord.
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“If they’ve been watching this and managing to stay awake, I imagine the fear and anxiety levels among the USA team is somewhere about the piña colada level, probably with a straw in it, an umbrella, frosting round the rim and lots of ice,” parps Charles Antaki. “Alternatively they’re not watching it at all and are busy arranging doctors’ notes to get them out of the White House invite.”
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“I wouldn’t say that was a super entertaining first half,” reckons JR in Illinois. “On the bright side, at least the game hasn’t been ruined by VAR. Yet.”
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Half-time: Netherlands 0-0 Sweden
It’s been a tense and scrappy semi-final so far. Sweden have been slightly the better and forced a couple of scary moments in the Dutch box. Lots of room for improvement, would be the positive spin to put on it. A place in the final is still up for grabs!
45 min: There will be at least three more minutes ...
43 min: Maybe a setpiece will provide the Netherland with a route to goal? No, as the freekick from the left is cleared. But the Dutch regain the ball and play their way back into the box nimbly. Fischer does well to block a shot from 12 yards by Beerenstyen.
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41 min: More sloppiness by the Dutch allows Jakobbson to ease Van Dongen off the ball and allow Sweden to start building again. But then they, too, get sloppy. “The more interesting fact about Caroline Seger is that her surname means ‘win’ or ‘victory’ in Swedish,” announces Taylor Sluggish, whose name means ‘journalist’ in English.
39 min: Spitse lets fly with a shot from long range but it doesn’t bother the keeper. “For Arsenal Miedema is the shambling wreck who pays brilliantly in the box and scores tons,” reckons Charles Antaki. “More of the shambling and less of the goals here so far.” In fairness, the service to her so far has been way short of adequate.
37 min: Asllani lands a corner right on top of Van Veenendaan, who punches it out for another one. This one provokes mayhem in the Dutch box! Rubensson’s shot from 14 yards is blocked, then Hurtig tries to stab it home from eight yards but Van Veenendaan reacts sharply to prod it away with her left foot!
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35 min: “Don’t be so sure that the US wants to play Sweden again,” quibbles Mary Waltz. “Although the Netherlands have more individual quality they are similar to France and England, teams that they beat. Sweden is a disciplined physical squad that if they score first can bunker down, frustrate even the most talented teams, and strike on the counter.” And they’ve been slightly the better here so far, though, in truth, neither side has so far performed here in a way that would worry the US.
33 min: The Dutch have been patient and persistent when it comes to trying to play their passing style even though it’s been breaking down quite a lot. Van der Gragt decides to introduce some variety with a more direct ball from back to front. But can’t get to it before Miedema the centrebacks.
31 min: Miedema tries to slip a pass through to Martens near the edge o the Swedish box, but her intentions are read. Play is then halted so that Beerenstyen can receive treatment after a heavy collision.
29 min: Van de Donk gives the ball away sloppily; then Hurtig does likewise. Here’s Jesper Haglund with a fun fact: “If Sweden reaches the final and Caroline Seger gets to play in it, that will be her 200th Sweden cap.” And here’s a fun fact of my own: if she plays in the third-placed playoff, that too would be her 200th cap.
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26 min: Sweden play their way coolly out of defence ... before Van Lunteren dispossesses Dekker with a perfect sliding tackle. She certainly likes a physical challenge, does the Dutch defender.
24 min: Bloodworth makes another crucial interception, this time to stop a pass by Glas from finding the ever-lurking Blackstenius.
22 min: Another nice move by Sweden, who work the ball wide to Jakabsson on the right. She fizzes a low cross towards the edge f the six-yard box, where Bloodworth intervenes before Blackstenius can profit.
20 min: Van Lunteren curtails a break by Rubsensson with a hard and fair challenge by the touchline.
18 min: Eriksson curls over a dangerous freekick from near the right-hand corner flag. Van Venendaal does well to tip it out for a corner on the far side. When this one is delivered, Blackstenius is rumbled for a crafty foul.
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15 min: It’s very even now, the Dutch have found a groove.
13 min: Jakobsson strides through midfield and draws the last defender, then threads the ball through to Blackstenius, who runs into the right-hand side of the box and opens fire. But not with enough power to trouble Van Venendaal. The keeper is troubled, on the other hand, by Jakobsson’s follow-up. But after a bit of treatment she declares herself fit enough to continue.
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11 min: Sweden are forced into surrendering possession just outside the area, then Van de Donk slips a nice pass through to Miedema. She’s about to shoot from 16 yards when Seger denies her with a superb sliding tackle.
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10 min: Asllani’s cross from the right sails beyond the far post. Van Lunteren should tidy up but doesn’t, allowing Hurtig to nick the ball and dodge past her along the byline. He cross is fielded by the keeper, however.
8 min: Beerensteyn does well down the right, using both skill and strength to create room for a cross, which she delivers well. Sweden head it clear.
7 min: Sweden continue to apply the pressure. They’re quicker to the ball and using it better when they get it, showing far more fluency.
5 min: Blackstenius lays the ball wide to the overlapping Eriksson, who spanks over a useful cross. But the keeper claims it well.
3 min: The Dutch catch out Sweden with a quick freekick, and suddenly Miedema spots an opening from the edge of the area. She fires off a decent shot, but wide of the target.
2 min: Sweden have passed the ball better in the opening minutes. The Dutch haven’t yet found their range and have given possession away very easily a couple of times.
1 min: Netherlands v Sweden is go!
Sweden win the toss and elect to kickoff.
Here come the teams. The stadium in Lyon is rocking. Sweden are sporting dark blue jerseys and yellow shorts, while the Netherlands are as orange as they please.
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Lineup change
Nathalie Bjorn appears to have hurt herself during the warm-up. Her misfortune means a reprieve for Rubensson, who will start, after all.
The Dutch team have come out to warm up. At least I’m guessing they have because tens of thousands of orange-clad folk have just let out a huge roar. It’s practically a home game for Holland - maybe that’ll help them recapture their European Championship groove from two years ago, when they lifted the trophy as hosts.
The BBC’s pundits are still digesting the outcome of the first semi-final. Alex Scott reckons England lost because of the Americans’ superior fitness, whereas Rachel Brown-Finnis says that was absolutely not a factor - “it was all down to experience, how they managed the game”.
Phil Neville said that he thinks Sweden will prevail today, meaning England will face Holland in Saturday’s third-place playoff. If he’s right, then expect pained groans to be the soundtrack at the stadium in Lyon today, because there are far, far more Dutch fans than Swedes. The last time anywhere in France was so orange, The Cure got so excited they played a concert there.
Teams
Seden have made two changes to the side that shocked Germany. Lina Hurtig replaces the suspended Rolfo, while Nathalie Bjorn comes into midfield instead of Elin Rubensson. Martens is fit enough to start for the Dutch, as expected, but Shanice Van de Sanden has paid the price for her disappointing performances in the tournament so far and been replaced by Lineth Beerensteyn.
The Netherlands: Van Veenendaal; Van Lunteren, Bloodworth, Van der Gragt, Van Dongen; Groenen, Van de Donk, Spitse; Beerensteyn, Miedema, Martens
Subs: Van Es, Dekker, Van de Sanden, Pelova, R Jansen, Kaagman, Kop, E Jansen, Kerkdijk, Roord, Van der Most, Geurts
Sweden: Lindahl; Glas, Fischer, Sembrant, Eriksson; Rubensson, Asllani, Seger; Jakobsson, Blackstenius, Hurtig
Subs: Andersson, Janogy, Falk, Ilstedt, Roddar, Zigiotti, Anvegard, Larsson, Musovic, Schough, Rubensson
Referee: M Beaudouin (Canada)
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Preamble
Hello and welcome to the clash of the in-your-face outsiders. The Netherlands and Sweden came into this tournament without fanfare, ranked eighth and ninth in the world respectively, but here they are duelling to decide who takes on the United States in Sunday’s World Cup final. Will it be Holland, who are appearing in this tournament for only the second time in their history but who are reigning European champions even if they have stuttered since gaining that crown? Or will it be Sweden, who are contesting their fourth World Cup semi-final, three years after reaching their first Olympic final? I don’t know, that’s what we’re here to find out. It’s on!
Maybe the Americans would prefer to face Sweden, since they already beat them 2-0 in the group stages, although the Swedes were not at full strength then. That, as it happens, is the same score by which Holland beat Sweden when the countries last met – in 2017 – but the Swedes have improved since then under the management of Peter Gerhardsson and have also found a groove in the course of this tournament, following up their defeat by the US with deserved victories over Canada and Germany. But ace winger Fridolina Rolfö picked up yellow cards in both those games so she is suspended for this one; that’s a shame because her conniving with Stina Blackstenius was especially dangerous. The Dutch will still have to be way of Blackstenius, though, as well as a a powerful Swedish collective.
The Dutch have hit a rhythm as they have advanced through this competition and they, too, have a couple of top-notch mischief-makers, as Lieke Martens and the prolific Vivianne Miedema work slickly together. But Martens has been suffering with toe trouble in the run-up to this game and if Holland are below their best, then Sweden might just spring another surprise. As we said: It’s on!
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