Sweden is third in the group of death where England and France take the direct spots. That after 0-0 in the directly decisive match against England.
– They are slightly better than us in the first half, then we try to fight our way into the match and do a much better second half, but don’t make it all the way, says Fridolina Rolfö.
Women’s national football team
18.30: Sweden – England in the qualifiers for European Championship 2025
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The conditions for the match were crystal clear. Sweden needed to win the match to knock England down from second place.
The first half was characterized by enormous ball possession for the lionesses. Sweden barely got over halfway in the first half. But England never came up with a high-quality scoring chance, but it was Filippa Angeldahl who had the best scoring chance of the half when she tested Hannah Hampton after a corner.
Sweden needed to turn up the tempo for the second half and national team captain Peter Gerhardsson chose to replace Madelen Janogy with Evelyn Ijeh.
Slowly but surely Blågult was able to eat into the match and replaced the talent Rosa Kafaji chose to stand up when she could have sought a penalty after just over an hour when English captain Leah Williamson came out clumsily in a sliding tackle. Subsequent corner was so close to going in after Linda Sembrandt’s header.
– At that moment I just thought that I wanted to get up and score, says Kafaji about the situation.
Then Sweden got no closer than when Angeldahl tried a wobbly shot from far outside that was about to set up the goalkeeper Hampton.
Next up is a qualifying game in a double encounter against a nation from the Nations League’s C group.
– It is fact. The draw is on Friday and then we know what to do, we have to get to the EC that way, says Gerhardsson to SVT.