On Saturday morning, Sweden and Italy met in a decisive group stage match in the soccer World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. The pre-conditions were simple. The winning team would secure a place in the round of 16.
It was a shaky start to the match for the Swedish national team. The opponents from Italy created several dangerous scoring chances early in the match.
At the end of the first half, centre-back Amanda Ilestedt jumped highest of all at a corner and headed in the lead goal. The goal started a period of six minutes where everything bounced Sweden’s way. When the referee blew the first half, it was 3-0 on the scoreboard after goals from star players Fridolina Rolfö and Stina Blackstenius.
The centre-back is the leading scorer in the league
The scoring spree continued at the start of the second half. Amanda Ilestedt scored her second goal of the day, her third overall, when she headed in 4–0.
– It’s goosebumps, said Viaplay’s expert commentator Bojan Djordjic in the broadcast.
A sprained Italy failed to get a break on Sweden and substitute Rebecka Blomqvist was able to roll in 5–0 before the referee blew the match off.
After the two opening group stage matches, Sweden has collected six points, which means that the national team will play in the round of 16 in the championship.
Sweden’s third and final match in the group stage will be played at nine o’clock on Wednesday. Argentina is the opposition in that match.