Sweden’s crushing win over Germany at Women’s Euros sets up easier path to final

ZURICH (AP) — Sweden put down a statement 4-1 win over Germany at the Women’s European Championship on Saturday and secured a potentially easier route to the final.

This could be the year Sweden shakes off its ‘bridesmaid’ reputation.

Sweden won the first Women’s Euros in 1984 and has finished as runner-up three times since then. In coach Peter Gerhardsson’s eight-year tenure, Sweden was twice a World Cup semifinalist, took the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics and reached the Euro 2022 semifinals.

“We’ve always been doing good in the tournaments before but never gone all the way,” midfielder Johanna Rytting Kaneryd said. “I have a really good feeling and you can see that in the squad, its just something different this year.”

Record eight-time champion Germany was dominated, and Sweden’s task was made easier after German forward Carlotta Wamser was sent off — barely half an hour in — for swatting a ball away from the goal-line with her arm.

By that point Sweden was up 2-1 after goals from Stina Blackstenius and teenager Smilla Holmberg canceled Jule Brand’s early opener for Germany.

Fridolina Rolfö calmly slotted the penalty after Wamser’s red card and substitute Lina Hurtig wrapped up the scoring to cap a miserable night for Germany, which conceded four goals for the first time in any Euro match, including qualifiers.

It also was the first time Sweden beat Germany at the Euros and ensured it topped Group C with maximum points and avoided the possibility of facing World Cup champion and Euro 2025 favorite Spain in the semifinals.

Sweden will face the runner-up of Group D in the quarterfinals, with Germany facing the team that tops that group. That will be France, England or the Netherlands.

“We wanted to finish first in the group, so now we have to analyse that with the players, but don’t forget we were outnumbered for 60 minutes,” Germany coach Christian Wück said.

“We are down at the moment but we will shake that off and we are very happy to play the quarterfinals, no matter who the opponents are.”

Germany and Sweden had already qualified for the knockout stages but their match was decisive for top spot in the group, with a draw being enough for Sweden thanks to a better goal difference.

There were four good chances in the opening five minutes and Germany took the lead in the seventh when Brand ran onto a smart throughball from Wamser and fired in.

It was the first goal Sweden conceded in the tournament but it recovered from that setback just five minutes later. A rapid counterattack saw Blackstenius collect the ball near the halfway line and race into the area before slotting calmly past Ann-Katrin Berger.

Sweden led in somewhat fortunate circumstances in the 25th. Holmberg sprinted into the area and was tackled by Germany defender Sarai Linder, who inadvertently kicked the ball off the Swedish teen’s shin and it ricocheted into the net.

It was a first international goal for the 18-year-old Holmberg, who recently graduated from high school.

It got worse for Germany when Wamser was shown a straight red card for blocking a shot by Rolfö with her arm. Wamser was in the team in place of Giulia Gwinn, and the injured Germany captain put her arm around the young defender when she left the pitch in tears.

Rolfö dispatched the penalty into the bottom left corner.

Sweden’s attack was relentless in the first half but, with the result seemingly decided, it slacked off after the break, although Hurtig tapped in another in the 80th.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer