Strongly criticized by the expert
Updated 21.08 | Published 21.05
Swedish nightmare result in Denmark.
Now the women’s national team’s path to the World Cup is significantly longer.
1–2 in Odense means that you miss out on direct qualification.
Confederation captain Tony Gustavsson and Sweden had hoped that the World Cup qualifiers would be completed at the beginning of June.
It won’t be like that.
After 1–2 against Denmark, it is clear that Sweden cannot win the group and go directly to the WC. With one match left to play, it is now an unassailable four points up to Denmark and Sweden must play a playoff to reach the WC.
– It is a huge frustration and disappointment. We will not rise to the level we have in us, says Johanna Rytting Kaneryd in SVT.
Harder stepped forward again
This time it was again Denmark’s big star Pernille Harder who was the tip of the iceberg.
The Danish star scored one of the goals when Denmark won against Sweden in April. This evening she did start on the bench and from there she got to see her team lead 1-0 after the first half.
Sweden, on the other hand, got exactly the start they wanted in the second half.
Seven minutes after the break, the equalizer came through Johanna Rytting Kaneryd. Smilla Holmberg hit the cross which Felicia Schröder nodded into the crossbar and on the rebound Rytting Kaneryd was there.
But twelve minutes later, Harder stepped forward after being substituted and only being on the pitch for four minutes.
Cecilie Floe held off Anna Sandberg and played Harder. The Swedish defense lost the Danish star, who scored 2-1 on a strike.
The defensive game is sawn
Up front, Sweden had created a lot of chances and there was more happening around Denmark’s penalty area than Sweden’s. Among other things, Fridolina Rolfö was extremely close with a header from close range in the final minutes.
But when the Danes attacked it often became dangerous and SVT’s expert and national team defender Hanna Marklund was not happy with what she saw.
– I have been thinking and it has been a long time since I saw a Swedish women’s national team with such a weak defensive game, she says in the broadcast.
The loss leaves Sweden third in the group, one point behind Italy and four points behind Denmark. Serbia is ready jumbo.
Sweden and Italy meet in Gothenburg on Tuesday.
This is how Sweden goes to the WC
Regardless of whether Sweden finishes second or third in the group, in the first playoff round they will face a team from the qualifying C division. Either one of the six group winners or one of the two best runners-up. Those matches are played in double-headers in October.
If Sweden wins there, Sweden will be drawn against one of the winners on the other side of the playoff table, where group jumbos from the A division and group winners from the B division are pitted against second and third placers from the B division groups.
There, Sweden can be pitted against everything from Poland and Switzerland to Portugal and Finland.
Those matches are played in November/December.
