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24 min: The pace drops a little, a couple of passes refuse to stick.
22 min: Nüsken is booked for a late clump into the back of Rolfö.
20 min: Bühl and Rytting Kaneryd take turns to dribble down the German left touchline. Neither run amounts to much, but there were some tricky close-control skills on display. Bühl’s dragback and flick particularly impressive. These teams much more confident in attack than defence.
18 min: Schüller and Nüsken combine cutely down the right, the latter’s cross only just evading Bühl in the middle. Germany come again, through Bühl down the inside-left. She shoots, Falk parries. The rebound doesn’t fall for Schüller. Germany look of a mind to restore their lead quicksmart.
16 min: A fun start to the match, though. Neither team look particularly solid at the back.
14 min: Berger didn’t make a move for that shot. Just stood there with one hand in the air, an ersatz tribute to George Graham’s Arsenal.
GOAL! Sweden 1-1 Germany (Blackstenius 12)
Blackstenius is fed the ball down the inside-right channel. She’s near the centre circle, but there are no German defenders within miles of her! They’re all out on the Swedish left flank. Blackstenius strides down the pitch, reaches the edge of the box, and threads a low drive across Berger and into the bottom left. Easy as that!
11 min: Bühl is looking her usual menacing self. She set up that super-early chance for Brand with a run down the left; she tears down the same flank again, causing Holmberg all manner of problems. Norway just about clear her cross.
9 min: That goal put a huge smile on the face of German captain Giulia Gwinn, her leg in a brace, propped up in the dugout. Lovely to see the injury-plagued Bayern Munich star getting some enjoyment from the tournament at last.
GOAL! Sweden 0-1 Germany (Brand 7)
Schüller drops deep, quarterbacking in the centre circle. She rolls a pass down the right for Wamser, who shuttles it on to Brand, breaking into the box on the underlap. Brand calmly passes the ball across Falk and into the bottom left. What a glorious sweeping move.
5 min: A really fast-moving, open start to this game. Brand wins a corner down the left. The set piece is hit long, then returned into the middle for Schüller, who heads over from six yards. The flag pops up for offside to save her blushes. Schüller missed from a yard out against Poland, but went on to score later, so perhaps this augurs well?
3 min: Holmberg makes good down the right and finds Asllani just inside the box. Asllani drags a shot across the face of goal from 12 yards. She should have worked Berger at the very least. Somewhere in the multiverse, it’s already 2-1.
2 min: Germany are on the front foot. Schüller juggles the ball on the left-hand edge of the D and pearls a volley towards the top-right corner. Falk is rooted to the spot, but the ball flies inches wide. That would have been a hell of a goal.
Germany get the match started. And within 17 seconds, Brand gets a shot away from the edge of the D. Straight at Falk. So nearly a sensational start.
The teams are out! Sweden in yellow and blue, Germany in second-choice red. A fine atmosphere at the Stadion Letzigrund in Zurich as everyone emerges from the tunnel. A real old roar. Flags a-fluttering. We’ll be off in a wee while.
Germany have the upper hand over Sweden in the head-to-head. They beat the Swedes in both the 1995 and 2001 Euro finals. Throw in two semi-final victories (in 19917 and 2013) plus triumph in the 2003 World Cup final, and we have ourselves a lop-sided rivalry. It was goalless the last time the teams met, though, in a 2023 friendly, and a result like that will do for the Swedes here.
Sweden will finish top of Group C if they win or draw tonight. Germany have to win if they’re to finish in first place. The winners will play the runners-up of Group D in the quarter-finals. That’s England as things stand, but it could also end up being France or the Netherlands. Or even Wales, though things would have to get seriously trippy tomorrow night if that ends up happening. Whatever: Euro 2025 is going to get very real, very soon. Big fun awaits.
1. Sweden P2 W2 D0 L0 F4 A0 GD4 Pts 6
2. Germany P2 W2 D0 L0 F4 A1 GD3 Pts 6
3. Denmark P2 W0 D0 L2 F1 A3 GD-2 Pts 0
4. Poland P2 W0 D0 L2 F0 A5 GD-5 Pts 0
Sweden make five changes to their starting XI after the 3-0 win over Poland. Jonna Andersson, Magdalena Eriksson, Fridolina Rolfö, Hanna Bennison and Smilla Holmberg come in for Hanna Lundkvist, Amanda Nildén, Madelen Janogy, Amanda Ilestedt and Julia Zigiotti Olme.
Germany make just the one change following their 2-1 victory over Denmark. Laura Freigang replaces Linda Dallmann in attack. Their stricken captain Giulia Gwinn, who suffered a medial ligament injury in Germany’s opening game with Poland, is named as a sub, for the purposes of support and vibes.
The teams
Sweden: Falk, Holmberg, Bjorn, Eriksson, Andersson, Angeldal, Asllani, Bennison, Kaneryd, Blackstenius, Rolfo.
Subs: Holmgren, Sembrant, Lundkvist, Nilden, Janogy, Hurtig, Jakobsson, Ilestedt, Zigiotti Olme, Wangerheim, Blomqvist, Enblom.
Germany: Berger, Linder, Knaak, Minge, Wamser, Nusken, Senss, Buehl, Freigang, Brand, Schuller.
Subs: Johannes, Hendrich, Gwinn, Lohmann, Dabritz, Zicai, Cerci, Dallmann, Kett, Hoffmann, Kleinherne, Mahmutovic.
Referee: Silvia Gasperotti (Italy).
Preamble
Both teams have already qualified for the knockouts, so in that respect there’s nothing riding on this match. But! The winner of Group C will, most likely, face reigning champions England in the quarters, while the runner-up will find themselves in the same half of the draw as world champions Spain. Neither prospect sounds particularly palatable, so … define winning. Define running-up. Kick-off is at 8pm UK time. It’s on!
