Sweden will, as expected, focus on the match for third place when the Nations League finals are decided at the turn of November-December. The brilliant big win that would have been required against Spain on Tuesday evening to turn around the 0-4 deficit from the meeting in Málaga on Friday was never close.
But on an almost sold-out Gamla Ullevi, the blue and yellow football ladies showed that they have qualities to stand up to the world's best, even if the Spanish women did not need to exert themselves with a four-goal lead at their backs.
"Get to test"
New Swedish national team captain Tony Gustavsson has a contract over the European Championship 2029 and has been clear that he wants a team that can compete already now, but at the same time build for the future.
At home against Spain, he gave a handful of players born in 2003 and later a chance from the start; Felicia Schröder, 18, Smilla Holmberg, 19, Elma Junttila Nelhage, 22, Monica Jusu Bah, 22, and Anna Sandberg, 22, all got a place in the starting eleven.
We wanted to let some young players come in and get to test how it is to play against the world's best, says Gustavsson after the match in SVT.
They did not disappoint.
The stars were substituted in
Spain created very little. Sweden not much more. But with a little more pressure in the box, the Damallsvenskan top scorer Schröder could have arranged a 1-0 goal at the end of the first half, when captain Kosovare Asllani served her in the penalty area.
Everyone showed courage. We wanted to play for each other. When everyone works together, it's often easy to play, says Junttila Nelhage.
Usual certain starters like Stina Blackstenius, Fridolina Rolfö, and Filippa Angeldahl started on the bench but came in in the second half, at the expense of the national team's younger guard.
Only then did Spain decide.
The Swedish defense lost their marking on Alexia Putellas in the penalty area and the Barcelona star, who scored two goals against Sweden in Málaga, met Claudia Pinas' cross on a volley and scored 1-0 via the crossbar in the 74th minute.
You can't stand here and be satisfied after a loss, that's not how I work. You want to win football matches. Not least when you perform well, summarizes Gustavsson.
Ijeh close to equalizing
With ten minutes left, he substituted in another future promise: Evelyn Ijeh. And the Milan forward was terribly close to making it 1-1 in the 87th minute. Spain's Cata Coll, however, made a sharp reflex save when Ijeh was ready to send in the rebound on Filippa Angeldahl's shot.
Spain can take their second consecutive Nations League title, after also winning the first edition of the tournament in 2024. Sweden will have to settle for third place with France, who late on Tuesday evening were eliminated by Germany.
Both the final and the match for third place will be decided as double matches, with the first matches on November 28 and the return matches on December 2. The first match for Sweden's part will be played away against France.
