The women’s football team is just one successful two-legged playoff away from qualifying for next year’s World Cup in Brazil. A decisive playoff against Scotland awaits in December after the Scots beat the Czech Republic 5–2 on aggregate.
This is what we came into the camp for. Of course, we wanted to move on, and we’ve done that now. So now we just have to look forward and take parts of this achievement with us into the next one, says Stina Blackstenius.
After Friday’s first match in Lithuania, the tie was practically decided. Blågult won 5–0 after the home team failed to register a single shot, either on or off target.
Schröder scores again
At home at Strawberry Arena in Solna, in front of 10,309 spectators, Malmö FF goalkeeper Zecira Musovic made a long-awaited return between the posts after becoming a mother in August last year.
In her first international match since December 2024, the 30-year-old had little to worry about. Lithuania, ranked 93rd in the world, did not manage a single shot on target against the blue-and-yellow team this time either.
World number eight Sweden had the most scoring chances, and the goals came pouring in. In the 11th minute, team captain and centre-back Nathalie Björn made it 1–0 via a Lithuanian player.
Striker Stina Blackstenius was dropped from the starting lineup last time out but scored as a substitute. Now she started, and in the 16th minute she headed in to make it 2–0.
Smilla Holmberg made it 3–0 and Hanna Lundkvist made it 4–0 - the match was only half an hour old.
On Friday, the highly rated young talent Felicia Schröder made headlines when she scored her first goal for the senior national team in her 12th international appearance. The 19-year-old Real Madrid striker eventually left the field in Kaunas with a hat-trick.
“Mature and professional performance”
In the return leg, Schröder scored her fourth and fifth career goals for the national team as Sweden went into the break with a 6–0 lead.
The scoring continued in the second half. Stina Blackstenius extended the lead early to 7–0, Amanda Ilestedt headed in to make it 8–0, and with just over 20 minutes left, Lithuania’s goalkeeper Meda Seskute was credited with an own goal after the ball went in off her head following a header from Blackstenius.
Ilestedt added another goal to make it a crushing 10–0 win and a 15–0 aggregate score.
"It can be easy to relax after winning 5–0 in the first match. The players are extremely professional, disciplined and meticulous. It’s a mature and professional performance from a fairly inexperienced squad," national team coach Tony Gustavsson tells SVT.
Sweden and Scotland will meet on December 1 and 5. Sweden will host the second leg at 3Arena.
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