The victory means that Sweden will play the quarterfinal on Thursday – also in Zürich. The opponent will be the second team from group D (France, England or the Netherlands) which will be decided on Sunday evening.
Additionally, Sweden avoids the world champion Spain, the team that perhaps has impressed the most in the European Championship, in a potential semifinal.
It was obviously enough fuel for both teams to get off to a start at Letzigrundstadion. Germany had the first sharp scoring chance after 20 seconds, the second a little over a minute later.
Shortly thereafter, Kosovare Asllani seemed to give Sweden the lead, played forward by 18-year-old Hammarby talent Smilla Holmberg, but the shot went wide.
15 championship goals
When Germany then took the lead, through Jule Brand, it was still logical. The Germans washed over the Swedish defense and the ball went like clockwork from Lea Schüller via Carlotta Wamser to Brand who rolled in 1–0.
It was Jennifer Falk's first conceded goal in this European Championship and during the minutes that followed, it looked like it could become more. But when Fridolina Rolfö – in the starting lineup for the first time after her injury – thundered the ball away from the pressured Swedish penalty area, it instead became the beginning of a perfect Swedish transition.
The ball ended up with Kosovare Asllani who was quick in her thinking and played Stina Blackstenius free in depth while the German defenders stood and slept. The Arsenal striker safely placed the equalizer – her 15th championship goal.
The 1–1 goal evened out the match picture.
The 2–1 goal changed it completely.
Smilla Holmberg was selected for the A-national team for the first time in mid-May. Against Germany, she became Sweden's second youngest European Championship goal scorer of all time. The 18-year-old tricked her way past both Sarai Linder and Klara Bühl before, via a counter, she pressed in her first national team goal.
Unlucky Wamser
Then came the sequence that decided the entire match after half an hour of play.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd spun up the German defense after notes and gave Fridolina Rolfö virtually an open goal. On the goal line, a desperate Carlotta Wamser threw herself forward and saved the ball – with her hand. Direct red card for the inconsolable German right-back and Rolfö safely put away the penalty kick next to the post.
The second half became, for obvious reasons, a more sleepy story. A depleted Germany tried to find ways forward to a reduction, but got nowhere.
Nice to win football matches. Goals affect, one can say. It was a sweaty start but then we get the equalizer and we know that we are poisonous in counterattacks. It becomes a strange match but always nice to win, summarized national team coach Peter Gerhardsson for Viaplay after the match.
Substitute Lina Hurtig put the nail in the coffin with a little over ten minutes left to play when she tapped in 4–1 from close range, after fine preparatory work from Madelen Janogy and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd.
