Serbia is still a national team under development. But at Dubocica Stadium in Leskovac, the 34th-ranked nation showed that they can already cause trouble for a stronger opponent on paper.
Sweden, which has not missed a European Championship final in over 30 years, dominated the game largely, but what's the use if you don't create any really sharp scoring opportunities.
Rolfö on the bench
Maybe a player like Fridolina Rolfö was missing a little extra. The Barcelona star has not played at all in recent weeks and had to start Thursday's playoff match, the first in a best-of-two, on the bench.
Therefore, it was also 0–0 at halftime, and the home team's dream of qualifying for a first major championship was still very much alive. The winner of the double match – the return match is played at Tele2 Arena in Stockholm next week – gets a spot in the European Championship in Switzerland next year.
In the second half, Sweden continued their hunt for something that would break the pattern, and in the 54th minute, Hanna Bennison delivered just that.
Second national team goal
The 22-year-old Juventus midfielder picked up a loose ball just outside the penalty area, laid it out, and drilled in 1–0 from around 20 meters.
A stylish – and important – second national team goal in her career.
Sweden could breathe a sigh of relief, and from the bench, Rosa Kafaji seemed to find inspiration at the same time. Six minutes later, the Arsenal midfielder was substituted in, and in the 60th minute, she had arranged 2–0, also her second goal in the national team jersey.
It's important that we score two goals, that we fight, but it's still a long way to go. We're only halfway, so it's important that we fight just as hard, if not more, on Tuesday, says defender Hanna Lundkvist after the win.
Jonna Andersson curled in the corner precisely, Kafaji met it with her forehead, and now the road to the European Championship 2025 is wide open – but at least 90 minutes of play remain before it's settled.
It's clear that it's a good result, but we want even more goals. It's absolutely not a result we can just take it easy with and think it's settled on Tuesday, 90 minutes is a long time and we know that two goals can go quickly, says Lundkvist.
Tuesday's return match kicks off at 19.00 at Tele2 Arena.
