Battle-tested Sweden side digs deep for 3rd place

Fearless, practical, and organized.

There is an exponential growth when Sweden faces challenging opponents in tournaments like the Women’s World Cup and Olympic Games. There is an “I believe” magnet that the Swedish have when they play against teams that on paper are slightly superior to them. The Scandinavians surpassed a young German generation that was on a perfect streak with intrepid football skills and by imposing their physical conditions. In the semifinal, they broke the Dutch aesthetic for 90 minutes with a “rocky” way of playing; although, the extra time had a different outcome. And in their last match of the tournament against England, they didn’t want to leave with empty hands.

Sweden is an adaptable team, which is an outstanding quality when you can’t dominate the ball. However, they can overwhelm their rivals by applying physical force and offensive projection, or by not letting them play. Generation after generation, the Swedes understood that sometimes aesthetics don’t matter when it’s about leaving the pitch victorious. In the 2016 Olympics, Hope Solo called them “a bunch of cowards” after the Scandinavians eliminated the U.S. in penalty kicks, just because “they didn’t want to open play.” Nevertheless, in the current World Cup, the Swedes demonstrated better qualities as a group, even when they seemed to be unsteady as previous football generations.

They achieved third place by eliminating and defeating teams like Germany and England, two national squads that were stronger and displayed better football than them. Although, the game plan and team effort made by the Swedes tore apart the favoritism. On the pitch, Sweden transformed the rocky football showed against the Netherlands in the semifinal, to a more vertical and courageous way to play against the Lionesses. In 22 minutes, the Swedes scored twice, leaving England with the necessity to look for the opponent’s goal. The Lionesses cut the difference in the first half, but Sweden held every single attacking effort of the English ladies thereafter.

With Fran Kirby’s goal, the English momentum rose. The Lionesses knocked at the door time after time, and when Ellen White seemingly found the back of the net for the tie, VAR interceded. A barely visible handball left Sweden up on the scoreboard. The game was the reflection of another great women’s soccer match; it was full of intensity, verticality and drama. But the bronze medal was taken by a Swedish team that earned its way as second of Group F, then got as far as it could. The intelligence of Peter Gerhardsson and his coaching staff to design the “less difficult” path, and the determination of the Swede generation granted the Scandinavian country a well-deserved third place.

Follow Luis on Twitter: @LFulloa.

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