Women's European Football Championship | With Stina Blackstenius, Sweden aims to win the title over England

Around the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, numerous female soccer players are shining on posters. Particularly striking is the large format featuring the faces of Jule Brand and Lia Wälti in reverse shot. This Thursday, however, the German winger and the Swiss captain will not play a role in the second quarterfinal of the European Championship between Sweden and the defending champions from England . The likeness of Swedish top striker Stina Blackstenius would be particularly suitable for this purpose.

spoilsport for DFB women

The 29-year-old proved to be a sure-fire spoiler for the Black, Red, and Gold team's title dreams in last Saturday's 4-1 group match against Germany , just as she did in the 2-1 victory in the quarterfinals of the 2019 World Cup. She arrived at the European Championships as the scorer of the winning goal in the Champions League final: On May 24, Arsenal London won the final in Lisbon against FC Barcelona thanks to Blackstenius's goal. British media acclaimed the goalscorer – but now the Swedish number eleven is becoming the biggest threat to England's mission.

After three years in the English Super League, the Swede knows the defending champions' strengths and weaknesses inside out. When she moved to London, Blackstenius still carried the stigma of a crushing 4-0 loss to England in the semifinals of the 2022 European Championship . Now, she soaks up the ovations of the Swedish fans from the stands of the athletics stadium, as she did during the match against the German national team, like sweet honey. "I enjoy being at tournaments. There's that extra something – and when I look into the eyes of our fans, I feel like we can achieve great things together."

Desire for revenge against England

Before the quarterfinals, Johanny Rytting Kaneryd openly reflected on the semifinal loss three years ago: "You feel a desire for revenge, that's completely normal." Blackstenius wouldn't make such declarations of war as her strike partner – she's considered far too in need of harmony. And the connections between them are strong: Blackstenius is one of eight Swedish internationals who earn good money in England – and also appreciate the regular appearances in big stadiums. Arsenal's women's football team has become so popular that all home games next season will be played in the big stadium.

A duel of evenly matched opponents is expected in Zurich. The last few matches in the Nations League both ended in draws: the 1-1 draw at Wembley was followed by a 0-0 draw in Gothenburg. Blackstenius now seems to be in attacking spirit at just the right time: not only are her 17 shots on goal in the group stage of this European Championship outstanding, but her passing accuracy of 75 percent is also outstanding. And like many of her teammates, she is yearning for a major triumph on the national team, for which she has scored 41 goals in 120 matches. After all, there isn't much time left: with an average age of 29.1 years, the Swedes are the oldest team in the tournament.

End of a titleless era

Coach Peter Gerhardsson will step down after the European Championship. In eight years, he has created a special feel-good atmosphere to strengthen the team. The 65-year-old achieved two third-place finishes at the 2019 and 2023 World Cups and lost the 2021 Olympic final in Tokyo. Sweden – the proud football nation when it comes to women’s football – would like to host the 2029 European Championship with Denmark. But although they only missed the semi-finals of a European Championship in 2009 and 2017, Sweden has only won this competition once. That was at the inaugural tournament in 1984, when the finals with four teams began with the semi-finals. The title was ultimately won after a two-legged tie, 15 days apart, with a 4-3 penalty shootout victory against England in Luton.