Women's Euro: Sweden beats Germany to win Group C

Once again impressive, the Swedes took the lead in Group C of the Euro football championship on Saturday by beating the Germans ( 4-1 ) in Zurich, reduced to ten and possible opponents of the French team in the quarter-finals. The bronze medalists of the 2019 and 2023 World Cups, who until then were discreet outsiders behind the Spanish and English superstars, have won their third victory in three matches and are in a position to be a little more likely to win the final.

In the quarter-finals, Peter Gerhardsson's players will face the runners-up in Group D on Thursday in Zurich, currently led by France and England, with the final two matches on Sunday. The Germans, who opened the scoring, will have to come to terms with their first defeat of the tournament, after two wins against Poland (2-0) and Denmark (2-1), before facing the leaders of Group D next Saturday in Basel.

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Virtually assured of their qualification, the Blues can prepare for an intense quarter-final regardless of their opponent, as the Group C clash was immediately breathless and physical, moving very quickly from one area to the other. Launched into attack, the Germans took only 17 seconds to alert Jennifer Falk for the first time, through the new Lyon player Jule Brand, before Lea Schüller grazed the left post with a very nice sequence (2nd). The same Schüller, a two-time scorer in the tournament, found the young right-back Carlotta Wamser, who passed to Brand: the 22-year-old winger, very fit, opened the scoring with a right-footed cross (1-0, 7th).

Despite the speed of the German wingers, the "Blagult" (Blue and Yellow) took only five minutes to respond. Played in by captain Kosovare Asllani, Stina Blackstenius adjusted her shot to the right of Ann-Katrin Berger, in a near replica of Brand's goal (1-1, 12th). The Swedes aggravated the score thanks to a run down the right by the young 18-year-old Smilla Holmberg, whose ball was inadvertently deflected into the goal by Sarai Linder (2-1, 25th).

Encouraged on the bench by Giulia Gwinn, their captain who injured her left knee against Poland and is out for the rest of the tournament, Christian Wück's players tried to react, but their goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger put them in danger several times with poor clearances.

And on a new Swedish breakthrough, Carlotta Wamser threw herself to counter with her hand on her line: immediate expulsion for the replacement of Giulia Gwinn, until then impeccable despite the inexperience of her 21 years, and who came off comforted by the entire bench. Calmly, Fridolina Rolfö converted the penalty with a wrong-footed shot, celebrating her hundredth cap with a 33rd goal (3-1, 34th), before Lina Hurtig scored the fourth goal without being bothered by a completely overwhelmed defense (4-1, 80th).

In the other Group C match, played simultaneously in Lucerne, Poland beat Denmark 3-2, with three goals from Natalia Padilla (13th), Ewa Pajor (20th) and Martyna Wiankowska (76th), against two goals from Janni Thomsen (59th) and Signe Bruun (83rd). With two defeats each, both teams were already eliminated.