Peter Lansley's match report from Bramall Lane
I’m going to close this blog now. I’ll leave you with the report from Sheffield. Thanks for reading. Bye!
The Netherlands may have beaten Sweden on their way to winning the last Women’s Euros and reaching the 2019 Women’s World Cup but the sense they will be relieved to survive this high-octane clash with the 2021 Olympic finalists only serves to underline how difficult it is to call the likely winners of this tournament.
It shows you what I know. Uefa has given the award to Vivianne Miedema, who was also very, very good.
The Uefa technical team said: “She showed excellent centre-forward play throughout and was the focal point of the Netherlands’ attacks. She linked up well with the wide forwards and her teammates in midfield, and delivered very good passes and plenty of classy touches.”
Sweden were the better side in the first half but the Dutch responded like the European champions they are in the second 45. Jill Roord’s fine strike earned them a point but I feel they can still get better as this tournament goes on. Sweden look to have lovely balance and have Stina Blackstenius to comeback into their first XI. Asllani impressed me, her nutmeg to create the first goal was a crafty bit of skill and I’d give her the player of the match award if I had one to hand.
Full-time: Netherlands 1-1 Sweden
And that is that. Van Domselaar plucks another cross out of the air and the two heavyweights in Group C share the points. It’s a fair result after the improved display by the Dutch in the second half. I fancy both of these teams to go deep. Both sides adapted multiple times to deal with the threat of their rivals. Other teams aren’t capable of that.
90+3 min: The corner is curled in right under the bar, where Van Domselaar does brilliantly to punch clear under extreme pressure again. In fact, a foul is given for a push on her.
90+ 2 min: Rolfo has a crack at goal from outside the box. It is deflected and the Dutch will have another corner to deal with.
90 min: There’ll be four minutes of injury time. I sense both teams will be happy not to lose this.
89 min: The corner is claimed brilliantly after a towering leap from Lindahl but her attempted quick kick out forwards is blocked by Miedema, causing mild panic before Wilms sweeps up the mess.
88 min: Pelova drops her shoulder and zips into the box before firing a shot off a defender and out for a corner.
87 min: The corner is whipped in to the back post and the Dutch clear at the second attempt. The Sweden fans are bouncing up and down. They’re having a fine time and seem happy enough with a draw.
86 min: Rolfo swivels and fires a left-footed shot at goal that stings the palms of Van Domselaar. Corner.
85 min: Martens goes down holding her left foot. She is taken off for further treatment.
84 min: The free-kick is swung in by Spitse. Pelova picks up the clearance and shows a lovely bit of skill to work the ball to her left but she can’t get a shot away. Sweden break and Asllani should do better than sidefoot a shot straight at Van Domselaar.
83 min: It’s a bit disjointed since all those changes. Asllani fouls Groenen after a smart swivel in midfield by the Dutch midfielder.
80 min: Beerensteyn is brought on to replace Roord. And Pelova replaces Van de Donk, who has done well in midfield.
78 min: Groenen does a Zidane pirouette over on the left touchline to bring a roar of approval from the crowd. She quickly gets her head up and feeds Miedema ahead of her. The striker strides towards the box before sliding in Roord to her right … but the forward’s first touch is a tad heavy and as she shapes to shoot from 12 yards out, Eriksson slides in with a wonderful block. What a chance. Roord will have to rue that miss on the bench. She is taken off.
76 min: Sweden are patiently probing inside the Dutch half but the Dutch defence is keeping any gaps closed up.
74 min: The triple substitution has injected a bit of fizz into Sweden’s play. They are moving the ball around with greater speed.
73 min: We have another record crowd. There are 21,342 at Bramall Lane. That is the biggest ever for a Women’s European Championship match outside the final not involving the hosts.
71 min: Loads of Sweden substitutions! Bennison is on for Angeldal, Kaneryd is on for goalscorer Andersson, and Blackstenius is on for Hurtig.
68 min: Sweden graze the bar! Rolfo, I think, flashes a cross-shot across the goal from left to right that loops over Van Domselaar, grazes the bar, and goes wide.
66 min: Asllani curls a deep inswinging corner in that puts Van Domselaar under intense pressure. She is stood on her own line with around seven players around her as the ball comes in at her and punches clear. Good goalkeeping from the youngster.
64 min: This is right in the balance again. Wilms curls a low pass around the Sweden defence for Martens to run on to but the old-timer Lindahl (she’s 39) rushes off her line like a teenager to snuff out the danger.
61 min: Olislagers slips a clever little pass into Miedema in the box. She feels Bjorn at her back and twists one way and then the other to make room for a shot on her right foot. She doesn’t wrap her foot round the shot, though, and it misses right by a yard. She’ll be frustrated with that effort after creating the chance for herself so brilliantly.
59 min: Sweden have settled after conceding and are enjoying the lion’s share of possession again. They play some lovely triangular stuff in midfield before Angeldal puts too much juice on a pass wide to Glas.
58 min: Chris Amirault writes: “Did Miedema’s turn on the touchline remind you of this?” Yes it really did, Chris. The clip is Vini Jr sending Fernandinho to the newsagent.
57 min: Nope. It’s a low corner that Sweden Netherlands clear easily. Rolfo has crack from 35 yards out but she doesn’t catch it right and it dribbles through to Van Domselaar.
56 min: Glas wins a corner off Spitse as she opens her body and sprints into the box. Can Sweden put pressure on the Dutch rookie in goal?
54 min: How will that goal affect the momentum of this game? It was interesting that Miedema drifted so wide to spark the move that led to that goal. In the first half she played more central.
Goal! Netherlands 1-1 Sweden (Roord 52)
Miedema spins away from Ilestedt on the left and drives towards the box. She tries to play Martens in on the right but the ball is cut out and breaks to Roord, on the edge of the box, who flashes a low shot into the bottom corner. This is more like it. Game on!
Updated
50 min: There’s a much faster pace to this half and after a bright start to it by the Dutch, Sweden enjoy a good spell. Rolfo fouls Groenen, though, and the Dutch break.
49 min: Hurtig sprints clear on the left and races into the box. Wilms does well to get back and face her up and the Sweden striker cuts back to nobody. That was a good chance gone begging.
49 min: Spitse’s corner is caught easily by Lindahl on this occasion.
48 min: The Dutch begin, um, as brightly as their shirts. Roord whips in a fine cross that is cleared for a corner. Spitse plays it in a deep, and it is headed out at the back post for another corner.
46 min: “It looks to me like the Dutch team kit is of a lighter shade of orange than the one worn by the England women recently,” notes Peter Oh. “That is a new low for the defending champions.” I thought that was just my eyes Peter, but I think you’re right.
The second half!
45 min: Peep! We’re back under way at Bramall Lane. Will the Netherlands work their way back into this game? To do so it feels like they need a couple of their attackers to track back and help make up the numbers in midfield, where the Dutch were outnumbered a bit in the first half. I’ll know shortly if there has been a tactical switch but at first glance it doesn’t look like it.
If you like binary information, our nascent Golden Boot interactive will be right up your street. You can bookmark it for when the tournament really gets going:
Half-time: Netherlands 0-1 Sweden
Spitse tries her luck from distance but her drive is well over. And it’s a deserved lead for the Swedes, who have been better in possession than their Dutch opponents, who have lost their goalkeeper and a centre back to injury. Netherlands have shown flashes of quality but they haven’t fully stitched it together, yet. The Swedes look more composed and are good value for their lead.
Photograph: DeFodi Images/Getty Images
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45+5 min: Hurtig heads wide after Van Domselaar was caught under a deep cross and struggled to get a clean punch to it.
45+4 min: Miedema stretches her legs in midfield and drives forwards. She tries to slip in Martens but Seger is back to get an important touch in.
45+2 min: Rolfo has her heels clipped by Groenen. She saw her opponent coming and waited for contact. Wily play. It’s what makes Sweden so good. They have the experience and skill.
45 min: There are seven minutes of injury time, most of which is because of the injuries to Dutch players.
44 min: There’s been a cracking atmosphere for most of this first half. Both sets of fans are giving it plenty.
42 min: Olislagers sprints on to replace Nouwen. She plays her club football at Twente and will slot in at centre-back.
41 min: Van de Donk fires over with a wild swipe after a lovely flowing move forwards. She helped to start it, playing in Miedema, who slipped play wide to Martens, who squared to Van De Donk for the final, errant, touch. Better from the Netherlands, though. That’s their best move by far.
40 min: Nouwen has pulled up with what looks like a hamstring injury. More bad news for the Dutch. She will have to be replaced.
38 min: Hurtig heads wide with a brave diving header after the ball was worked wide by Rolfo to Andersson after some lovely buildup play. The Swedes are in the groove now. They look rapid in the transitions.
37 min: Martens fires a shot straight at Lindahl as the Dutch look to strike back immediately.
Goal! Netherlands 0-1 Sweden (Andersson 36)
Aslanni faces up Nouwen in the box before nutmegging her insouciantly. She gets her head up and pulls the ball back to Andersson, on her own in the box, who sidefoots into the corner. That’s a beautiful goal and it gives Sweden a deserved lead. Just wonderful skill from Aslanni.
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34 min: Wilms hauls down Hurtig, who bamboozled her with a sharp turn. The free-kick is curled in from wide left but it’s too deep and the Dutch clear.
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32 min: Wilms rides a challenge in midfield and carries the ball to the edge of the Sweden penalty area. The full-back looks up and cocks her left foot before firing a low shot straight at Lindahl. She wasn’t quite balanced and didn’t catch it right, though.
29 min: Not wanting to miss out on the long-range action, Martens tries to catch Lindahl off her line with a 40-yarder. These speculative efforts say much about how hard it is for the two teams to break through by more conventional passing moves.
27 min: Janssen undercooks a crossfield pass and Rolfo pounces on it just inside the Dutch half. She looks up and lofts an outrageous attempt at goal from all of 45 yards out. It’s a foot over but I don’t think the replacement goalkeeper Van Domselaar would have got to that.
26 min: Angeldal breaks free down the right and squares to the near post. Asllani can’t take it first-time but the ball breaks to her after a ricochet and she slams a shot from a narrow angle into the side-netting.
25 min: Van Domselaar gets her first touch of the ball, a confident first-time pass out to Janssen. This is only her second Netherlands appearance. She looked assured there.
23 min: Miedema tries to poke a ball through to Martens but Eriksson reads it well and clears the danger.
21 min: It’s awful news for Van Veenendaal and the Netherlands. She clears long and quickly sits down. It looks as though she has a shoulder injury and can’t play through the pain. She is the Netherlands captain. That’s a huge blow. She is replaced by 22-year-old Van Domselaar, who plays her club football at FC Twente. She may have to deal with a few sighters now as Sweden test her out. Miedema takes the Dutch armband.
20 min: This is like watching two boxers with explosive punches feel each other out, both wary of getting KOd.
18 min: There are some nice touches shown by Van De Donk on the edge of the box. She feints to dink a pass over the top of the defence to Miedema but then thinks better of it and goes backwards. I’d love to see a Van de Donk dink just so I could write that. Oh, I just have.
16 min: That stoppage has put the brakes on what was starting to look like a decent spell for the Swedes. There’s a midfield battle going on presently with neither side able to get the upper hand.
14 min: Van der Gragt is back on but she is moving gingerly.
13 min: Van der Gragt is going to receive treatment off the pitch before seeing if she can continue. It looks like she has taken a heavy hit under her ribs on her right side. Van Veendendaal is fine to go on. So the Dutch are down to 10 for now.
12 min: There’s a horrible clash between two Dutch defenders as they leap to clear the free-kick. In fact it looks like the goalkeeper Van Veenendaal clattered into Van der Gragt, who took the brunt of the collision. Wilms is involved, too. Thankfully it looks like Van der Gragt is OK, but she might not continue. Van Veenendaal, too, looks a little shaken.
Updated
9 min: Sweden enjoy a spell of possession now. Groenen dives in a little on Angeldal and it’s a free-kick to Sweden 40 yards out on the left.
7 min: It’s a deep corner that allows Van Veenendaal, the PSV keeper, to show how commanding she can be, leaping highest to clear with a strong two-fist punch.
6 min: Sweden have their first attack, down the right, where Asllani thretaens to cross at least three times before being tackled. Then Glas races through and wins a corner.
4 min: Groenen is pulled back by Asllani. The match is yet to get going, really, but the Dutch are exuding quality on the ball.
2 min: The Dutch show how cool they are on the ball, working it out under pressure from deep right all the way over to the left. They switch back the other way with Van de Donk dinking a ball out to the onrushing full-back Wilms. Sweden hold their position, though, and the Dutch are forced backwards.
Kick-off!
1 min: Peep! Both teams take the knee. There is no room for racism or discrimination of any kind. Sweden, in their changed dark blue strip with yellow trim, get us under way. They are shooting from right to left on my TV. The Dutch, in their famous orange, are going the other way. It’s the No 1 team in Europe versus the Euro Championship holders. Here we go, folks!
The two teams belt out their national anthems, with noisy accompaniment from those in the Sheffield stands. And now it is time for football!
The teams emerge from the tunnel to a rousing reception from the colourful and noisy crowd at Bramall Lane. It’s a glorious night for football. The Netherlands fans were giving it plenty on the march up to the ground. Have a look at this.
Netherlands fans arrive at Bramall Lane ahead of the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 Group C match at Bramall Lane. pic.twitter.com/H2qn1GYWIW
— Danny Lawson (@DannyLawPhoto) July 9, 2022
As you can see from the lead image on the report, the Netherlands’ men’s team manager, Louis van Gaal, is in Sheffield to support his nation. The last time he was at Bramall Lane was January 2016, when Wayne Rooney gave his Manchester United side a 1-0 win in the third round of the FA Cup. He’ll be hoping to leave the stadium as happy as he was back then.
The early game in Group C between Portugal and Switzerland ended 2-2 after a stirring second-half comeback from the Portuguese, who should have won it. A draw suits the two big-hitters in this game. Here’s Will Unwin’s report from Leigh.
Two goals in the opening five minutes, coupled with the beautiful weather in Leigh, sent Switzerland on holiday. They thought the game was over but Portugal dominated the match to earn a deserved draw in their Euro 2022 opener.
The Sweden manager Peter Gerhardsson speaks. He doesn’t have as much to say as Mark Parsons did.
They are one the best teams. It’s going to be a tough game. The first game you don’t know too much what will happen. It’s a special game because they won the tournament [in 2017].
Netherlands have an Englishman as manager. Mark Parsons made his name in the USA with NWSL side Portland Thorns. He’s been in the job just over a year. Here’s what he had to say before the match:
We’re playing a great opponent. Defending will be important but we have have special players who have the qualities to hurt Sweden. We finally have everyone healthy and available after nine months when we didn’t. These players, this team, when the tournament comes around they grow two feet taller. We will show our strengths and impose our identity on this game. We’re happy everyone is in the place they’re in. There will be no bigger physical test than Sweden. They are high energy. The less transition we see it will suit us, the more transition will suit them.
You may see quite a few empty seats in the top tier at Bramall Lane this evening and there’s a feeling that Uefa could have done more to fill them:
Becoming a broken record now, but we're going to get a whole empty tier here, despite there being few tickets available online in the last week or so. Why not just make them all available at the lowest category price? pic.twitter.com/L111VzTZRV
— Daniel Storey (@danielstorey85) July 9, 2022
Here’s someone who will likely have a say in how this match goes tonight:
So Stina Blackstenius is deemed not fit enough to start for Sweden, but she’s not a bad option to bring on from the bench is she? As for the Netherlands, it is as you would expect with the Roord, Miedema and Martens trident in attack. What a trio, eh?
Team news!
Netherlands (4-3-3): Van Veenendaal (c); Wilms, Van der Gragt, Nouwen, Janssen; Groenen, Van de Donk, Spitse; Roord, Miedema, Martens. Subs: Van Domselaar, Lorsheyd, Van Dongen, Beerensteyn, Pelova, R Jansen, Dijkstra, Leuchter, Casparij, Olislagers, Egurrola, Brugts
Sweden (3-4-3): Lindahl; Ilestedt, Bjorn, Eriksson; Glas, Angeldal, Seger (c), J Andersson; Asilani, Hurtig, Rolfo. Subs: Falk, Musovic, Sembrant, Nilden, Kullberg, Jakobsson, Blackstenius, Blomqvist, Rytting Kaneryd, Bennison, Schough, Rubensson.
Referee: Cherly Foster (Wal)
Photograph: Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
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Preamble
Evening. This should be a cracker! Netherlands, ranked four in the world take on Sweden, ranked No 2. There is talent peppering both squads – from the supreme attacking prowess of Vivianne Miedema and Lieke Martens for the Oranje, to deadly striker Stina Blackstenius and classy defensive rock Magda Eriksson for the Blue and Yellow. Let’s not forget that the Dutch are reigning champions, too, and will not want to see a dent in their crown as they begin their defence of it.
The Netherlands won every match in qualifying but the Swedes are probably in better form coming into the tournament. They beat Brazil 3-1 in an impressive final warm-up match, while the Dutch will still have the memory of that 5-1 mauling by England playing on their minds despite following it with two low-key wins over Belarus and Finland. There’s a sense that Mark Parsons, their English manager, is still trying to find the right tactical setup to make the most of all the talent he has at his disposal.
The match is being played at a proper football stadium, too. A large and passionate crowd is expected at Bramall Lane in Sheffield and I’m going to predict they will be entertained. After watching Germany lay down a marker with their impressive 4-0 defeat of the fancied Danes, both teams will want to show they mean business. I expect goals.
My prediction: Netherlands 2-2 Sweden
