Summary
Thank you very much for joining me today. Sweden will be delighted with the three points, but a little concerned by how hard they were to earn. South Africa will be heartbroken at falling behind so late in the game, but they can take heart from a showing of great promise.
Don’t forget that there is a lifetime’s worth of World Cup content to sink your teeth just a few clicks away. The most urgent of which is the liveblog of Netherlands v Portugal, with that Group E clash kicking off in a few minutes.
I’ll catch you back here on Thursday to see if the Matildas can make it two from two against Nigeria. Cheerio!
Next up in Group G is Italy v Argentina at Eden Park tomorrow evening.
South Africa next take the field against La Albiceleste in Dunedin on Friday, with Sweden taking on Le Azzurre in Wellington on Saturday.
This group always looked wide open, and after that 90 minutes of action it seems ever harder to call.
South Africa can leave with their heads held high. They kept Sweden at bay in the first half and looked threatening on the counter through the pace and trickery of Seoposenwe and Kgatlana. They caught the Swedes cold at the start of the second half and looked to have fought hard enough for a point, only to be undone at the death. Desiree Ellis can be immensely proud of her side.
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Tonight it was Sweden who passed themselves to distraction but rarely looked like creating anything meaningful from open play. Rolfö was a passenger, Hurtig featured for only a few minutes, and Blackstenius could not get any change from a resolute back four. It took a set-piece, one of 13 corners on the night to Sweden, to secure the victory.
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The pattern of this World Cup appears to be set, with the favoured nations lacking attacking penetration and struggling to break down the supposed minnows. Those outsiders in turn are demonstrating exceptional resilience and organisation, and winning plenty of new admirers along the way.
Full-time: Sweden 2-1 South Africa
Sweden come from behind to secure a valuable three points. South Africa gave their all but couldn’t hang on for a draw.
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90+6 mins: Another dangerous corner from the side Sweden scored from. This time a South African head gets to the ball first and glance behind for another corner.
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90+5 mins: Sweden do well to retain possession down the left and take time off the clock until Blomqvist is taken down from behind. The free-kick is curled into the box, Sweden keep it alive as players slip and slide Blomqvist has a half-hearted shout for a penalty and the ball is deflected wide for a corner.
90+4 mins: Floated over, Kgatlana wins the header leaning backwards 10m out, and it’s easy for Musovic to flop on and milk the clock.
90+3 mins: So tough now for South Africa to turn an 11-player rearguard action into a chase for a last gasp equaliser… but they have forced a corner on the left.
90+1 mins: Six minutes of injury time for Sweden to navigate.
GOAL! Sweden 2-1 South Africa (Ilestedt, 90)
Sweden steal it at the death! From the 11th corner of the night, the ball is swung over from the left towards Swart in the South African goal. As she has done all night the lanky Ilestedt jumps highest and gets enough on her downward header to squeeze the ball home. Relief for Sweden. Despair for South Africa.
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89 mins: The prolific Hurtig is thrown on late.
88 mins: Jane booked for a reckless challenge in midfield.
87 mins: Still Sweden keep the ball moving slowly from one side to the other without threatening to penetrate. All the while South Africa retain their defensive shape and… oh my… whatever I was planning to type, forget it. A hopeful ball gets dinked into the box, Swart flies out – slips over – and Kaneryd has an empty net to nod the ball into, only she fails to make contact! Could that have been the moment for Sweden?
86 mins: Kaneryd has been consistently Sweden’s most dangerous outlet, but so often she has been isolated wide on the right and frequently double-teamed.
85 mins: Similarly, Sweden are not yet panicking in possession, still content to probe for openings and take their time in midfield.
83 mins: South Africa now seem to have accepted a draw and the responsibility of defending for the next 10-15 minutes to secure it. They remain focussed at the task though, refusing to be drawn out of position or lured into rash challenges.
Photograph: John Cowpland/AP
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81 mins: On comes the inspirational Seger for her fifth Women’s World Cup. Rubensson makes way. The veteran is immediately into the action as a Swedish corner is punched her way. She heads the ball back into the mixer but South Africa hold firm.
80 mins: Sweden draw players into central areas then release Kaneryd down the right. She shows excellent trickery to jink around the outside, but after beating one defender a second is across in a flash to cover. South Africa’s determination has been outstanding.
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79 mins: The crows has been announced at just over 18,000, which, considering the conditions, as a decent effort.
77 mins: Sweden continue to keep thing neat coming out of defence and through midfield, waiting for South Africa to be caught out of position – but they never are. Force to attack wider, the Swedes whip in a dangerous ball from the right, Swart comes out to punch, unconvincingly, but the loose ball lands at the feet of a teammate. The rub of the green in these situations has favoured Banyana Banyana so far.
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76 mins: The resulting free-kick is pumped into the box for Ilestedt to climb highest and steer a header towards goal – but it’s straight at Swart.
75 mins: South Africa’s Biyana is the first name in the book tonight for hauling down Asllani.
74 mins: The Swedes shift focus to the right, but for the umpteenth time tonight the cross is easily cleared by the well-positioned defence.
72 mins: Still scrappy as Sweden try to finesse their way down the left and South Africa hold firm.
Updated
70 mins: Everything has become a little scrappy out in the Wellington rain.
Nomvula Kgoale ➡️
— Banyana_Banyana (@Banyana_Banyana) July 23, 2023
Linda Motlhalo ⬅️#BeyondGreatness #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/LlxftGzkrn
69 mins: Triple substitution for Sweden, searching for victory in the final 20 minutes. On come Blomqvist, Bennison, and Schough.
77' I samband med kvitteringen gjorde Sverige ett trippelbyte.
— Svensk Fotboll (@svenskfotboll) July 23, 2023
IN: Hanna Bennison, Olivia Schough och Rebecka Blomqvist
UT: Filippa Angeldahl, Fridolina Rolfö och Stina Blackstenius#SWE 1-1 #RSA | #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/CuZpDKznq1
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67 mins: A fortunate lifeline for the third-ranked side in the world, and the first time this World Cup both teams have scored in the same match.
GOAL! Sweden 1-1 South Africa (Rolfö, 66)
Sweden are starting to look a little ragged. The ball experiences a rare moment on the Swedish left, but everything is hurried and incomplete. The Swedes recycle and switch to the left, Kaneryd’s cross is dangerous, over the head of Blackstenius, skews off the unfortunate Ramalepe at the far post and cannons in off Rolfö, who knew little about it.
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64 mins: Free-kick for Sweden on the left touchline, about 35m from goal. It’s floated across, Eriksson wins it in the air, but she can’t direct her header on target.
62 mins: Hearts in mouths in Wellington as Sweden’s defence concedes so much space to the speedy South African attackers they fail to deal with the immediate threat. Kgatlana profits from a ricochet and has only Musovic to beat! The keeper gets down well on the angle to save – then the flag is raised for offside.
61 mins: South Africa deal with the first effort but it’s only as far as Angeldal, who – for the second time tonight – volleys dangerously towards goal and straight into a black jersey. Sweden recycle outside the box and Blackstenius has a half-chance on the turn but it’s weak and straight at Swart.
60 mins: Better from the Swedes with Kaneryd and Angeldal working a one-two down the right and earning a corner.
58 mins: Still nothing of note from Sweden since the break.
56 mins: South Africa’s structural discipline has been superb, and their close tackling near-faultless, managing to find a toe to disrupt play or get a body in the way to block. The left side of the Banyana Banyana defence especially has been busy.
Disappointment for South Africa though with Magala being forced from the field with whatever injury she sustained forcing the ball over the line for the goal. Gabriela Salgado comes on in her place.
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55 mins: Still Sweden persist down the right but they are continually overrun in possession.
53 mins: Everything has been on Sweden’s right in attack this half so far. Fridolina Rolfö has seen very little of the ball.
51 mins: Sweden have started this second half awfully, and South Africa have duly punished them. Kgatlana is a serious talent, and the bravery from Magala to force the ball over the line will become the stuff of legend in the history of Banyana Banyana.
The absolute determination to score that goal. You can absolutely tell that they wanted that goal more than the Swedes wanted to keep it out -- even at the cost of their own bodies -- and South Africa got their just rewards. #FIFAWWC #SWERSA
— Joey Lynch (@joeylynchy) July 23, 2023
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GOAL! Sweden 0-1 South Africa (Magala, 49)
Incredible scenes in Wellington! Sweden are still in the half-time sheds. The deft flicked ball into the left channel by Jane should be dealt with easily but the Swedish defence is asleep. The brilliant Kgatlana seizes the opportunity, nips in behind, turns and hammers a shot that Musovic can only parry across the face of goal where Magala throws herself at the ball and accepts that she has to fly into the back of the net herself – which she does – to put her side in front. Wow!
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47 mins: Sweden have started the half scrappily, misplacing passes and allowing South Africa in behind on the left to dig out a lofted cross.
46 mins: We’re back under way in the second-half.
While the players change into drier uniforms, I’m going to snack on some flapjack I prepared earlier. If you’re enjoying the Guardian’s coverage of the Women’s World Cup, consider it’s only possible thanks to funding from our fans all around the world. We don’t have a paywall, so everything we publish is open and free for everyone.
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“Pretty wet eh?” emails Tony Mole. Sure is Tony, sure is. “Next Sunday’s big game is in Dunedin with a roofed stadium. As a Dunedin resident, I have to say that the stadium my be roofed but it certainly ain’t heated. If the wind blows it’s mightily cold.”
That “big game” being Switzerland v New Zealand next Sunday. Potentially the match that confirms the hosts’ presence in the knockout phase.
A familiar pattern continues. The heavily fancied team has seen stacks of possession, only to create very little with it. The underdogs have defended deep, and with great discipline. Plenty for Peter Gerhardsson to ponder at the interval.
Half-time: Sweden 0-0 South Africa
Not only did that short corner not work for Sweden, South Africa counterattacked at pace with Kgatlana looking dangerous with the ball at her feet. The underdogs have had few attacking opportunities but they have not shied away from taking the game on when those occasions have materialised.
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45+3 mins: Rubensson again gets into the action, driving into the box and winning a corner. Good strong defending by Mbane. The corner is played short and comes to nought.
45+2 mins: Rubensson half-volleys an effort narrowly wide of the angle of post and bar after Sweden attack swiftly down the left. Rolfö’s delivery is cleared, but only as far as the Swedish No 23, who was entitled to have a pop.
Updated
45 mins: Four minutes of added time at the end of the half.
44 mins: A rare break in play while Swart is down receiving attention. She will be fine to continue after addressing something in her right boot.
42 mins: Swart’s clearance is weak and picked off by Angeldal, who finds Aslani in the box quickly – but she can’t clear her feet quickly enough and ends up being swamped and has to settle for a corner. The left-footed inswinger is again dangerous and Ilestedt heads narrowly wide. An incorrectly awarded corner is the outcome, and again Ilestedt is first to it, going even closer this time, beating Swart in the air and grazing the crossbar.
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40 mins: Sweden work the ball around defence slowly, seemingly to try and draw South Africa onto them and create space further downfield, but when the ball reaches Musovic, the Chelsea keeper slams the ball out of play as if unaware of her role in the build-up.
38 mins: Sweden are gifted a corner after Swart was handed a hospital backpass. The set-piece is again curled under the keeper’s nose where a mass of players are gathered, but the crumbs fall South Africa’s way.
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36 mins: Oooh, that was close. Asllani does well to roll her defender on the inside right channel. Blackstenius is in a perfect position in the box, but the cross is intercepted. Kaneryd then wriggles to the byline on the right but her delivery finds only black jerseys. This pattern of play is fast becoming the default at WWC2023.
34 mins: A brief spell of transitional play energises both teams who are most at home looking for early balls in behind. However, the speed of the slick surface sees both attempted through-balls scamper through to the goalkeepers.
32 mins: From the corner, South Africa fail to clear the first header – Swart again under enormous pressure. Angeldal picks up the scraps and drills a left-footed effort towards goal from the edge of the box, it ricochets off Magala’s hip and onto her arm. Sweden are adamant it’s a penalty, but the referee, and VAR, correctly disagree.
Hmmm, I might need to reassess this one. On replay, the ball doesn’t clip Magala’s hip, and strikes her elbow flush. Her arm isn’t in an unnatural position, and she is at point-blank range – but – you’ve seen them given. I very much dislike that interpretation of the handball law, one that has mutated out of recognition by VAR, so I am pleased with the outcome.
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31 mins: Angeldal spots Blackstenius ghosting into space at the far post and lofts a teasing ball in that direction. Swart comes out and palms the ball behind for a corner.
30 mins: South Africa break quickly and Seoposenwe takes the opportunity to shoot early, forcing Musovic into a routine save. You can see how dangerous this South African forward line would be in different circumstances.
29 mins: Andersson’s left-footed inswinger targets Swart in the air, but it curls too much and onto the roof of the net.
27 mins: Swart’s long goal-kick skids all the way through to the quicksilver Kgatlana. The Racing Louisville forward skips her way from the left wing infield shaping for a shot but she drags her effort wide of the near post. A rare scare for Sweden, who go down the other end and earn a corner.
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25 mins: Sweden are now in total control of this match. The ball is being moved around defence and midfield at will, but South Africa are defending the edge of their box well and continue to step out and make crucial interceptions. Poor crossing has been a feature of this World Cup so far, and it threatens to be an issue again for the dominant side.
23 mins: Sweden grow slowly until they create space down the left through Andersson and Eriksson. The cross is whipped over towards Blackstenius but the Arsenal striker can’t manipulate her body sufficiently to divert the ball towards the target.
22 mins: South Africa are getting pushed further and further back, and finding it increasingly difficult to clear their lines. Sweden are offering them very little opportunity to get on the ball.
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20 mins: A well worked set-piece from Sweden generates a shot on target. From the right, the ball is played square to Asllani to strike from outside the box, and it dips and swerves towards Swart, who takes a couple of goes at subduing it in the treacherous conditions.
18 mins: South Africa are happy to give Sweden as much possession as they like near halfway. It’s up to the Swedes to be more daring in how they use it to create opportunities. They continue to look for the neat triangles to engineer space down the flanks, mostly with Angeldal offering a screen to flick wide to the runners.
16 mins: Gamede is too urgent in her pursuit of Blackstenius and Sweden win a free-kick. It’s lofted deep into the box and headed out for a throw-in. From there, South Africa’s pressure forces the Swedes all their way back to their goalkeeper. The clearance is hurried, straight to Refiloe Jane in midfield, and her lofted effort from 35m out almost catches Musovic off her line. Banyana Banyana have been enterprising when they’ve had a sniff.
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15 mins: Sweden with the first corner of the night, on the right. It’s an excellent inswinger. Swart comes to claim it but isn’t decisive, and is fortunate to see the ball bounce at the feet of a South African defender.
13 mins: Lovely link-up play by South Africa, spraying a series of first-time passes to create room on the right before Sweden close down the space. The move began following an intercept from a direct Swedish ball down the left, catching the Europeans out of position in transition.
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11 mins: It’s all Sweden at the moment. In transitional moments they’re looking early for the runs of Blackstenius through the middle, but then they’re happy to manipulate the triangles until there’s a gap in the channels for a wide player to exploit. That player has been Kaneryd on a number of occasions already, but her crossing has left plenty to be desired, the latest effort skewing off her right boot and over the crossbar.
10 mins: Play continues and Sweden attack down the right with Angeldal sending over a cross that South Africa don’t deal with. The Swedes regroup down the left but the second delivery into the area is overhit and skids out for a goal kick.
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8 mins: An early scare for South Africa with Magala down clutching her left leg.
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6 mins: South Africa scrap hard for possession in midfield and Gamede frees Seoposenwe in behind on the right. The Monterrey forward does well to stand up the Sweden defence and curl over a dangerous cross, but after bouncing in the area, a half-chance slapshot is belted high and wide. Encouraging from the underdogs.
4 mins: Sweden are very composed on the ball, knocking it around precisely. South Africa have dropped into a low block, defending with 11 players in their own half. The Swedes are looking to draw Banyana Banyana out of their shape and dab over balls into the channels. The first effort found Kaneryd on the burst, the second a sloppy offside.
2 mins: Sweden in possession immediately, passing the ball around neatly at a moderate tempo, just testing out the conditions and inviting as many players in yellow a touch of the ball. The first attacking dart comes down the right from Kaneryd but it’s too high for her onrushing teammates.
Kick-off!
The opening match in Group G is under way…
Both teams stand proudly for their national anthems as rain buckets down, glimmering in the floodlights. In one positive, the wind has abated. Kick-off imminent.
Conditions are increasingly grim in Wellington, and that is reflected in a sparsely populated Cake Tin (the affectionate local name for the Wellington Regional Stadium). But rain, hail, or shine, the show must go on. And here come the teams out into the wind and rain.
How are The Guardian’s pre-tournament predictions looking after a few matches?
Struggling to keep up with all the World Cup action? Fear not, Women’s Football Weekly has you covered in podcast form.
The on-field officials today are all from the USA. Ekaterina Koroleva will blow the whistle, and talk to the crowd. Kathryn Nesbitt and Felisha Mariscal will run the line.
— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) July 21, 2023
South Africa’s team building sessions look fun.
The calm before the storm.
— Official SasolLeague (@SasolLeague) July 22, 2023
Team spirit is sky high in the #BanyanaBanyana camp, love to see it.#LiveTheImpossible pic.twitter.com/6fLiWhVFjE
Sweden’s game faces are strong.
Vilket lag 😍#SWE | #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/nVIlUxKTW6
— Svensk Fotboll (@svenskfotboll) July 20, 2023
Desiree Ellis has just given an interesting interview to the world feed broadcaster, indicating she has selected goalkeeper Kaylin Swart ahead of the expected Andile Dlamini because she’s concerned about the wintry conditions and plumped for the shot-stopper who can send the ball furthest downfield.
If your idea of a World Cup is a sunkissed tournament in the northern hemisphere summer, this is going to come as a major shock to the system. It is midwinter on this stopping point to Antarctica, and Wellington, a famously windy city is blustery and cold on this Sunday afternoon. Temperatures are around 10C (50F) with a northerly breeze not helping matters. Showers are always on the cards here, with more persistent rain probable late in the piece.
As Firdose Moonda writes, the story of South Africa coach Desiree Ellis is the story of the growth of women’s football.
When Desiree Ellis earned her first international cap, she also lost her day job. It was May 1993 and Ellis, now the head coach of the South Africa team preparing for their second World Cup, was picked as part of the first squad of players to represent their country in a women’s football match. They were up against their neighbours Swaziland (now Eswatini) in a Sunday fixture in Johannesburg. Ellis travelled the 780 miles from her home in Cape Town by bus, a journey which took around 18 hours and was one of the stars of a dominant performance for the Banyana Banyana.
She scored a hat-trick in a 14-0 win and celebrated briefly with her teammates before making the trip back in time for the work week. On the way, “we got a puncture, and it took us some time to get it fixed”, she tells Moving the Goalposts. The delay meant Ellis arrived late to the butchery where she mixed spices for a living. “When I got there, they told me I had absconded and I was fired. After that, I was out of work for three years.”
Two stunning kits on display this afternoon. Sweden are in their traditional yellow strip with blue trim, South Africa are top to toe in black. Coincidentally, yellow and black are the colours of the local professional teams here in Wellington, including the Phoenix in the A-League, and the Hurricanes in Super rugby.
Yanga Sibembe provides background on South Africa.
Playing on the counter, the team will depend on the incisive passing of players such as Linda Motlhalo and Sassuolo’s Refiloe Jane in midfield. Centre-back Bambanani Mbane also possesses the ability to ignite a counterattack from defence.
That’s where the speed of Racing Louisville striker Thembi Kgatlana, Mexico-based Jermaine Seoposenwe, plus Hildah Magaia and Noxolo Cesane will come into play. If the South Africans are to spring a surprise or two in a group containing Sweden, Italy and Argentina, these players will have to be effective when chances arise.
Learn about Sweden and their expectations with Amanda Zaza.
The third-best team in the world should be fighting for silverware. However, some of Sweden’s key players such as Seger, Rolfö, Ilestedt, Hurtig and Asllani have struggled with injuries during the spring. And the draw looks tough, with the USA or the Netherlands likely waiting in the last 16.
South Africa XI
Desiree Ellis has been able to select from a fully fit squad, so that means starts for the speedy Thembi Kgatlana up front, and the quality pairing of Linda Motlhalo and Refiloe Jane in midfield. Keep an eye out for Bambanani Mbane to ignite counterattacks out of defence.
OUR STARTING LINE UP FOR OUR OPENING FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP MATCH 🔥🇿🇦
— Banyana_Banyana (@Banyana_Banyana) July 23, 2023
💛💚💪🏽#BeyondGreatness #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/hPcTMMgFQ1
Sweden XI
Peter Gerhardsson has gone for a 4-3-3 system, captained by Milan’s Kosovare Asllani, with veteran Caroline Seger still nursing her calf injury on the bench. Despite niggling injuries throughout the squad, there is bags of experience and class, especially in attack, in the form of Barcelona’s Fridolina Rolfö, Arsenal’s Stina Blackstenius, and Chelsea’s Johanna Rytting Kaneryd. That trio are keeping out Lina Hurtig, top-scorer during qualifying.
VM-premiärelvan är här! 🔥
— Svensk Fotboll (@svenskfotboll) July 23, 2023
✔️ Musovic i mål
✔️ Asllani lagkapten
✔️ Tre VM-debutanter från start#SWE | #FIFAWWC
This is a germane pennant.
⏳
— Banyana_Banyana (@Banyana_Banyana) July 23, 2023
💛💚🇿🇦#BeyondGreatness #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/jRBGkSst8g
Preamble
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Sweden v South Africa from Wellington Regional Stadium. Kick-off in this World Cup Group G opener is 5pm local/3pm AEST/6am BST.
When the draw was made in October last year this fixture appeared a run-of-the-mill World Cup mismatch. Then second-ranked Sweden, who finished third in France 2019, against 54th-ranked South Africa appearing at the finals for only the second time, and with only one goal to their name. Eight months on, and the picture does not seem so straightforward.
If the opening matches of this World Cup have demonstrated a pattern, it’s the defensive resilience of the underdogs, and the lack of cutting edge of the major contenders. On a chilly day in New Zealand-Aotearoa, at a stadium notorious for its challenging playing conditions, Banyana Banyana loom as a banana skin for the Blågult.
Sweden do not have strong form to draw confidence from. Their last nine matches include three draws and three defeats – two of which were comprehensive 4-0 thumpings at the hands of Australia and England. The latter was at the semi-final stage of Euro 2022, during which the Swedes underwhelmed.
South Africa have also suffered some heavy defeats in recent months, notably 3-0 and 6-0 reverses against Brazil, and a 4-1 loss to Australia. But they do have the belief that comes with lifting the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, their first continental success. Their run to the trophy was built on a formidable defence.
“When we played Wafcon, we were focusing on that task of winning it,” goalkeeper Andile Dlamini said. “Now it’s a different task. We have to put Wafcon aside and understand it’s 11 people versus another 11. You can’t go there with the cockiness [of being African champions].”
I’ll be back with team news and insights from the two camps shortly. If you want to get in touch at any point you can always send me an email.
🇿🇦⏳#SWE | #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/nI1KG1sKwd
— Svensk Fotboll (@svenskfotboll) July 22, 2023
