Soccer-Rolfo return boosts Sweden ahead of Germany showdown
OBERENTFELDEN, Switzerland (Reuters) -Sweden's Fridolina Rolfo may have only managed 13 minutes plus stoppage time against Poland at the Women's Euros so far, but the return of flying wingerfrom an ankle injury has been a shot in the arm for the Swedes ahead of their Group C showdown with Germany on Saturday.
The 31-year-old, who had spells with Frauen-Bundesliga clubs Bayern Munich and VfL Wolfsburg before joining Barcelona in 2021, has faced a race against the clock to be fit, and Tuesday's cameo against the Poles gave both her and her team a lift ahead of the group decider.
"I've sacrificed a lot these weeks to be here today, it comes back to you when you've worked so hard. I didn't know if I would get to play in the Euros, it was a nightmare to get injured," Rolfo told reporters at the Swedish team base in Cham on Thursday.
"I've been doing rehab and training six hours a day just to get this foot right, I've been lying at home every day with my foot elevated and just doing everything I can to reduce the swelling and get the foot to heal as quickly as possible."
With Germany and Sweden already qualified, the two face off in Zurich to decide who will top Group C and face the runners-up in Group D, which features France, England, Netherlands and Wales, all of whom can still qualify. The runner-up in Group C will take on the winner of Group D.
With the Swedes already guaranteed to advance to the last eight, how much of a role Rolfo will play against the Germans remains to be seen.
"Speaking for myself, I want to play as much as possible and get into the championship. I always want to play, but we'll see," she said.
(Reporting by Philip O'Connor; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
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