UEFA Women's Euro 2025: Sweden beats Denmark on Filippa Angeldahl's Foal
One month after a 6-1 rout in Stockholm, Filippa Angeldahl's smart finish of a neat passing attack in the 55th minute was enough for an impressive Swedish team on another hot evening in Switzerland.
Angeldahl severely tested Denmark goalkeeper Maja Bay Ostergaard to save a long-range free kick in the first half and beat her with more power in the second.
The midfielder exchanged passes with captain Kosovare Asllani — making her 200th appearance for Sweden — before striding on to shoot low past Ostergaard's dive.
Filippa Angeldahl found the back of the net, gave Sweden a 1-0 lead over Denmark.
Denmark star forward Pernille Harder's shot from distance rattled the Sweden crossbar in the 81st.
It was the third time Sweden and Denmark opened a Women's Euros facing each other and it ended 1-1 in both 2005 and 2013.
Sweden beat Denmark twice in a Nations League group this year, starting with 2-1 in Odense in February. That time, Harder was marked toughly by veteran Sweden defender Magdalena Eriksson who has been her partner since 2014.
Eriksson was a surprise absence from the lineup on Friday due to a muscle strain lingering since a warmup game. She was ably replaced by 38-year-old Linda Sembrant, playing her 157th game for Sweden.
Playing in 86-degree heat (30 C) at the 6 p.m. kickoff, both teams took breaks for drinks several times in each half.
The playing surface was mostly shaded by the stadium roof though fans along one length of the field were bathed in direct sunshine for the entire match.
The drinks delays helped to add up to 16 minutes of total stoppage time, including a delay of more than four minutes for a video review early in the game.
Denmark thought it might be getting a penalty kick for a foul on Harder. The free kick was eventually awarded to Sweden by Brazilian referee Edina Alves because winger Madelen Janogy was tripped by a Denmark player before falling into Harder.
Yellow-clad fans at the Salève mountain end of the stadium brought classic Swedish pop music into the game. They sang in both halves to the tune of Abba's "Lay All Your Love On Me" accompanied by a beating drum.
Before kickoff the stadium observed a period of silence in memory of Portugal and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota who died this week aged 28 in a car crash in Spain.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic. France, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros 2025 The Athletic Media Company
