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CNA
4 days ago
- Sport
- CNA
Sweden enter the unknown after shootout loss to England
ZURICH :Sweden's agonising defeat by England on penalties in coach Peter Gerhardsson's final game in charge had them exit Euro 2025 on Thursday and plunged the team into a period of uncertainty as many others in the set-up also consider their futures. Gerhardsson announced earlier in the year that he would be stepping down after the Euros and former Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson has already been announced as his successor, but how the squad and backroom team looks when he takes the reins in the coming weeks remains to be seen. "There are a lot of us on the team who will be leaving after this, so there are a lot of emotions involved. But when you make a decision... even if you don't know how far you'll go in a tournament, there's only this game right now," Gerhardsson told reporters. The game in question was a thriller, a 2-2 draw capped off by a hair-raising penalty shootout that had saves, spot-kicks sent high, and a goalkeeper in Sweden's Jennifer Falk who saved four of seven penalties, but still ended up on the losing side after 18-year-old Smilla Holmberg missed for Sweden. Sweden cruised through the group stage, winning all three games and took a 2-0 halftime lead into the break, but England coach Sarina Wiegman's late substitutions resulted in two quick goals, extra time and a painful repeat of Sweden's 3-2 loss to Canada in the 2021 Olympic final. Falk's overall performance would suggest that she will continue to be the first-choice goalkeeper, but captain Kosovare Asllani and winger Sofia Jakobsson are both 35, and defender Linda Sembrandt is 38, suggesting that they may have played their last championship for Sweden. Asked what it was like to see the likes of Sembrandt after the final whistle, striker Stina Blackstenius said she found it tough. "Everything feels very emotional today in every way, it's hard to put into words what you really feel, but yes, it is difficult," she told reporters before summing up Gerhardsson's eight years at the helm. "Part of the whole thing that this championship was really something that we saw coming, to have a nice end to the time with Peter ... I think we've built up such an incredibly good feeling during this championship. And it's clear that we would have liked to have had a better ending than this," she said.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Euro 2025: Sweden team guide – can Gerhardsson bow out with the final they crave?
The winners of the first European Championship in 1984 remain arguably the continent's most consistent side, reaching the semi-finals at the World Cup in 2019, the Euros in 2022, the World Cup in 2023, and finishing runners-up in the 2021 Olympics. Once the strongest league in European football, the Damallsvenskan can no longer compete with the top divisions in England, Spain and Germany, but Swedish players have adjusted and moved abroad increasingly early in their careers. This squad features players from clubs among the European elite — Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg. Who is the manager? Peter Gerhardsson will take charge of his final tournament this summer, ending an eight-year reign that has included third-placed finishes at the past two World Cups. A good-humoured manager who is popular with players and public alike, he has overseen a period of great squad harmony. He was previously in charge of Swedish club Hacken's men's side for seven years, ending that stint by winning their domestic cup, and will hope to finish this lengthy tenure with another trophy. His replacement will be compatriot Tony Gustavsson, whose Australia side were defeated 2-0 by the Swedes in the third-place play-off at the 2023 World Cup. How do they play? Gerhardsson has always placed a big emphasis on pressing, with Stina Blackstenius and Kosovare Asllani, his typical front two, often praised for cutting off passing angles and boxing opponents in towards the flank. Swedish media tend to depict the side as playing a 4-3-3, but it is surely a 4-2-3-1. Advertisement Asllani, the captain, is 36 next month and has spent the season playing in the English second tier with London City Lionesses, however, which could prompt a change of approach. Filippa Angeldahl has generally been used as a deep midfielder, but has been pushed forward to play as the No 10 in recent months. Although she lacks the flair of a proper playmaker, she is good at pressing and efficient with powerful low finishes from the edge of the box. Defensively, Sweden are solid, partly due to the combination of Magdalena Eriksson and Nathalie Bjorn, Chelsea centre-backs past and present. Both can also play full-back in the case of injury to others. Who are their three most influential players? Blackstenius blows hot and cold but comes into the tournament on a high following her Champions League final winner for Arsenal last month, as well as an excellent hat-trick in the 6-1 Nations League thrashing of Denmark just over a week later. She is always a threat with her runs in-behind. Advertisement Out wide, Fridolina Rolfo is one of the most powerful players in this competition, although probably less explosive now that she has become accustomed to playing left-back for Barcelona. Over on the right, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd had a brilliant first half of last season for Chelsea and is excellent at carrying the ball upfield. What is their biggest strength? Sweden's inswinging corners were crucial at World Cup 2023, with Jonna Andersson's left-footed deliveries proving particularly dangerous. It meant centre-back Amanda Ilestedt scored four goals in the tournament, one away from a share of the Golden Boot. This has continued to be a major aspect of their game in recent months. Asllani or Hanna Bennison generally take their corners from the left, although neither of them is guaranteed a starting place. What weakness might other teams be able to exploit? Against top-class opponents, Sweden can struggle to compete in the centre of midfield. Although they adjusted well to the loss of Caroline Seger, who retired in the wake of the 2023 World Cup after amassing 240 caps over 18 years, this was largely because of the form of Elin Rubensson, who was perhaps the second-best midfielder at that tournament behind Aitana Bonmati of Spain. She has had a couple of years of injury problems and is absent from this squad, while 22-year-old Bennison is still trying to blossom into the world-class midfielder we expected in her teens. Advertisement Sweden sometimes play the functional Julia Zigiotti Olme alongside Bennison, with Angeldahl pushed forward into her new role, which feels a bit like adjusting for a lack of quality by providing extra quantity. Any notable absences? Zecira Musovic was the star of Sweden's last-16 penalty shootout victory over holders the United States at the 2023 World Cup, but she announced her pregnancy in February and will miss this tournament. However, Hacken's Jennifer Falk was sometimes getting selected over her anyway, and while the 32-year-old lacks the physical presence of Musovic, it is not too much of a downgrade. It is vital Falk stays fit, though — neither of her backups have played in a senior international. What is their strongest starting XI? How have they performed over the past 12 months? Sweden narrowly failed to qualify for this tournament automatically, finishing behind Olympic silver medallists France and defending European champions England in a tough group. They were only beaten by France 1-0 at home and 2-1 away, and held England to two draws. They came close to a winner in the 0-0 with Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses in Gothenburg last July, which would have taken them through. Advertisement They then breezed through the play-offs against Luxembourg and Serbia, 12-0 and 8-0 on aggregate, at the end of 2024, before recently finishing top of a Nations League group featuring three Euro 2025 sides in Denmark, Italy and Wales. The 6-1 thrashing of the Danes three weeks ago is particularly promising given the local rivals meet again in both sides' Euros opener on July 4, but Sweden's failure to defeat Wales in two attempts (both matches finished 1-1) points to their problems in breaking down deep defences. What are they expected to achieve at these Euros? Sweden have high standards to maintain. Advertisement A group-stage exit would be a major shock, quarter-final elimination would be disappointing, and getting to the final four would be, on recent evidence, about par. They will be favourites in that group-opener derby against Denmark and should defeat Poland, too. The final match against Germany will be the biggest test. They will give anyone a game, but it remains to be seen whether the Swedes still offer the technical quality to outplay top-class sides, and whether previous defeats play on their mind in the latter stages of tournaments. Did you know? Sweden have progressed to the knockout phase in each of the seven European Championships played since the introduction of a group stage in 1997. They are as reliable as you get. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. Sweden, Women's Soccer, Women's Euros 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
26-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Euro 2025: Sweden team guide – can Gerhardsson bow out with the final they crave?
The winners of the first European Championship in 1984 remain arguably the continent's most consistent side, reaching the semi-finals at the World Cup in 2019, the Euros in 2022, the World Cup in 2023, and finishing runners-up in the 2021 Olympics. Once the strongest league in European football, the Damallsvenskan can no longer compete with the top divisions in England, Spain and Germany, but Swedish players have adjusted and moved abroad increasingly early in their careers. This squad features players from clubs among the European elite — Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg. Peter Gerhardsson will take charge of his final tournament this summer, ending an eight-year reign that has included third-placed finishes at the past two World Cups. A good-humoured manager who is popular with players and public alike, he has overseen a period of great squad harmony. He was previously in charge of Swedish club Hacken's men's side for seven years, ending that stint by winning their domestic cup, and will hope to finish this lengthy tenure with another trophy. His replacement will be compatriot Tony Gustavsson, whose Australia side were defeated 2-0 by the Swedes in the third-place play-off at the 2023 World Cup. Gerhardsson has always placed a big emphasis on pressing, with Stina Blackstenius and Kosovare Asllani, his typical front two, often praised for cutting off passing angles and boxing opponents in towards the flank. Swedish media tend to depict the side as playing a 4-3-3, but it is surely a 4-2-3-1. Advertisement Asllani, the captain, is 36 next month and has spent the season playing in the English second tier with London City Lionesses, however, which could prompt a change of approach. Filippa Angeldahl has generally been used as a deep midfielder, but has been pushed forward to play as the No 10 in recent months. Although she lacks the flair of a proper playmaker, she is good at pressing and efficient with powerful low finishes from the edge of the box. Defensively, Sweden are solid, partly due to the combination of Magdalena Eriksson and Nathalie Bjorn, Chelsea centre-backs past and present. Both can also play full-back in the case of injury to others. Blackstenius blows hot and cold but comes into the tournament on a high following her Champions League final winner for Arsenal last month, as well as an excellent hat-trick in the 6-1 Nations League thrashing of Denmark just over a week later. She is always a threat with her runs in-behind. Out wide, Fridolina Rolfo is one of the most powerful players in this competition, although probably less explosive now that she has become accustomed to playing left-back for Barcelona. Over on the right, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd had a brilliant first half of last season for Chelsea and is excellent at carrying the ball upfield. Sweden's inswinging corners were crucial at World Cup 2023, with Jonna Andersson's left-footed deliveries proving particularly dangerous. It meant centre-back Amanda Ilestedt scored four goals in the tournament, one away from a share of the Golden Boot. This has continued to be a major aspect of their game in recent months. Asllani or Hanna Bennison generally take their corners from the left, although neither of them is guaranteed a starting place. Against top-class opponents, Sweden can struggle to compete in the centre of midfield. Although they adjusted well to the loss of Caroline Seger, who retired in the wake of the 2023 World Cup after amassing 240 caps over 18 years, this was largely because of the form of Elin Rubensson, who was perhaps the second-best midfielder at that tournament behind Aitana Bonmati of Spain. She has had a couple of years of injury problems and is absent from this squad, while 22-year-old Bennison is still trying to blossom into the world-class midfielder we expected in her teens. Sweden sometimes play the functional Julia Zigiotti Olme alongside Bennison, with Angeldahl pushed forward into her new role, which feels a bit like adjusting for a lack of quality by providing extra quantity. Zecira Musovic was the star of Sweden's last-16 penalty shootout victory over holders the United States at the 2023 World Cup, but she announced her pregnancy in February and will miss this tournament. However, Hacken's Jennifer Falk was sometimes getting selected over her anyway, and while the 32-year-old lacks the physical presence of Musovic, it is not too much of a downgrade. It is vital Falk stays fit, though — neither of her backups have played in a senior international. Sweden narrowly failed to qualify for this tournament automatically, finishing behind Olympic silver medallists France and defending European champions England in a tough group. They were only beaten by France 1-0 at home and 2-1 away, and held England to two draws. They came close to a winner in the 0-0 with Sarina Wiegman's Lionesses in Gothenburg last July, which would have taken them through. Advertisement They then breezed through the play-offs against Luxembourg and Serbia, 12-0 and 8-0 on aggregate, at the end of 2024, before recently finishing top of a Nations League group featuring three Euro 2025 sides in Denmark, Italy and Wales. The 6-1 thrashing of the Danes three weeks ago is particularly promising given the local rivals meet again in both sides' Euros opener on July 4, but Sweden's failure to defeat Wales in two attempts (both matches finished 1-1) points to their problems in breaking down deep defences. Sweden have high standards to maintain. A group-stage exit would be a major shock, quarter-final elimination would be disappointing, and getting to the final four would be, on recent evidence, about par. They will be favourites in that group-opener derby against Denmark and should defeat Poland, too. The final match against Germany will be the biggest test. They will give anyone a game, but it remains to be seen whether the Swedes still offer the technical quality to outplay top-class sides, and whether previous defeats play on their mind in the latter stages of tournaments. Sweden have progressed to the knockout phase in each of the seven European Championships played since the introduction of a group stage in 1997. They are as reliable as you get.
The Australian
26-06-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
Matildas fixtures, results: Joe Montemurro changes as coach
New Matildas coach Joe Montemurro has wasted no time implementing a major shake-up, flipping the side's playing style in just his first few days in charge … and it's a move that has been needed for years. Australian football star Ellie Carpenter said the focus of the national team camp so far had been possession-based football — which puts the focus on attacking and controlling the game. It's not a style of play the Matildas have gone with before – previous coach Tony Gustavsson had a real focus on counter-attacking. That method was part of the Matildas' undoing at the Paris Olympics and in other tournaments since. Taking the game against Japan at the SheBelieves Cup – the Matildas lost 4-0 and in the 90 minutes made one shot to Japan's 18. Japan had 59 per cent of the ball. Against the USA the Matildas had just 33 per cent of the ball and made one shot to USA's 7. A defence-first approach will not get the Matildas far in the Asian Cup next year. Carpenter is no stranger to Montemurro's focus on attack – she spent the past season working with him at French side Lyon. The defender is known for her willingness and ability to drive down the wing with the ball at her feet. 'Joe's really experienced, obviously, internationally, he's played around the world, coached in the biggest clubs,' Carpenter said. 'I think the most important thing that he's implemented so far is possession-based football and I think we're very capable of doing that. 'And even the last two sessions I think the girls are learning a new language that maybe they haven't heard before. 'I really think we've implemented that very well in the short space of time that we have. 'You'll be seeing us more with the ball, controlling the game, a lot of possession based and exciting football which I think this team needs to get back to playing. 'I think we're really going to thrive under Joe, this is the first step into this new cycle. 'Nothing happens overnight or over 48 hours for our first two sessions but at least we've implemented the base and we can keep building.' While Montemurro has made a start implementing the new style in this camp, having a huge number of players unavailable means it will take him time to get everyone on board. Key players including Sam Kerr and Mary Fowler are missing due to ACL injuries. Clare Wheeler, Cortnee Vine, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord and Katrina Gorry are all absent on personal leave. And on top of that, all the players in the camp are at different stages for the year – some are in season, some out and others in pre-season. Montemurro said this camp would allow him to gauge where available players were at. 'We'll look at a few different ideas, we'll look at a different ways of approach and obviously the more we can get on the pitch and the more we can get the messages out there on the pitch,' he said. The new coach said he was full of 'anticipation' ahead of his first game in charge. 'It is the official start of our build up for the Asian Cup,' Montemurro said. 'I'm looking at a lot of players, I'm trying to instil some language and instil some new ideas but the approach to the game is still the same. 'We're playing at home, we're in our country, so the attitude has to be that it's a big game, it's a game that we want to win. 'It's the game that we want to make sure we do the right things to get that mentality leading into a big tournament.' The side's first opponent with Montemurro at the helm will be Slovenia. On paper the Matildas should have no problems against this team – they are ranked 38th in the world – the Matildas sit 15th. But Slovenia are an aggressive and physical team and will no doubt be keen for an upset. The match will kick off at HBF Park, Perth at 9pm (AEST) on Thursday. Kerr makes surprise return to Matildas camp Erin Smith Sports reporter Erin Smith is a sports reporter for the National Sports Network and CODE Sports. She is die-hard sports fan with a passion for football, women's sports and Olympics. Football Auckland FC's inaugural men's team won the A-League premiership this season but the APL have squashed its chances of creating the same magic with a women's team. Football Sam Kerr has made a surprise return to the Matildas camp as the Joe Montemurro era gets underway in the Chelsea superstar's home city of Perth.
The Age
03-06-2025
- Business
- The Age
‘I can smell success': Montemurro aims for Asian Cup glory with Matildas
'I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to tell you how important this is to me ... the opportunity it affords me personally in my career and as a person to bring the game to the next level,' he said. The mission to extract him from his contract at Lyon was delicate and protracted. Despite months of rumours linking him to the Matildas, which he also fuelled himself, Montemurro said he only signed his multi-year deal on Saturday, having secured his release over the weekend. FA overlooked him for Tony Gustavsson five years ago, and had another chance to sign him a year ago, when he was in the country to coach the A-League All Stars, but the federation hesitated; sources suggest they may have had to pay a hefty fee to Lyon to belatedly get him over the line, but better late than never. Interim chief executive Heather Garriock had a positive spin. 'I don't think it's a missed opportunity,' she said. 'Everything happens for a reason ... to have Joe with a French championship under his belt is only going to help the Matildas.' Montemurro wouldn't go as far as making an Ange Postecoglou-esque declaration that he would win a trophy in his second season, when invited. He declined to even put himself in the same 'category' as the Tottenham Hotspur boss, even though he is the only Australian coach with a comparable resume in European football. 'The only promise I make is that we will play an exciting brand of football and that the integrity and the level and the respect of the Matildas will always be at the top of my thinking,' he said. But he did offer the following: 'I can smell some success.' Montemurro rubbed his hands together with glee at a question about his philosophy, and his tactical plans for the Matildas. As he acknowledged, what he had to say was what most coaches offer in these circumstances: a promise to play proactive, attacking football. The difference is that he, unlike most, has the track record and knowledge base to actually pull it off. 'We want to control the game. We want to have the ball. We want to be able to control the game even when we don't have the ball,' he said. 'You'll see a team that will take risks. You'll see a team that's going to be brave. You'll see a team that's going to excite. I know no other way of playing football, and it's a matter of now instilling that identity. But the beauty of it is that I think we've got some traits as athletes in Australia that can really bring that to life and really bring that in a special way - an Australian way, hopefully.' Montemurro certainly has the tools, at least in the short term, to pull off something special at the Asian Cup, which kicks off on March 1 - a tournament he described as 'winnable'. Though his remit also includes a much-needed evolution of the playing group - a process he acknowledged that caretaker coach Tom Sermanni had already begun - there remains enough star power at his disposal to realistically aim for what would be the team's first silverware since 2010. He expressed hope that Mary Fowler might recover in time from her ACL injury to feature at the tournament, noting that she was in the right environment at Manchester City to give her the best possible chance. Loading As for Sam Kerr, who is yet to return from her own ACL tear, and the vexed question of whether she will be his captain, he played a straight bat. 'Let's get her fit and right and then we'll have those discussions from there,' he said. Montemurro was due to travel down to Canberra later on Monday, ahead of the Matildas' friendly against Argentina, to address the playing group for the first time pre-match. He will take charge of his first game later in June against Slovenia at Perth's HBF Park.
