signs of resilience or vulnerability? Maybe both, plus Belgium improving
LEIGH, England — On a wet and cold Friday night in Leigh, it took Sweden — the top-ranked team at Euro 2022 — 92 minutes and 33 shots to score in what was a thoroughly frustrating night for them against Belgium, a final – 1-0 win.
Few had given Belgium any chance heading into this game. The 19th-ranked side in the world had been the surprise escape from Group D with Italy and Iceland both seen as more likely to progress. However, Belgium showed on Friday that they are slippery opponents who know how to hold their shape and frustrate the opposition.
“We have already secured our first goal, which was to qualify for the quarter-finals,” Belgium coach Ives Serneels said ahead of the match. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t now have a fighting mentality. We didn’t come this far to give it away.”
Belgium certainly showed a fighting spirit, but it was Sweden’s inability to capitalize on their own chances that was a real letdown for the side on the night. That will be a concern for manager Peter Gerhardsson as Sweden look ahead to a semi-final meeting with England, who will not only have had two extra days to prepare but also lead both the team and individual points tables.
It had looked business as usual for Sweden in the first half when Kosovare Asllani fed a pass to Stina Blackstenius, who beat goalkeeper Nicky Evrard. However, a VAR review said Blackstenius was offside and the goal was disallowed. Things started to slide downhill for Sweden from there as they lacked any kind of precision in front of goal.
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At half-time Sweden had 15 shots on goal to Belgium’s number one and an expected goal of 1.62 compared to 0.03 for Belgium. Sweden had 20 possessions when attacking Belgium’s penalty area while the latter had just three. Sweden’s 20 touches and 1.62 xG were the most of any side at that point in the entire tournament – but poor touches and confusion in front of goal saw them not put a single shot past Evrard.
At the end of the match, Sweden had 33 shots on goal with 10 on target. Evrard had made seven saves (in context, the most saves in any European Championship match is 12) and her team had only managed three shots on goal with none on target.
However, it was fitting that when Sweden’s breakthrough did come, it was through a fixed match. Asllani put a cross into the box two minutes into added time that was beaten away by Evrard. Her clearance only landed as far as Nathalie Bjorn, who took a shot that was blocked off the line but landed at the feet of Linda Sembrant, who smashed it into the top of the net.
It was a messy business but Sweden won’t care now. The goal marked their fifth from set-piece this tournament, more than any other side.
Perhaps more should have been made of Belgium’s defensive qualities before the game. They had claimed a 1-0 win against Italy and were only beaten 2-1 by group favorites France. Iceland put just one goal past them as well. They went into the knockout stages as the team with the fewest shots on goal and conversely, only Finland (84) faced more shots against them (70). With those numbers and as shown in expected goals, according to ESPN Stats & Information, Belgium should have conceded at least eight goals but instead had only conceded three before Friday night.
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A word must be given here to Belgium goalkeeper Evrard who, despite being on the losing side, won Man of the Match for his heroics. This feat seems all the more impressive when you consider the fact that Evrard is a semi-professional footballer who also rents out bouncy castles in his spare time. Having recently arrived in Leuven from Ghent, her football is her passion but the rental business gives her financial stability. It’s a crazy concept for a goalkeeper who just had the performance she did in the quarterfinals of a major tournament.
“I think Belgium have a bigger name than they did before the tournament,” Evrard said after the match.
While there may be celebrations for Sweden tonight, they face a massive test against England. Sweden’s tournament has been ravaged by covid-19 cases and the quick turnaround could be even more difficult for them. Captain Magdalena Eriksson admitted that she felt like crying after the final whistle.
“It feels incredible. That was our goal for the day. It wasn’t easy. Belgium made it really difficult,” Eriksson said. “I’m so happy we won. I’m so happy for Linda and that we finally got the goal.
“It was really tough. We had to stay mentally really strong. We had to stay positive. We did that. We were going to keep going until the 94th minute and keep pushing. We’re through and I’m really excited to play in the semi-finals.
“So many emotions. I felt the tears coming because I was so happy. It was a frustrating night. To finally get that relief, oh my god. I’m so proud of all the girls for how hard we fought.”
There will also be some concern over the fitness of Blackstenius, who was on the ground receiving treatment after the final whistle and had been suffering from injuries throughout the tournament. As one of their best attacking options and someone familiar with the Women’s Super League, where many of the England players are based, her fitness will be key alongside better performances from the likes of Fridolina Rolfo. England have a strong defense against set pieces in Millie Bright and it seems unlikely that they will be able to rely on them in the same way.
You’d think England manager Sarina Wiegman will be rubbing her hands gleefully after tonight – but it’s never right to count out a team like Sweden. A match-winner after a 92-minute battle to progress to the Euro 2022 semi-finals is the latest proof of that.