Sweden v Belgium – Football match report – 22 July 2022
Defender Linda Sembrant fired a stoppage-time winner to give Sweden a 1-0 win over Belgium on Friday and set up a Euro 2022 women’s semi-final against hosts England next Tuesday.
Belgium’s game plan to contain the Swedes and beat them on the break looked to force them into extra time, but the last of Sweden’s 34 goal attempts was forced home by Sembrant to send the Belgians out.
– Euro Ladies: News and features | Matches & Results | Tables
– Watch the Euros LIVE on ESPN: Navigate the schedule
– Do not have ESPN? Get instant access
“It was a tough match,” said Johanna Rytting Kaneryd. “I think we created a lot of chances and I had heard maybe 30 shots on goal, so it was tough and frustrating that we didn’t score earlier.
“I don’t know if it was the timing [of their pressing that was tough]. I think we have to look through the game and see what we can do better. They defended in the box and they made it difficult for us. We have to see where the space is before, I think.”
The Swedes kept Belgium at bay for most of the first half and should have taken the lead when Stina Blackstenius headed home in the 25th minute. However, a VAR review showed that she was just offside when Kosovare Asllani passed her the ball and the goal was chalked off.
The second half was almost identical with the Swedes pouring forward and the Belgian defense standing resolute, with goalkeeper Nicky Evrard making a brilliant reflex save to deny Blackstenius in the 73rd minute.
Although tiring as the game wore on, Belgium continued to threaten on the break and Sembrant and her defensive colleagues had to be on their toes, having no interest in playing another 30 minutes.
“We didn’t want extra time,” Sembrant told SVT. “We pressed them hard in the second half, we wore them down more and more. The only thing missing was the goal.”
It finally came in the second minute of stoppage time when Sweden won a corner from the left and Asllani fired it towards the middle of the goal and it dropped at the far post to Nathalie Bjorn.
Her first shot was blocked but Sembrant, who missed two of the group games through injury, reacted quickest to slot the ball home to send the Swedes, who lost the final at last year’s Tokyo Olympics to Canada on penalties, to face the hosts in the four last.