Holland v Sweden

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Holland v Sweden

Extra Time Winner Sends Holland Into Final

by Jeremy Ruane

Holland booked a place in their maiden FIFA Women's World Cup Final in four days' time, 48,452 fans seeing them edge Sweden 1-0 after extra-time in their semi-final at the Stade de Lyon on July 3.

With so much at stake for both European nations, a very cagey affair unfolded, although the Dutch did try to break the shackles early on through Vivianne Miedema, who fired a third minute range-finder past the post before being superbly tackled by Caroline Seger in the act of shooting seven minutes later.

But it was the Swedes who created the more likely opportunities during the first half, the first of them materialising in the thirteenth minute when the charging figure of Sofia Jakobsson fed Stina Blackstenius, whose shot was parried by Sari Van Veenendaal, the 'keeper recovering to foil Jakobsson as she homed in on the rebound.

After Lineth Beerensteyn had seen her effort thwarted by Hedvig Lindahl, Sweden pressed again, with Magdelena Eriksson's delicious free-kick being turned round the far post by Van Veenendahl under pressure from Lina Hurtig, before Dominique Bloodworth's timely intervention on the edge of her penalty area prevented Blackstenius from latching onto a measured Hanna Glas pass.

Nilla Fischer replied in kind at the other end of the park soon afterwards as Miedema looked to latch onto Danielle Van de Donk's through ball, before Sweden came desperately close to breaking the deadlock in the 36th minute.

Glas led the charge down the right before feeding Jakobsson, whose cross was pawed out by Van Veenendaal and ricocheted out for a corner off Desiree Van Lunteren, who had an outstanding game in Holland's rearguard.

Kosovare Asllani fired the resulting corner into the goalmouth, where Fischer rose at the near post to head the ball out to Elin Rubensson. Her shot through the crowd was blocked, but fell invitingly for Hurtig, whose shot from the edge of the goal area was kicked to safety by Van Veenendaal.

That sparked a Dutch counter-attack which culminated in Sherida Spitse lashing a twenty-five yarder past Lindahl's right-hand post, with Holland's set-piece specialist also contributing to the last attack of the half, in which Van de Donk and Van Lunteren featured before Beerensteyn and Miedema saw shots blocked by Swedish defenders.

Holland's talisman, Lieke Martens, had made no impact during the first half, so with resting her foot injury in mind, she was withdrawn at half-time, with Jill Roord replacing her.

But it was Sweden who continued to press for an opener, Blackstenius catching Bloodworth in possession in the 48th minute and leading her a merry dance before the defender made amends with a splendid recovering tackle in the penalty area.

Eight minutes later, the Swedes went closer still to scoring the goal which would break open this chess-like encounter. Eriksson's corner was punched out by Van Veenendaal to the edge of the penalty area, where Asllani was lurking with intent.

Her shot was blocked, the ball eventually finding its way to Fischer, who thrashed a low drive towards the bottom far corner of the net, only for Van Veenendaal to tip the effort onto the far post, the ball rebounding out between the incoming figures of Linda Sembrant and Blackstenius before Holland scrambled the sphere to safety.

The Dutch heeded the warning, and went in search of a goal themselves. In the 64th minute, Spitse picked out Miedema with a corner which the striker directed goalwards with a powerful header. Lindahl tipped the ball onto the bar, with Bloodworth seeing her attempt to turn home the rebound blocked by a strategically placed defender.

Three minutes later, Sweden came again, Eriksson and Asllani combining with Hurtig, who was foiled by a timely Van Lunderen tackle in the area which replays suggested should have been a penalty - the defender made minimal contact at best with the ball, and plenty with her opponent. Wherefore art thou in such instances, Video Assistant Referee?

After Roord attempted an improvised scorpion kick when looking to connect with a Spitse corner, Fischer and Glas combined to thwart Roord and Van de Donk as the Dutch pressed for what would have been a late winner, to which Sweden responded via an Eriksson free-kick which landed on the roof of the net, and a swashbuckling run from Blackstenius which was halted by Stefanie Van der Graft's timely tackle.

In stoppage time, the Dutch went close to snatching a last-gasp winner when Van de Donk and Jackie Groenen linked up with substitute Shanice Van de Sanden, whose rising drive was tipped round the post by Lindahl to ensure an additional half-hour of play would be required to separate these sides.

Nine minutes into extra time, the deadlock was broken by Holland, and an unlikely source at that. Spitse, Van de Donk and Miedema combined to play the ball into the stride of Groenen, striding into space through midfield.

When twenty yards out from goal, she let fly, her first goal in a year arrowing past Lindahl and into the bottom far corner of the net to the delight of all those present clad in orange.

Sweden looked to respond almost instantly, Asllani being denied by a super Merel Van Dongen tackle in the area in the 104th minute. But the Dutch kept on coming, Roord rattling the side-netting with a shot through the legs of Eriksson before Miedema headed wide from another Spitse corner.

Things were getting desperate now for the Swedes, with Jakobsson foiled by a superbly timed Van Lunteren tackle in the 118th minute. But after Van de Sanden fired a shot across the face of goal as the Dutch looked to clinch it, the sight of Asllani slumping to the ground after being struck near the temple by the ball at close quarters was a sobering one for all-comers.

Medical staff and a stretcher-bearing team were quickly on the scene, and it took the best part of five minutes for Asllani to be stabilised then carried from the pitch, to resounding but sympathetic applause for a player who has had a fine tournament, but certainly didn't deserve to end it in this manner.

Having already used all their substitutes, Sweden pressed on for a late equaliser, always wary that Holland could spring them on the counter-attack. But when Van Veenendaal snaffled a Swedish cross, Canadian referee Marie-Soleil Beaudoin chose that moment to conclude proceedings, to the delight of the Dutch, who now take on the USA for the most prized trophy in women's football.

Sweden's sadness at missing out on a second FIFA Women's World Cup Final - they were runners-up to Germany in 2003 - is tempered by the chance of finishing third, which they will achieve if they beat England in Nice in three days' time.

But it's Holland and the USA for whom glory beckons, with whichever wins the Final set to make history as the first nation to win all seven fixtures at a FIFA Women's World Cup Finals.

The Dutch have seen off New Zealand (just - 1-0 in stoppage time), Cameroon (3-1), Canada (2-1), Japan (a last-minute penalty - 2-1), Italy (2-0) and Sweden (1-0), while the reigning world champions have dismissed Thailand (13-0), Chile (3-0), Sweden (2-0), and Spain, France and England (each by a 2-1 scoreline), in addition to winning their last five games at Canada 2015.

To the victor, the spoils - the FIFA Women's World Cup Final awaits.

Holland: Van Veenendaal; Van Lunteren, Van der Gragt, Bloodworth, Van Dongen; Groenen, Van de Donk (booked, 115), Spitse (booked, 85); Beerensteyn (Van de Sanden, 71), Miedema, Martens (Roord, 46)

Sweden: Lindahl; Glas, Fischer, Sembrant, Eriksson (Andersson, 111); Rubensson (Zigiotti, 79 (booked, 94)), Asllani, Seger; Jakobsson, Blackstenius (Larsson, 111), Hurtig (Janogy, 79)

Referee: Marie-Soleil Beaudoin (Canada)

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