Germany v Sweden

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Germany v Sweden

Impressive Germans End Sweden's Olympic Hopes

by Jeremy Ruane

Germany handed Sweden a 4-1 hiding in front of a sell-out 22,486 crowd at Ottawa's Lansdowne Stadium on 20 June to advance to the FIFA Women's World Cup quarter-finals and end the beaten team's 2016 Olympics prospects.

With only three European teams set to contest the twelve-team Olympic Women's Football Tournament in Rio de Janeiro in fourteen months' time, this match was effectively a play-off for one of those spots, and the Germans flew out of the blocks in an effort to secure it early doors.

Indeed, just sixteen seconds after kick-off, Alexandra Popp was firing a shot narrowly over the bar, after Celia Sasic and Anja Mittag had torn open Sweden's rearguard. They were still reeling ninety seconds later, when Sasic swooped on a defensive error and slipped in Simone Laudehr, who was only denied by Hedvig Lindahl's blocking save at her feet.

Sweden were stunned by the ferocity of Germany's start, but regrouped in time to threaten in the ninth minute. Midfield duo Caroline Seger and Linda Sembrant combined to pick out Sofia Jakobsson, but her shot lacked the venom to trouble Nadine Angerer unduly.

Germany's response saw Laudehr and Mittag work a one-two which saw the midfielder - Laudehr was outstanding throughout this match - only thwarted by the covering defensive work of Jessica Samuelsson.

Two minutes later, Popp and Mittag combined on the left, with the latter pulling the ball back for Melanie Leupolz, who was flying through the middle. She let fly without breaking stride, but sent the ball flying well wide of the target.

Germany continued to pile on the pressure, Laudehr not far away with a curling twenty-yarder in the nineteenth minute. But from the resulting goal-kick, Sweden mounted a rare raid, led by Amanda Ilestedt's break down the right. But Sembrant undid all her team-mate's good work by unleashing an awful finish of the high, wide and far from handsome variety.

Back came the Germans, Laudehr and overlapping fullback Louise Maier combining on the right, the latter rewarding Leupolz's clever off-the-ball running with a measured lob into her stride. On this occasion, Nilla Fischer came across to thwart the midfielder, but within seconds, the Germans were celebrating the opening goal.

A stray pass from Ilestedt was pounced on by Mittag. She swiftly worked a one-two with Sasic before uncorking a gem of a finish from the edge of the penalty area, a superbly placed shot which curled around the diving figure of Lindahl and entered the net via the base of the left-hand upright - a real striker's goal, and one the Germans richly deserved to this point.

Three minutes later, they came close to doubling their advantage, Lindahl grabbing Popp's header after she was picked out by Laudehr's cross. Soon after, the midfielder got the better of Therese Sjogran in a foot-race to the by-line, but a wee nudge by the Swede resulted in Laudehr going up and over the hoardings.

This incident was sandwiched by two Swedish attacks, as they pursued an equaliser. Angerer plucked Sjogran's well-flighted thirty yard free-kick off the head of Lotta Schelin, who played an integral role in Elin Rubensson's 32nd minute raid, the flank player working a one-two with the talismanic striker before curling an effort just past the post.

Germany's response saw them double their lead from the penalty spot through Sasic, but it was a terrible call by referee Ri Hyang Ok. Laudehr played the ball in to Mittag, who burst past Ilestedt then went down in the box. The referee hesitated before pointing to the spot, from where Sasic sent Lindahl the wrong way - 2-0.

That goal knocked Sweden's forward momentum sideways, and they were fortunate not to concede a third goal in the 43rd minute. Lindahl was right behind Maier's stinging twenty-yarder, and sparked a counter-attack which featured Seger, Emma Berglund and Schelin, who evaded a challenge before crossing to the far post for Jakobsson.

Despite being offside - she wasn't flagged, the striker headed over the bar from point-blank range, a miss the Swedes would surely regret, so impressive had the Germans been to this point, dubious penalty notwithstanding.

That dominance continued into the second spell, with fullback Tabea Kemme beating three players down the left before chipping over a cross-shot which bounced along the bar within seconds of the resumption.

Mittag, Lena Goessling and Maier were next to combine, with the fullback's twenty-five yarder being kept out by Lindahl, who was relieved to see Popp's powerful header flash past the upright in the 52nd minute as she attacked Goessling's free-kick with venom.

Back came Sweden, Sjogran's corner to the far post

being pawed off the head of Ilestedt by Angerer, who was relieved to see Saskia Bartusiak step in at the right moment on the hour to thwart Jakobsson, after Rubensson, Schelin and Sjogran had combined for the striker's benefit.

Either side of this attack, Germany threatened again. Sasic's decoy run engineered space for Mittag to unleash a twenty-yarder which Lindahl smothered, while in the 63rd minute, Laudehr and Mittag combined to present Sasic with a chance. She mistimed her shot, with Kemme seeing her resulting effort blocked for a corner.

Goessling's delivery was cleared to Kemme, who hooked the ball back out to the emerald-eyed midfielder. Goessling sized up a gorgeous chip which, had Lindahl not just got her fingertips to it to divert it onto the bar, would have put the Germans on easy street, three goals to the good.

They kept pressing for that crucial third goal. Kemme picked out Popp in the 66th minute, her flick for Sasic allowing the striker to play the ball on towards Laudehr, who set up substitute Dzsenifer Marozsan for a shot which Lindahl was grateful to hang onto.

Sweden's goalkeeper cleared the ball downfield, allowing Schelin a rare sighting of it - she had been well contained by her German rivals. On this occasion, she tangled with Annike Krahn, both players going down in a tangle of arms and legs.

Both appealed for a free-kick, and Schelin wasn't best pleased when referee Ok waved play on, the striker allowing her frustrations to get the better of her seconds later in another incident, earning herself a yellow card.

This was the signal for Germany to cause Sweden further stress, with Laudehr leading the charge yet again. Her 69th minute cross arced just beyond Sasic at the near post, but Popp was following up beyond the far post and managed to redirect the ball across the face of Sweden's goal - had anyone in white been following in …

Laudehr loomed large again two minutes later, this time threading a ball through for Marozsan, who had Sasic in space on the far post if required. She looked to use her team-mate, but Lindahl blocked the cross with her legs.

Germany's pressure had to tell, and twelve minutes from time, they scored a third goal. Fittingly, Laudehr was involved - FIFA's Technical Study Group awarded the Player of the Match award to Mittag, but for mine, the German midfielder was the best player on the park by the length of the pitch, so significant was her contribution to Germany's progress.

Marozsan picked her out on the right in the 79th minute, and Laudehr proceeded to torment substitute Lina Nilsson yet again, before checking inside and unleashing a shot which deflected off Fischer and struck the far post. Before Lindahl could react, Sasic flew in to head home the rebound - 3-0, game over!

Or was it? Three minutes later, urged on by the crowd, who had been anticipating more of a contest between two of the world's top five-ranked nations, Sweden attacked with renewed vigour and earned a free-kick. Sjogran flighted in a gem of a delivery which Sembrant met with a towering ten-yard header, giving Angerer no chance - 3-1.

Two minutes later, they should have reduced the deficit still further. Schelin played the ball forward early, and sent Jakobsson spearing through the German rearguard to leave her one-on-one with Angerer. The 'keeper stood up big and produced a splendid block to frustrate the front-runner, and inspire the Germans to restore their three-goal advantage.

Which they did two minutes from time. Goessling played a corner short to Marozsan who, despite being off-balance, uncorked a peach of a shot which swerved towards the top far corner of the net. Lindahl got her fingertips to it, but couldn't prevent Germany from extending their lead to 4-1, with time all but up on the clock.

There was still time for Nilsson to rattle the side-netting following a Sjogran corner, but it was the end of the road for Sweden at Canada 2015, and, as it turned out, the end of their Olympic hopes as well, with the three best-performed European teams at the FIFA Women's World Cup Finals set to qualify for Rio 2016.

Germany have high hopes of being one of those teams, though now face a mouth-watering quarter-final against France, a match which would almost certainly be worthy of the final itself, given these are two of the best teams this writer has seen at these Finals so far.

Germany: Angerer; Maier, Krahn, Bartusiak (booked, 28), Kemme (Cramer, 77); Laudehr, Leupolz (Marozsan, 46), Goessling; Mittag, Sasic, Popp (Lotzen, 89)

Sweden: Lindahl; Ilestedt (booked, 35), Berglund (Hjohlman, 80), Fischer, Samuelsson (Nilsson, 46); Rubensson (Asllani, 67), Seger, Sembrant, Sjogran; Schelin (booked, 68), Jakobsson

Referee: Ri Hyang Ok (DPR Korea)

2015 Draw