Sweden beat Denmark 1-0 in Women's Euro, Germany defeat debutantes Poland
GENEVA, Switzerland - Midfielder Filippa Angeldahl scored for Sweden in a third straight game as her second-half strike secured a 1-0 win over neighbours Denmark in the opening game of Group C at the Women's European Championship on July 4.
Real Madrid's Angeldahl, who scored in friendlies against Denmark and Norway in June, played a one-two with Kosovare Asllani as she entered the box from the right and netted a right-footed shot near the far post in the 55th minute after a tight first half.
'There's so much nerves when you start a tournament so it was a wonderful feeling to score that first goal,' player of the match Angeldahl said.
'It's really important to win the first match and give you a platform for the rest of the finals.'
Denmark had fought hard to stay in the game as Sweden dominated possession, with Katrine Veje's tackle denying Stina Blackstenius in the 17th minute and keeper Maja Bay Ostergaard tipping over Angeldahl's free kick near the top corner just before the break.
Blackstenius almost scored Sweden's second goal shortly after the hour mark but her shot from close range was saved on the line by Frederikke Thogersen, leading to a groan from the more than 17,000 spectators in attendance.
Denmark, who had only 10 attempts in the game, almost half of Sweden's, came dramatically close to equalising in the 81st minute when Thogersen found Pernille Harder with a quick pass on the right, but the Danish captain's thundering drive hit the crossbar.
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'It's hard that we didn't get a point from here today but we can take how we played today, how good we were, how good (we defended)... into the next game against Germany,' Denmark defender Stine Ballisager said.
Denmark face eight-time champions Germany on July 8, while Sweden play Poland.
Win for Germany
Germany on July 4 battled to a 2-0 win over tournament debutantes Poland in their Group C opener, with forward Jule Brand scoring one goal and setting up another in St Gallen. But they suffered a blow when captain Giulia Gwinn left the field injured.
Gwinn, who has suffered two anterior cruciate ligament injuries previously in her career, was helped from the field in tears in the 40th minute after twisting her knee while making a last-ditch tackle to prevent Poland captain Ewa Pajor from scoring.
After dominating much of the scoreless first half against a spirited Poland side, the Germans finally made the breakthrough seven minutes into the second when Brand cut inside before firing a soaring, curling shot into the top-left corner of the Polish goal past the despairing dive of Kinga Szemik.
Germany's Jule Brand scores their first goal past Poland's Kinga Szemik.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Sjoeke Nuesken and Klara Buehl both should have scored with headers before Lea Schueller finally got the second in the 66th minute, expertly exploiting a sliver of space in Poland's offside line to steal in behind and score with a header from Brand's cross.
The lively Pajor represented Poland's best chance of scoring on the night and she had a number of good chances, but Ann-Katrin Berger pulled off a string of fine saves in the German goal to keep her clean sheet intact.
With Sweden having beaten Denmark 1-0 earlier, the Germans go into their game against the Danes in Basel on July 8 on top of Group C ahead of the second-placed Swedes, who face Poland in Lucerne later the same evening. REUTERS
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