logo
Blackstenius hits top form as Sweden win Women's Euro group

Blackstenius hits top form as Sweden win Women's Euro group

Reuters11 hours ago
July 12 (Reuters) - Sweden's Stina Blackstenius has timed the peak of her goal-scoring form perfectly, netting the winner for her club Arsenal in the recent Champions League final and then scoring against Poland and Germany as her side blazed their way into the quarter-finals at the Women's Euros as Group C winners.
The Swedes beat Germany 4-1 to rack up a perfect nine points from their three games, and they will face the runner-up in Group D, which features England, France, Netherlands and Wales, while the Germans will meet the winners of that group.
"I'm very happy that I've gained the confidence to play and I am happy with the goal that we got here today, but mainly because of the win today and that we are still in the tournament," a beaming Blackstenius told reporters.
Despite playing her club football in England, Blackstenius said she had not thought about who Sweden might meet in the quarter-finals.
"I don't want to stand here and say that I prefer any of the teams -- it's an incredibly good team, no matter who we face, so it will be very exciting to see how it ends (in Group D) tomorrow, and then we will continue to prepare ourselves, regardless of which team we play against," she said.
The two teams also enjoyed enormous support, with a yellow wall of Swedish fans behind one of the goals that sang and drummed from beginning to end, building a big-game atmosphere.
"I enjoy being at championships. It's something extra to experience. There's something with these games that makes it extra special," Blackstenius said.
"When I look up at our fans today, I think they're very visible, and it also gives a feeling that we're doing this together. There's a lot that drives me in the whole set-up, with all the support and knowing that there are family and friends here."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Panathinaikos boss in stern warning to players ahead of Rangers clash
Panathinaikos boss in stern warning to players ahead of Rangers clash

The National

time23 minutes ago

  • The National

Panathinaikos boss in stern warning to players ahead of Rangers clash

Rangers face the Greek side a week tomorrow in the second qualifying round of the Champions League at Ibrox before the return in Athens. Panathinaikos faced the Portuguese side in a friendly in Kossen, Austria, before they play Rangers. And Vitoria reckoned the defeat proved they have to improve ahead of playing Russell Martin's men. Read more: He said: "The positive thing is that we didn't get any injuries, so we have all the players at our disposal, so we can work together and focus on the matches against Rangers. "We are not satisfied because we lost. I could say that this was a warning. It is not worth doing some things well and badly with other things. You have to be focused throughout the match. "Braga didn't do anything special, yet we found ourselves behind and were always chasing the game. "And mistakes cost us. "What we need to do now is rest. We've been in Austria for two weeks with a lot of intensity. "There is fatigue among the players, they are tired. We also had to manage a large volume of players in the squad and give them all game time."

Saints will play to the conditions
Saints will play to the conditions

BBC News

time35 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Saints will play to the conditions

Champions League First Qualifying Round Second Leg: KF Shkendija v The New SaintsVenue: National Arena Todor Proeski, Skopje Date: Tuesday, 15 July Kick-off: 18:00 BSTCoverage: Listen live on BBC Radio Shropshire and on BBC Sport website and app. The New Saints manager Craig Harrison says the heat will be a big factor when they play in North Macedonia against Shkendija in the Champions League could not find a breakthrough in a tight first leg of the first qualifying round tie at Park Hall, which ended Harrison is confident his side will create chances in Skopje and will draw on the experience of last season's draw away to Decic in Montenegro."The heat will play a big factor so we can't go running around like madmen closing down and wasting energy," Harrison told BBC Radio Shropshire."We know what it's like in Montenegro, which is in the same region of the world, so it will be similar conditions, really warm."So we'll have to manage the game accordingly and we'll have to be a little bit better in possession of the ball." Harrison said his side did "everything but score a goal" in what was an evenly-matched first Saints boss, in his second spell in charge of the 17-times Welsh champions, feels his side are capable of securing a win and progressing in the competition."I do think that if we can keep a clean sheet out there, I think we'll go through," Harrison added."We went out to Decic and were up against it there and we drew 1-1 in very, very similar surroundings."We'll have a game plan, we'll be well-organised and well-drilled out of possession."But I do think we're very dangerous on the counter-attack and will create chances."The winners will face FCSB of Romania or Andorra's Inter Club d'Escaldes in the second qualifying round while the losing team drop into the Conference League.

Glasgow City hero Davidson delivering the goods after moving to Norway
Glasgow City hero Davidson delivering the goods after moving to Norway

The National

time43 minutes ago

  • The National

Glasgow City hero Davidson delivering the goods after moving to Norway

A Tesco delivery driver, enduring arduous ten hour shifts, before turning up for training at Glasgow City, the forward took the plunge into full-time football for an initial six-month trial to see if she could make a go of it. She's done more than that. Davidson netted the goal that delivered Glasgow City their last SWPL title in the most dramatic of circumstances at Ibrox. But life has moved since then with Davidson now a year into a two-and-a-half year deal with Brann in Norway. Still only 23, it has enabled her to kick on again. 'I was definitely out of my comfort zone when I first came over but I think that is a good thing,' she said. 'It has definitely made me mature a bit on and off the pitch. 'I will be honest and say I have been lazy with the Norwegian, though! The girls all speak excellent English – probably better than me! – and so it has been good. I do try but I could definitely do more. 'There are moments when they will be chatting in Norwegian and I can't keep up with it but I am fine with it. I live in an apartment underneath a family just across the road from the stadium. 'So for me it has been eat, sleep and play football. That was this was all about. Just totally focussing on football and testing myself to see how far I can go. 'I have made a lot of small improvements to my game. I loved working with Martin [Ho, who has gone to Spurs]. He was the first manager to take Brann into the group stages of the Champions League and he was invaluable for me. 'I do think he really helped me improve my game and made me realise that it didn't always have to be big, massive changes. Just some very small adjustments and pointers really helped me to come on.' Read more: There will be a familiar face to play alongside this term. Brenna Lovera, whom Davidson played with at City, has made the move to Brann. The Norwegian side are keen to make a dent in the Champions League this season – as are City. 'It would be weird if we met one another!' said Davidson. 'I am still in touch with a lot of the girls at City. I spoke to Brenna and I had also spoken to the club here about Brenna. It will be nice to have an old team-mate and friend coming out and I think she will make a phenomenal impression here.' A three week break at home in Bishopbriggs was enjoyed before the demands of the season resume now for Davidson. And while the downtime was necessary, Davidson admitted that she did her best to avoid any coverage of the Euros, so raw are the wounds that still remain from Scotland's failure to make it. 'It is still sore and I have tried to avoid watching it as much as I can,' she said. 'I have a couple of Finnish team-mates who obviously put us out and while I wanted them to go and do well, it was a hard one to take. 'I think, though, that going away and playing at this standard and in a different environment has definitely made me a better player. 'There is a new regime with Scotland now under Melissa [Andreatta]. I thought the first camp felt like a breath of fresh air. It was all very positive and encouraging but the aim now has got to be to go and get ourselves to the World Cup.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store