Sweden delivered a dominant aerial display to crush Poland 3-0 and secure a place in the knockout stages of the Women’s European Championship, with veteran captain Kosovare Asllani orchestrating proceedings in a performance full of poise and precision.
The 35-year-old playmaker, serving as Sweden’s tactical linchpin, saw an early looping header crash off the woodwork before turning provider for Stina Blackstenius to open the scoring. Asllani then nodded home Sweden’s second after the break, before Lina Hurtig completed the trio of headed goals from a corner to wrap up a commanding win.
“The plan was to attack through the flanks and through the wings, because we knew we would have a lot of space there,” Asllani told Reuters after the match. “So we tried to attack, and got a lot of crosses in. The first goal, I waited one second extra, waited for their defenders to move, for me to chip it in to Stina. So it’s three headers, three beautiful goals, the three points.”
Sweden’s relentless wing play consistently carved open Poland, who struggled to cope with the width and precision crossing of their opponents. The victory ensures Sweden finish in the top two of Group C, with a final group-stage showdown against Germany on Saturday set to determine who tops the group.
Midfielder Filippa Angeldahl echoed her captain’s sentiments, saying: “We had seen clips where they are centred themselves a lot, so it felt natural for us to go wide and work from there. It worked for the whole game, so we just kept going at it.”
With Poland and Denmark now eliminated, Sweden will advance with growing confidence. Whether they stick with the same wing-focused game plan against Germany remains to be seen—but Asllani made Sweden’s intentions crystal clear.
“We want to win the group. That’s clear,” she said, her steely gaze hinting at unfinished business ahead.