Damallsvenskan Newsblog

The feelings in the team was recognizable - the same numb, empty feeling they've had after a couple of other extra-time defeats (when did a swedish national team last manage to win a match that went on to extra-time??).
Aftonbladet: "Det här gör riktigt ont"
Corren: Gulddrömmen sprack -- Marika i tårar
Dagens Nyheter: Sveriges bästa halvlek räckte inte mot Norge
Dagens Nyheter: Picture show (Flash)
Dagens Nyheter: Hanna Ljungberg: "Tomhet och besvikelse"
Expressen: Marika i tårar efter förlusten

The most common comment from various sports columnists were a relief that the national team managed to finish in an honorable way. The team has been very critisized for their performance in the group matches, but in the semi they showed what they are capable of: "Brilliant football in the first half" is one comment, while Norway's win is called a tactical triumph; they played, in loss for a better word, norwegian - simple, fighting, long balls, fast counters. And, in a reply to some views from norwegian players before the match, another column says: "This team has reached the semifinals in four championships in four years. You don't do that just being lucky."

There seems to be only one point where some are critical, the substitution of Caroline Seger for Frida Östberg at half time. Trying to created something forward exchanged for destructive defense seems to be the general opinion. Personally I can understand the coach's decision - Seger seemed sometimes a liability at midfield, losing the ball from trying to dribble or shortpass instead for taking a more simple approach.

The match is seen as not only Marika Domanski Lyfors farewell, it is also the farewell of the old guard. This in spite of no player (maybe except for Kristin Bengtsson) having said they will retire from the national team, many though have left the question unanswered. Many columnists speculates on what new head coach Thomas Dennerby should do, and maybe mostly how fast he should move in the younger players.
Aftonbladet: De utslagna hjältinnorna
Corren: Utan Seger ingen final
Dagens Nyheter: KRÖNIKAN: Ett bittert slut på en storhetstid
Expressen: Brask: Kurvan pekar neråt - nu får vi se fram mot 2008
Sydsvenskan: En härlig revansch till ingen nytta
Västerbottens Folkblad: Hedern är räddad

It was a major family gathering. I turned away from the dinnertable, somewhere between the main course and the dessert, took up my cellphone and wapped to SVT's teletext. My brother looked at me, queringly. "One-nil, Anna Sjöström", I answered. "At what time?" "3rd minute". "Well, thank god we didn't have to sit through that one!", he exclaimed.

I think he probably was on the spot there. From the reports it doesn't seem like it was very enjoyable. The major tabloid had a big headline across the front of the sports section that said "VIDARE!", but with the dot over the I exchanged for five small letters "INGET". Which is pretty clever in swedish: "vidare" means further or through (we won so we're through to the semis) while "inget vidare" means "not very good".

In spite of winning their group, undefeated to that, the swedish team has far from met the expectations. Critizism from media and fans is harsh. Sweden were supposed to dominate against all the other teams in their group, maybe with some exception for Denmark. Instead they have just squeezed by. The lack of goals, the bad passing play, the absence of activity on the wings, the repeated changes of the midfield composition, the constant long and high balls aimed at a striker that is, to quote a TV commentator, two pancakes tall and an almost invisible pair of forwards. Only the defense, and mostly Hanna Marklund, has satisfied the critics so far.

The players and coaches on the other hand willingly admit that the play could have looked better, but they have so far done what they are here to do, resultwise. The swedish tactics, with pressure already in the offensive third of the field, takes a lot of strength. "The defense starts with the forwards" is a common statement from the swedish coaches, and Ljungberg and Svensson has certainly done their bit in that respect. But that takes it's toll and makes the swedish counters slower and less forcefull.

And there is, though not that well represented, a view that this is as good as we are. The field in a competition like the European Championships is strong, there are no push-overs (maybe except for Italy). Be content that the team actually gets the job done and don't complain about how it's done.

I could give you loads of links here, but it I really don't feel like browsing through a weeks worth of 10-15 internet newspapers to find them. Look for yourself if you feel like it. www.aftonbladet.se, www.expressen.se and www.dn.se covers this event extensively and I  think you'll find news and views at every other swedish site I've ever linked to here.

Finland's women on the other hand were completely exhilarated after their 2-1 win over Denmark. The biggest thing ever in finnish football, men or women, was among the most modest statements. There was a fantastic audio clip on finnish radio, an interview with Jessica Julin and Heidi Kackur (they are both from the swedishspeaking minority) directly after the match. They seem to have pulled it now, maybe too much swearing in it?? Julin and Kackur were on top of the world and needed to emphazise every feeling with a well chosen swearword. It was probably also from another post match interview, with a happy but somewhat more relaxed team captain Sanna Valkonen, that the rumour that the finnish girls would celebrate by skinnydipping in the hotel fountain emanated.
No link, since they pulled my favourite clip.

The young ones against the old guard is a popular theme. Seger, Öqvist and Schelin are fun, vocal and self-confident. So far none of them has really impressed on the field, but who has. But in one event they have taken the lead. The swedish national team players, especially those from Umeå, has a reputation of being shopaholics. But Seger, Öqvist and Schelin has taken over at least there.
TV4 (Shopping clip)
Expressen: En blågul modeoffensiv

Bad play or not, the European Championship is the big thing in sports in Sweden these weeks. The Finland match was played and televised opposite the men's friendly against Norway. The women's match got an audience of 1,2 millions while the men's game, shown at another network, got half as much. None of the big names (Ljungberg, Ibrahimovic) played for Sweden, but nonetheless.
Dagens Nyheter: Damlandslaget vann tittarmatchen

Matches with 25 to 30 thousand in the crowds are not commonplace with european women's football and I think England's matches got bigger TV audience than the FA Cup final. But what concerns the tournament itself there are still ways to go. Representatives for the swedish FA says there is a lot left to do:
- the squads are to small, 17 outfield players compared to 220 in the men's tournament
- all competing teams are put in the same hotel - unthinkable in a men's tournament
- they are not alone at the hotels, they have to share it with tourists and wedding parties
Dagens Nyheter: Damfotboll släpar efter herrarna

Disappointment, not with the result but with their own play, was the predominant feeling in the swedish camp after the Denmark game. The first 30 minutes worked well, but then they lost confidence in the midfield and began to resort to long balls. A couple of the few players that got passing grades in the press was goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl in her championship debut and defender Hanna Marklund. A major post game subject was the referee's decision when Therese Sjögran was brought down Denmark's keeper. Hanna Ljungberg was convinced it should have been a penalty while head coach Domanski Lyfors commented that things like this happened and usually evened out over a tournament.
Västerbottens Folkblad: Premiär i moll – som vanligt
Sydsvenskan: 1–1 mellan Sverige och Danmark 
SVT: Short Caroline Jönsson interview (RealVideo)
Göteborgsposten: Än tror Moström på EM-guld
Expressen: Sverige rasar mot domaren
Dagens Nyheter: Vickan: "Vi vet att vi kan bättre än vi visade"

Young midfielder Caroline Seger could have wished for a better championship debut; picked off the field after being more or less invisible for 55 minutes. She was definitely not satisfied with her own performance and thinks her substitution was justified. Her more experienced team mates urged her not to read the papers after the match. "It's nice to read when there is something positive, but I can tell myself when I'm bad", Seger commented.
Aftonbladet: Undviker läsa tidningar
Sydsvenskan: Besviken Seger undvek tidningarna
Expressen: "Det var en chock"
Dagens Nyheter: En debut som Seger sent ska glömma
Corren: Dagen efter -- en dag av eftertanke för Seger

Finland's midfielder Jessica Julin said she was not sad after their extratime defeat to England, she was mad and angry. Finland didn't start good, they were much to nervous in their first ever championship match and made easy mistakes, but did great to come back from being 2 goals down and deserved the draw. No one in the finish team thinks it will be hard to focus on the next game though. "You just have to say Sweden and we're all set". The fact that six finnish players have club mates in the swedish team will of course help.
Corren: Rantanens mål var förgäves
Vasabladet: Julin arg och förbannad
Vasabladet: Kalmari trodde sig fixat poäng
Vasabladet: Tränaren: Det känns grymt
Expressen: Psykkriget: ”Vi ska äta upp dom”
Hufvudstadsbladet: Kampen på mittfältet avgör Finlands öde

Sweden - Denmark 1 - 1 (1-1)
Sweden: Hedvig Lindahl - Sara Larsson, Jane Törnqvist, Hanna Marklund, Kristin Bengtsson - Lotta Schelin (84 Josefine Öqvist), Frida Östberg, Malin Moström, Caroline Seger (55 Therese Sjögran) - Victoria Svensson, Hanna Ljungberg.
Goals: 1-0 Hanna Ljungberg (20), 1-1 Johanna Rasmussen (28)
The first game curse continues - Sweden haven't managed to win their opener in a major tournament since 1997. But at least it wasn't a defeat this time. The key to the match was winning the midfield, which made Domanski Lyfors return to the traditional midfield diamond with Frida Östberg in the defensive position. Sweden started well, agressive play, starting their counters high up on the danish half and creating several good scoring opportunities. But by the end of the first half Denmark began winning the midfield battle and were dangerous coming down the wings. Sweden did a couple of player moves and a substitution trying to better the midfield play, but it only worked partly. The second half as a whole belonged to Denmark with a faster and better passing play. Even if the danish players were all smiles after the match and the swedish rather disappointed, Sweden should be the ones most satisfied with the result.

Pregame:
SVT - Star wars inspired clip on the build up for the Denmark clash (Windows media)    
 
Post game:
Aftonbladet: Oavgjord EM-premiär
Expressen: Dålig start i EM-premiären
Dagens Nyheter: Sverige kryssade i EM-premiären
SVT: Oavgjort för damerna i EM-premiär

If you want to get your match reports and other stuff in english I recommend UEFA's official site, BBC and Georgina Turner's blog at the Guardian.

Damfotboll.com 

Svensk Fotboll
SVT: Svensson och Ljungberg bröt måltorkan , Match clip, windows media
TV4: Match clip    
Dagens Nyheter: "Det här såg lovande ut"
Dagens Nyheter: Bra besked för kaptenen