Filippa Angeldahl’s moment of magic delivered Sweden a hard‑earned 1–0 win over Denmark, earning three vital points to kick off their Euro 2025 Group C campaign.
Peter Gerhardsson’s side gradually grew into the contest, asserting control in the second half with patient build‑up play and incisive wing‑work.
In the 55th minute, Angeldahl ghosted into space on the edge of the box, played a slick one‑two with Kosovare Asllani and rifled a low, driven strike across goalkeeper Sandra Østergaard that nestled in the bottom corner.
Denmark pressed fiercely in search of an equaliser in the dying embers, with Pernille Harder’s late thunderbolt crashing against the crossbar, but Blågult’s defence held firm throughout the contest.
Denmark boss Andrée Jeglertz, who was confirmed yesterday as Manchester City’s incoming head coach after Euro 2025, made three changes to the side that suffered a 6–1 drubbing by today’s opponents, Sweden, in their last outing.
One of those changes saw Everton’s Karen Holmgaard come into the side to start in midfield, alongside her club team-mate and twin sister Sara Holmgaard, while captain and all-time top scorer Harder spearheaded the attack for the Red and White.
Sweden, managed by Gerhardsson – also departing after this tournament – fielded a lineup packed with WSL stars. Arsenal’s Champions League final hero Stina Blackstenius led the line, flanked by Chelsea WSL title‑winner Johanna Rytting Kaneryd.
Captain and legend Asllani, who has netted 48 goals in 196 caps for blågult and helped London City Lionesses earn promotion last season, also started for the Swedes.
Amanda Ilestedt and Lina Hurtig, both released by Arsenal this summer, were among the substitutes, while Real Madrid‘s Angeldahl started in the middle of the park.
Sweden started on the front foot, showcasing moments of slick build-up play, but Denmark were equally dangerous on the counter. Inside two minutes, Chelsea’s Rytting Kaneryd turned her marker expertly on the right before cutting the ball back to Angeldahl at the edge of the box. The midfielder struck first time, but her effort drifted agonisingly wide.
Almost immediately, Denmark broke forward with numbers to spare. Janni Thomsen surged towards the box, only to be thwarted by a superb last-ditch tackle from Julia Zigiotti Olme, who raced back to snuff out the danger.
Shortly after, Bayern Munich star Harder peeled off her marker at the far post to meet a pinpoint free-kick – but the 32-year‑old’s tame effort was comfortably collected by Jennifer Falk in the Swedish net.
Moments later, a VAR review halted play for a potential handball against Sweden’s Madelen Janogy. Replays showed the ball struck her arm as she fell marking Harder – clearly accidental – and the decision was waved away to Sweden’s relief.
Buoyed by the reprieve, the hosts surged again down the right. Rytting Kaneryd, ever the threat, raced to the byline and slipped a low cut-back to Blackstenius. However, Emma Færge anticipated the danger superbly, sliding in to hook the ball clear before the Arsenal striker could get her shot away.
There was another opening for Denmark later in the half when Emma Snerle released Harder in space just outside the box. The former Chelsea forward picked her spot and curled an audacious effort towards goal – but it drifted marginally over the bar.
Sweden came within inches of breaking the deadlock just before half-time. Angeldahl whipped in a venomous free‑kick that arrowed towards the top‑left corner, only for Denmark keeper Østergaard to produce what may well be the save of the tournament so far, tipping it over at full extension.
Østergaard’s heroics ensured the score remained level at the interval after a first half of end‑to‑end action. Both sides showed flashes of quality – slick link‑up play, rapid transitions and dangerous set‑pieces – but ultimately neither could find the cutting edge to take the lead, as two well‑organised defences stood firm.
Angeldahl was involved once more early in the second period. Rytting Kaneryd drove directly at the heart of the Danish defence before pulling the ball back to the former Man City midfielder in a dangerous position, however the 27-year-old was unable to get the curl required on the strike and saw her effort blocked by Faerge.
Moments later, however, Angeldahl made no mistake. Sweden’s number number 16 played an intricate one-two with captain Asslani on the edge of the box, then unleashed a low, powerful shot across goal into the bottom left corner to give her side the lead in the 55th minute.
Sweden thought they had added a second on the hour mark as Blackstenius guided the ball towards an empty goal following a scramble in the box, but Frederikke Thogersen prevented Sweden from adding a second with an exceptional goalline clearance. Only a matter of millimeters prevented the Swedes from adding a second.
The Danes aimed to change the game with super subs, as a Real Madrid star of their own, Signe Bruun, whom many expected would start the game, came on for Karen Holmgaard as part of a flurry of second‑half substitutions designed to tilt the contest in Denmark’s favour.
Shortly after, Sweden’s Hanna Lundkvist whipped in a dangerous delivery from the right, but Janogy couldn’t steer her header on target. By the 70th minute, the game seemed to have lost its impetus and rythm as the Swedes had wrested control, dictating the tempo and expertly managing possession in an attempt to see out the win.
With 15 minutes remaining, Denmark turned to 37-year-old legend Nadia Nadim – who has already announced her impending international retirement – in a bid to spark a late revival. However, Nadim had a tall order in front of her, as the Danes had only managed one attempt in the entire second half by this point.
That changed moments later as Harder reminded Sweden of her game‑changing ability. Receiving the ball on the edge of the box, she unleashed a ferocious drive that rattled the crossbar before spinning away – a stark reminder for the Swedes that even one lapse in concentration against a player of her calibre can prove costly.
In the dying minutes, Hurtig, introduced off the bench, sprang to her team’s rescue. Thomsen’s corner found Harder unmarked at the near post, but Hurtig lunged in to block the striker’s header on the goal line.
Nadim then attempted an audacious overhead kick in stoppage time – only for Sweden goalkeeper Østergaard to backpedal sharply and claim the effort.
In the closing moments, Blackstenius broke free onto a long ball and squared it across the six-yard box to Hurtig – only for the midfielder to mistime her run and miss the chance to seal a two goal victory.
Angeldahl was a constant threat in midfield, dictating the tempo and linking defence to attack with impeccable vision and ball control.
From the first whistle she showed her intent – ghosting into pockets of space, winning crucial second balls, and spraying passes that kept Denmark’s back line on the back foot.
Her defining moment arrived in the 55th minute when she ghosted beyond the Danish midfield, received the return pass from Kosovare Asllani, and unleashed a low, powerful strike that nestled into the bottom corner.
That sublime finish not only earned her side the lead but underscored her knack for seizing the big moment. In a tightly contested encounter, it was Angeldahl’s quality and composure that tipped the balance and secured her player‑of‑the‑match honours.