Sweden Make Germany Pay For Carlotta Wamser’s Handball To Win Euro 2025 Group

It was a fixture that had promised a show and it delivered. Sweden embarrassed Germany aft Carlotta Wamser’s bizarre handball prevention reduced Christian Wück’s broadside to 10 players and handed them a two-goal shortage that would turn to three.

Jule Brand had put Germany up early connected earlier Stina Blackstenius levelled and nan teenage full-back Smilla Holmberg gave Sweden nan lead. Then came Wamser’s incomprehensible prevention pinch her hands to contradict Fridolina Rolfö, who converted nan resulting spot-kick earlier Lina Hurtig delivered Sweden’s 4th precocious on.

There whitethorn person only been apical spot to play for, pinch some teams already qualified, but it was still a crippled that mattered, some from a momentum constituent of position and successful position of who they play next. With nan victor facing 2nd spot successful Group D, apt England, and nan runner-up playing nan victor of Group D, apt France, location is small quality successful nan value of guidance ahead. However, finishing apical has put Sweden successful nan kinder broadside of nan draw, only facing Spain, nan favourites, if they scope nan final.

There is history betwixt Germany and Sweden: they met successful nan quarter-final of nan 2019 World Cup successful France, Sweden emerging nan victors, earlier going connected to hit England successful nan bronze-medal match. Generally, though, luck has favoured nan Germans. They had 21 wins and 2 draws successful 31 meetings earlier kick-off astatine nan Stadion Letzigrund and had not mislaid to Sweden successful nan six times they had met astatine nan Euros, including nan 1995 and 2001 finals, winning 5 and drafting once. They besides met successful nan 2003 World Cup last which Germany won acknowledgment to a aureate goal.

It was acold from a foregone conclusion that history would repetition itself though, Poland put up an awesome fight against Wuck’s side, while Denmark could consciousness aggrieved they had not walked distant pinch astatine slightest a constituent aft a controversial victor for Germany gave them each 3 points successful Basel. Meanwhile, Sweden person arguably looked 1 of nan tournament’s astir in-form sides.

A frenetic commencement saw some teams occurrence informing shots wrong minutes of kick-off and it was a motion of things to travel successful nan seventh infinitesimal Germany took nan lead, Wamser threaded nan shot to Brand who had near Jonna Andersson for dormant and slotted past Jennifer Falk.

The mostly German crowd roared, but they were soon drowned retired by nan artifact of yellowish down Falk’s goal. Wuck’s squad had sizeable occurrence connected that right-hand side, Andersson and her teammates connected nan left-hand broadside for Sweden looked for illustration they were moving done treacle erstwhile attempting to way nan runs of nan players successful red, but Germany could not capitalise. They were punished soon after, Blackstenius received nan shot conscionable wrong nan German half and was fixed each nan abstraction successful nan world to tally into connected nan correct earlier she slipped nan shot past Ann-Katrin Berger and in.

Silvia Gasperotti shows a reddish paper to Carlotta Wamser successful nan first half. Photograph: Maja Hitij/UEFA/Getty Images

A chaotic 2nd for nan Swedes followed, 18-year-old Holmberg’s energetic tally into nan container from nan correct was unchallenged until Sarai Linder stuck retired a ft and nan shot took a unusual double deflection disconnected nan young full-back and flew in.

The Blagult should person extended their lead doubly successful speedy succession, firstly erstwhile Blackstenius coiled a left-footed effort complete and wide and past erstwhile Berger’s mediocre shot retired from nan backmost was leapt connected by Johanna Rytting Kaneryd who went done one-on-one but inexplicably chose to quadrate alternatively of sprout and Germany cleared.

An almost identical move yielded nan extremity that would put them 2 clear, Rytting Kaneryd’s propulsion backmost was met by Rolfö this time, nan Barcelona subordinate fired goalwards and Berger was astatine oversea but nan shot was pushed wide by nan hands of Wamser. It was a ludicrous determination from nan full-back, who received a consecutive reddish and will miss their 4th final. It was moreover much ludicrous fixed that Wamser came into nan broadside pursuing nan medial ligament wounded suffered by squad skipper Giulia Gwinn that has ruled her retired of nan tournament.

The weakness of nan Germans astatine right-back will beryllium moreover much of a focal constituent for nan squad they look successful nan knockout stage, likely, France, pending nan result of their crippled against nan Netherlands and England’s against Wales connected Sunday night.

With some teams having already qualified, Sweden’s apt bragging authorities assured and Germany needed to reshuffle pursuing nan sending off, location were 2 changes apiece astatine nan break.

The sting was taken retired of nan crippled successful nan 2nd half, but a precocious effort from Hurtig put nan cherry connected apical of a objective capacity for Sweden, nan forward, who has joined Fiorentina from Arsenal this summer, tapping successful Rytting Kaneryd’s shot into nan middle.

It was an uplifting and boosting triumph for Sweden, who contempt looking defensively frail astatine times but stay 1 of nan tournament’s astir promising teams. Meanwhile, Germany must regroup and find a measurement to header without their first and second-choice right-backs.