On the bill: Netherlands v Sweden
Book your evening for what could be one of the posters, even the shock of this Euro. The Netherlands, the last winners of the competition in 2017, will be opposed to Sweden, a close-knit group that remains on two 2e place, obtained at the 2019 World Cup and then at the Tokyo Olympics in August 2021. These two very ambitious nations compete from the start in what could be the casting for a final.
The Dutch leave with a psychological advantage over the Swedes since they have won the last three meetings between the two selections. Neutralize the strike force of the attack of the Orangecombining PSG rookie Lieke Martens with his very prolific compatriot Vivianne Miedema, will be one of the keys to the match on the Swedish side.
However, the day will start at 6 p.m. with a duel between Portugal and Switzerland. The two teams will try to start with a success, almost mandatory if they want to afford the right to dream of qualifying for the quarter-finals in this very tough group C.
Euro star: Vivianne Miedema
Neither does she, we don’t talk about age. Phenomenon of precocity, Vivianne Miedema panics the counters since her professional debut, at only 15 years old. Her statistics with SC Heerenveen (83 goals in 74 games), Bayern Munich (52 goals in 78 games) then Arsenal (74 goals in 89 games), where she has been playing since 2017 and has just extended despite advances from FC Barcelona, prove the extent of the striker’s talent.
Finishing qualities also noticeable with the Orange. Having become the top scorer in the history of the Netherlands selection in 2019, then reaching the bar of 60 achievements at the age of 22, the Dutchwoman continues her ascent. With 92 goals on the clock with her country before she even turned 26, the native of Hoogeveen, a municipality in the province of Drenthe, has not finished panicking the statistics.
Effective on the lawns, Miedema is just as committed outside. In a discipline where homophobia is still very present, the Dutch woman claims her homosexuality. The player from English club Arsenal was also one of the most involved elements in the fight to obtain equal bonuses between men and women in selection. A fight won after long negotiations with the Dutch federation.
What a day to be Dutch ????????????
Equal pay!! Been working closely together with the @KNVB to achieve this historical mil… https://t.co/suPIywebfV
In the skylight: Caroline Seger, veteran far from being satisfied
Caroline Seger continues to write the history of her sport despite her age. Aging is not a constraint for the 37-year-old midfielder, a respected captain of Sweden and the most capped player in Europe. Major cog in the system of coach Peter Gerhardsson, in office since 2017, the ex-Parisian and ex-Lyonnaise should celebrate his 230e appearance with jersey Blagult (blue and yellow) this Saturday night against the Netherlands. A loot still far from the 354 games of the American Kristine Lilly, but which places her at the gates of the Top 10 of the most capped players in history.
The wearer of the captain’s armband is closely linked to Andreas Granqvist, who has long been her counterpart in the men’s selection. Chance of fate brought together in the same class in high school, in 2001, these two future talents born in Helsingborg, a few weeks apart in 1985. “You were one of my best friends in class, and you’ve been the same ever since,” recalled Seger during a reunion narrated by the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet in 2016.
The friendship continues between the two athletes. Granqvist will undoubtedly be the first supporter of Seger during this Euro. A perfect opportunity for the player to catch up after being one of the four Swedes who missed their shot on goal in the final of the Tokyo Olympics against Canada (1-1, 2-3 on penalties), August 6, 2021 Time to play!
Volleyball: Portugal want to prove they belong
Portugal should not have taken part in this Euro 2022, but will play their card thoroughly. Beaten in the qualifying play-off by the Russian selection in April 2021 (1-0 over the two matches), the Selection took advantage of the exclusion of Sbornaya by UEFA following the invasion of Ukraine to secure a ticket to the second European competition in its history. The 30e nation in the FIFA ranking now wants to justify its presence on the pitch.
Sound like a fairy tale? Yes, it’s football. ????⚽ We are at the European and #VamosComTudo! https://t.co/64nZ7jAR1t
“I think there is a big change compared to our group of 2017, estimated Tatiana Pinto with the Portuguese media Record during the preparation course in June. We are a more mature and cohesive team. In these big competitions, that makes all the difference. »
And why not dream of a golden destiny similar to Denmark’s men’s selection, crowned at Euro 1992 after being fished out at the expense of Yugoslavia, involved in the Balkan war?
Looking back: Germany and Spain are already a hit
In the first shock of this Women’s Euro football, Germany, eight times titled, made a strong impression on Friday, beating Denmark, finalist of the previous edition, 4-0 in Brentford. The Germans wanted to erase the memory of the defeat (2-1) in the quarter-finals in 2017 against the same opponents.
Despite 63% possession at the break, the advantage was only one goal for Germany, scored by Lena Magull (23e). The Danish goalkeeper Lene Christensen repelled as much as she could the opposing attacks but she finally had to bow to Lea Schüller (56e), Lena Lattwein (78e) and Alexandra Popp (86e).
In this group B, Spain, even deprived of the Ballon d’Or Alexia Putellas, package due to a knee injury, also made a success of its entry into the competition by crushing, 4-1, Finland, a little more early Friday. Yet it was the Finns who opened the scoring in the first minute of play through Linda Sällström.
But the Spaniards, who are among the favorites, managed to resume the match on their own by equalizing first thanks to a header from captain Irene Parades from a corner (26e), then taking the lead just before the break with another magnificent header from midfielder Aitana Bonmati (41e). Lucia Garcia, still in the lead, then added to the addition that Mariona Caldentey paid for at the end of the match on penalty (90 + 5)
