Sweden vs Canada
And then there were two. The women’s football semi-finals are done and dusted, and one expected outcome and one surprise result has thrown Sweden and Canada together in a showcase final on Friday.
The match presents Sweden with a big chance to move up the Tokyo Olympics 2020 medals table. They currently sit in joint 29th place, with one gold medal and three silver medals, and another gold could move them up towards the top 20. Canada’s three gold medals, four silvers and seven bronze medals place them in 14th place, and a win on Friday will put them in touch with the top ten.
At fifth in the World FIFA women’s rankings Sweden are three places above Canada and, having breezed through the tournament, will start the final as favourites, while Canada have ground out enough results to join them. The Olympic men’s football is reaching a climax and here at SBOTOP we’ll be covering that competition, but in the meantime, let’s take a closer look at how the women of Sweden and Canada made it to the final.
Talking Points
Sweden due for success…
The Swedes have performed consistently well throughout the competition, arriving in the final with a 100 per cent record and winning plaudits for their style of play. They are a well-organised unit, with every player knowing her role in the team, and if they hold it together for one more game then they will break a silverware duck at long last.
Sweden have come close on numerous occasions, winning silver at the Olympics before, coming second in a World Cup and reaching four other semi-finals.
After playing fluent football for much of the competition the Swedes made harder work of it in the semi-final. There was little action in the opening 45 minutes, but Fridolina Rolfo’s drive against the bar is worth picking up in the Tokyo Olympics 2020 highlights as she hit it sweetly in Sweden’s best effort. She was on target early in the second after the Swedes rattled the woodwork for a second time.
Aussie keeper Teagan Micah made a spectacular save to tip a long-range effort onto the crossbar, but Rolfo was clinical on the rebound with a well-taken volley from a tight angle.
Australia tried to hit back but Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl stood firm, reacting well to save an Alanna Kennedy free kick.
Sweden captain Caroline Steger pulled the strings in midfield and she will be a key influence on her side in the final. The 36-year-old Rosengard star has scored 29 goals in a glittering international career, winning 215 caps.
…but Canada have already taken out the favourites
Among the Tokyo Olympics 2021 predictions floating around a couple of weeks ago, one of the more confident was that USA’s women’s soccer team would pick up a medal and probably the gold.
During the games the USA has been strong in the ball sports as you’d expect, with the Stars and Stripes basketball team aiming for glory. But the USA women’s football team, ranked at the top of FIFA’s list will not be in the final, indeed they’ll play the Matildas for a bronze medal after losing their semi-final to underdogs Canada 1-0.
The favourites were undone by a controversial second half penalty when Florida Gators striker Deanne Rose was adjudged (by VAR) to have been fouled by Tierna Davidson, and Chelsea midfielder Jessie Fleming kept her cool to fire home the spot-kick low into the corner.
The USA team was unhappy with the decision and, with just 15 minutes left on the clock, they had little time to react. After reaching every Olympic final since the inception of women’s soccer in 1996, Vlatko Andonovski’s USA has now missed out on two successive finals.
So Beverly Prieztman’s Canada are one step away from gold and guaranteed a silver medal, and they won’t mind one bit that they beat USA with their only shot on target whereas the Stars and Stripes has six, but the US players just couldn’t beat woman of the match Stephanie Labbe in the Canada goal.
History
Both these teams have experience at the business end of international tournaments; Sweden were World Cup runners up in 2003 and European Champions in 1984 while Canada were Olympic bronze medallists in both 2012 and 2016.
In terms of current form the Swedes have a clear edge. They have won all five of their Olympic games this year, scoring 13 goals and conceding three and are unbeaten in 2021, winning nine and drawing two games in all competitions, while Canada have registered three draws and two wins on the way to the final and are unbeaten in ten games, with four wins and six draws.
It promises to be a hard-fought final and, right now, both teams believe they will win gold.
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