'something Different' About Sweden, But Germany 'won't Destruct'

Johanna Rytting Kaneryd says Sweden tin spell "the full way" astatine Euro 2025 because "there is thing different" astir this squad.

Saturday's thumping 4-1 triumph complete Germany was a connection triumph for Peter Gerhardsson's side, who claimed apical spot successful Group C up of nan eight-time champions.

Sweden won nan inaugural Women's European Championship successful 1984 but person ne'er lifted nan trophy since - finishing runners-up connected 3 occasions and past doing truthful successful 2001.

It has been a caller communicative of 'always nan bridesmaid, ne'er nan bride', but this could beryllium nan twelvemonth they yet shingle disconnected that tag aft winning each 3 group matches, scoring 8 goals and conceding conscionable one.

"Of people we ever want to win," said Sweden's Chelsea midfielder Rytting Kaneryd. "We ever want to do better.

"We cognize we person been doing bully successful tournaments before, but we besides cognize we haven't gone nan full way.

"I person a really bully feeling. You tin spot that successful nan squad location is thing different this twelvemonth and we ever believe.

"We want to scope nan last and pinch that being said we request to return each crippled for what it is. We can't look excessively overmuch ahead. It's going to beryllium a situation but we are ready."

While they turned successful an awesome show for a first occurrence successful 7 meetings against Germany astatine a Euros, Sweden were besides lifted to triumph by a oversea of 2,500 supporters successful bluish and yellow, who did not extremity singing throughout.

The players celebrated and danced to euphony pinch their fans afterwards, which was a typical infinitesimal for Rytting Kaneryd.

"I couldn't dream astir more," said nan 28-year-old. "This is incredible. I can't really explicate nan feeling.

"After nan crippled you spot each those yellowish shirts, truthful many. We ne'er thought it would beryllium arsenic large arsenic it is. It's a really bully motion that we person nan support from Sweden."

Gerhardsson has been successful complaint of Sweden since 2017 but is group to measurement down aft Euro 2025.

As winners of Group C, his broadside will look nan runner-up of Group D and will cognize their quarter-final opponents aft nan conclusion of England's necktie pinch Wales and Netherlands against France connected Sunday (both 20:00 BST kick-offs).

The 65-year-old led Sweden to nan semi-finals of Euro 2022, wherever they were beaten 4-0 by eventual winners England.

While Gerhardsson said he is "not a dreamer", if he is to front retired pinch 1 past hurrah successful Switzerland, his broadside will nonstop revenge if they onshore England successful nan past eight.

"That was a typical game," he recalled of their erstwhile brushwood astatine Bramall Lane. "Now we person different players, they person different players.

"It didn't spell good for america because they scored 4 goals, but that is history. Now it is simply a caller crippled if we are going to meet England. We are going to constitute a caller history, a amended history, a bully history."

Germany were backed arsenic 1 of nan pre-tournament favourites by many, but person been unconvincing truthful acold successful Switzerland.

They hit Poland and Denmark 2-0 and 2-1 respectively, but struggled to person their power into goals and showed they were susceptible successful defence.

Their last Group C crippled against Sweden was ever going to beryllium nan toughest test, and leader Christian Wuck many times said of their desire to decorativeness successful apical spot.

It didn't spell to plan, particularly erstwhile they went down to 10 players from nan 31st infinitesimal aft full-back Carlotta Wamser was sent disconnected for a deliberate handball to forestall a goal.

Wuck is hoping nan nonaccomplishment - Germany's heaviest astatine a Euros - is thing much than a flimsy setback.

"It is different than we imagined," he said of finishing 2nd successful nan standings and a imaginable gathering pinch Group D leaders France successful nan past eight.

"We wanted to beryllium first successful nan group, we wanted to beryllium successful spot number one. Now we person to analyse that pinch nan players.

"We will shingle that disconnected and beryllium very happy to play nan quarter-finals whoever that is, nan English, nan French aliases whatever.

"It would beryllium incorrect now to opportunity we want to respond and destruct. This is not successful nan team. We are not a squad that wants to destruct."