By Catherine MacKenzie (04/07/2025)
Above: Lea Schüller celebrating her goal. Photo: DFB_Frauen1 on X.
Sweden 1 – 0 Denmark
Team news and context:
There are few ties with as much history and intrigue as Sweden taking on Denmark. The narratives are numerous: there is the fact that their most recent meeting consisted of Sweden inflicting a brutal 6-1 drubbing on Denmark, that Sweden were the tournament’s first winners (in 1984) whilst Denmark reached the 2017 final. Both early trailblazers, they have struggled to make a strong mark in more recent tournaments.
Perhaps most striking is the human element: Denmark captain Pernille Harder and her Swedish counterpart Magdalena Erikssen are life partners who are engaged to be married. However, a meeting in the group stage of the 2025 Euros was not meant to be, as Erikssen was missing due to “overload” following a long season with Bayern Munich and Sweden’s Nations League campaign. There are also Denmark’s twins: Sara and Karen Holmgaard, who both played for Everton last season – Sara recently acquired a move to Real Madrid.
Apart from Erikssen’s absence, the teams lined up largely as expected. Karen Holmgaard started in midfield for Denmark, with twin Sara on the bench.
Scorer: Angeldahl 55′
Highlights:
Barely ten minutes in, there was a stoppage for five minutes as VAR ruminated on a potential penalty for Denmark. Whilst the decision (handball) could have gone either way, that it took five minutes to decide was a source of frustration for everyone involved, and it certainly heightened the atmosphere around the stadium.
The most dangerous moment of the first half was a powerful free kick from Sweden’s Fillipa Angeldahl that produced a brilliant save from Denmark keeper Maja Bay. The second brought more chances for Sweden, and they were finally rewarded via Angeldahl. The equaliser almost came from a Harder header hitting the crossbar, but the game ebbed away with little fanfare towards the end.
Player of the match: Filippa Angeldahl
Whilst it often feels trite to hand the player of the match label to the winning goalscorer, Filippa Angeldahl is a deserved recipient this time. She created a number of chances – particularly in the first half – and deserved a goal. Sweden’s brightest player on the day.
What next for the teams:
Given that Denmark’s last game against Sweden ended in a 6-1 rout, they can take confidence from this – they were even a Harder header away from a draw. It does leave them lagging behind in group C, but assuming Germany get the win against Poland, the hill is not too tall to climb. Sweden face Poland, which they will expect to win.
Germany 2-0 Poland
Team news and context:
It was almost inevitable that Poland’s first foray into a major tournament would start with a game against the team who have been a dominant powerhouse in Europe, winning the competition eight times. Looking at Germany’s team on the night, this power was obvious, including a front line that would cause even the most hardened defense a palpitation or two; Lea Schüller, Linda Dallman, Jule Brand and Klara Bühl were only some of the German attacking threat in the starting 11.
The star of this Poland team is undoubtedly Ewa Pajor; the electric forward was aided by Natalia Padilla and Paulina Tomasiak on the wings, both with the pace to hit on any uncharacteristically sloppy German passes. West Ham’s goalkeeper Kinga Szemik was tasked with keeping the German attack at bay.
Szemik made news by commenting on the fact that Poland will be the only nation at the tournament without a bespoke kit – telling the Guardian: “We were hoping for a tournament-specific kit, that’s standard for a major tournament. It’s part of the prestige of having qualified. All the others have a special jersey made so why are we treated differently?”
Scorers: Brand 52′, Schüller 66′
Highlights:
It will have been an aim for Poland not to concede early, but few would have expected that the first chance of the game would be for Poland. They would also force stalwart German keeper Ann Katrin-Berger into an important save mid-way through the first half.
The tournament’s most poignant moment so far came when German captain Giulia Gwinn went down and needed medical attention for several long minutes. The player who missed out on almost two years of her career with two ACL injuries looked to have suffered another major setback as she was withdrawn before half-time in tears, and it will be a major blow to Germany if the injury does turn out to be a long one.
With Guinn withdrawn, the Germans reappeared after half-time with renewed impetus. Apart from some nervy moments at the back towards the end of the game, Germany controlled it well, finally breaking through the Polish defence with a wonder-strike from Jule Brand. This was followed up 15 minutes later with a strike from Schüller as Germany sealed the three points.
Player of the match: Klara Bühl
From putting in six key passes and creating chances to putting work in defensively and making a few important tackles, Bühl was the standout player in an otherwise quiet Germany side.
What next for the teams:
Tournament newcomers Poland can take some huge positives from the game – they stood strong in front of one of the world’s best teams on good form. They did not give away many chances or make sloppy passes; the first goal was a moment of pure brilliance from Jule Brand. Poland had their own chances, and they will take courage from that moving forward. The biggest test now behind them, they face Sweden next.
For Germany, there were a few cracks exposed. One of the tournament favourites, they have been on sparkling form of late – putting six past Scotland and scoring a lot from all areas of the pitch. However, they looked like they were missing the connections for much of the game, and they often failed to manage Poland’s physicality. Gwinn’s injury is a huge concern, and it is possible that recent results against lower-ranked teams like Austria and Scotland have hidden a bit of fragility.
Moment/player of the day
Jule Brand’s strike was a wonderful goal that will be a contender for goal of the tournament.
Group standings:
- Germany – 3pts – +2 GD
- Sweden – 3pts – +1 GD
- Denmark – 0pts – -1 GD
- Poland – 0pts – -2 GD
Find the rest of our Euros catch-ups here:
Group A Gameday 1: https://impetusfootball.org/2025/07/02/weuro-2025-group-a-gameday-1-review/
Group B Gameday 1: https://impetusfootball.org/2025/07/03/womens-euros-group-b-belgium-v-italy-spain-v-portugal/
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