RENNES — Sweden ended Germany’s hopes of a third women’s World Cup win, coming from behind for a surprise 2-1 quarter-final victory on Saturday thanks to goals from Sofia Jakobsson and Stina Blackstenius. Germany began brightly and took the lead in the 16th minute through Lina Magull, who twisted her body perfectly to beat Hedvig Lindahl with a hooked volley. Substitute Lena Oberdorf missed a great chance to force the game into extra time when she headed wide with the goal gaping in the 80th minute but Sweden held their nerve to reach their fourth World Cup semi-finals. “We looked at Germany and knew there would be a bit more space behind their backline to exploit with Blackstenius and Jakobsson. Netherlands, Sweden, along with Britain — after England reached the last four on Thursday — have qualified for the 2020 Olympics as the top three European teams at the World Cup.

Source: National Post June 29, 2019 18:55 UTC