8th April 2025
Gamla Ullevi, Gothenburg
Nations League A, Group 4
The tough games keep on coming for Cymru, as they took on the team that is sixth in the World Rankings, Sweden, in Gothenburg. A huge step up from Cymru’s 31st ranking.
Embed from Getty ImagesSweden have won 30 out of the last 36 competitive home matches. For Cymru to get anything out of this game was going to be a tough ask. The match took place in the Gamla Ullevi Stadium, the ground where Pele broke our hearts as a 17 year old in the 1958 World Cup Quarter Final.
Cymru went into the game after losing 2-1 to Denmark on Friday, while Sweden beat Italy 3-2. Sweden made two changes from that match with Anna Sandberg coming in for Jonna Andersson and Hanna Bennison in for Julia Zigotti Olme.
Cymru changed more than half the team from Friday with Safia Middleton-Patel starting in goal, with Ester Morgan (639 days since last Cymru start), Carrie Jones, Elise Hughes, Ella Powell and Mayzee Davies all making the Starting XI.
Embed from Getty ImagesAs with previous Nations League games this season, Cymru started on the back foot with most of the attacks coming from the home team. This lasted for the first 15 minutes of the game, where Sweden should have scored on a couple of occasions, but for a couple of really good saves from the inspiring young keeper Safia Middleton-Petal in the Cymru goal; and one glaring miss.
It took around 15 minutes for Cymru to come into the game, where they had a lot of freedom down the wings. With the half wearing on, Cymru created more and more chances with just the final ball not connecting.
Embed from Getty ImagesFor some unexplainable reason, the world class stars of the Swedish team missed clear cut chance after chance during the last five minutes of the half. A mixture of great defending, sound goal keeping and a lot of Welsh luck, kept it 0-0 going in the half time break.
Cymru made a change to start the second half with Lily Woodham coming on for Ester Morgan who had had a really good first half. But the second half continued the way the first half ended, with a yellow wave attacking the Cymru box.
It didn’t take long for a Swedish break, just before the hour mark. A Swedish corner taken by Filippa Angeldal was launched into the Cymru box where Bayern Munich’s Magdalena Eriksson rose above a crowded penalty area to flick a header pass Hayley Ladd on the line. A goal that was coming and well deserved for Sweden.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe travelling Y Wal Goch feared the worst over the next ten minutes. Was this the opening of the flood gates? That was answered in the 68th minute when Hayley Ladd passed to Rachel Rowe who took the ball into the Swedish half. Her through ball sailed to Hannah Cain, who broke the offside trap and rounded the keeper to slot home. She scored just four minutes after coming on, 1-1!
A nerve racking 20 minutes ensued where the pressure was piled on the Cymru defence. With Cymru having to play on the counter attack, one particular chance fell to the speedy Ffion Morgan. Having taken the ball into the box, her shot was saved by Jennifer Falk in the Sweden goal. On another night we would have been watching Morgan wheel away in celebration.
Embed from Getty ImagesA brilliant performance by every Cymru player, but Safia Middleton-Patel stood out as Seren y Gêm. Cymru goes undefeated against a world class Sweden. A much changed Cymru team where every player fitted right in. We have come a long way since Rhian Wilkinson took over.
Thanks to @StephenJBaker for this match report.