By Amy Tennery
WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Sweden have found a silver bullet in their threat from set pieces, as they thrased Italy 5-0 on Saturday in Wellington to book their spot in the Women’s World Cup knockout stage.
Amanda Ilestedt got up well to head home Jonna Andersson’s corner in the 39th minute and produced a carbon copy of that effort for her second goal of the match in the 50th.
“We’ve been doing this for a long time already but we’ve allocated perhaps a little more time on set pieces,” Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson told reporters.
“Opponents will know and feel that this is something we do well in Sweden… It’s an excellent weapon as we move forward.”
It was the second time this tournament that Sweden benefited from their set piece prowess. Ilestedt scored the winner in the 2-1 victory over South Africa in the 90th minute when she met Kosovare Asllani’s corner with a strong header.
“Regardless of what you might think of Sweden’s type of play you can always look at the details in the game,” Gerhardsson said. “(Set pieces are) a structural component where you can do a great deal.”
The 2003 runners-up are hoping to go all the way after having knocked on the door of World Cup glory a handful of times before. They finished third in 1991, 2011 and at the previous edition in 2019.
Gerhardsson said his players showed their strength on Saturday as they overcame early frustrations in the match.
“It’s very difficult when you’re faced with an opponent like Italy,” he said. “We figured it out eventually and we got more speed into our play and in the transitions we were able to keep the ball.”
Sweden finish Group G against Argentina in Hamilton on Wednesday.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Wellington; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
