Victory was required to secure a spot in the semifinals. Sweden then went out and dominated Germany in the first half, establishing an advantage that Germany couldn’t overcome. Now, France awaits in the semifinals on Friday.
Sweden faced Germany twice before the World Championship, with one German and one Swedish victory. This means that the teams already knew each other well before the quarter-finals.
Sweden had the best start with a solid defense and goalkeeper performance. The Germans began nervously and somewhat tentatively, allowing Johanna Bundsen to keep a clean sheet for over 14 minutes (!). After the first quarter, Sweden led 8–1.
Germany took their second timeout after 20 minutes in an attempt to organize their own offensive play and recover from Sweden’s dominance. However, the difficulties in the German offensive were evident, and Sweden continued to play consistently in defense, putting pressure on the frustrated Germans. Jamina Roberts stood out in Sweden’s offense but rested in the last minutes before the halftime break. Sweden led by ten goals after the first 30 minutes, giving them a solid position for the second half.
In the beginning of the second half, Sweden had several good opportunities but failed to convert, while the Germans started to find their rhythm in their offensive play. Sweden was sloppy in the offense, committing some technical errors, allowing the Germans to narrow the gap. After barely a quarter, Sweden had only scored three goals, largely due to a lack of speed in their offensive play. The Germans began to catch up, reducing Sweden’s lead to six goals.
In the final ten minutes, Germany demonstrated their desire to compete for the medals. Sweden seemed somewhat stressed and took some poor shots. However, in the closing minutes, Sweden managed to pull away, and 22–18 soon became 25–18.
Sweden–Germany 27–20 (16–6)
On Friday, the semifinal against France awaits.