Sweden’s Stina Blackstenius has timed the peak of her goal-scoring form perfectly, netting the winner for her club Arsenal in the recent Champions League final and then scoring against Poland and Germany as her side blazed their way into the quarter-finals at the Women’s Euros as Group C winners.
The Swedes beat Germany 4-1 to rack up a perfect nine points from their three games, and they will face the runner-up in Group D, which features England, France, Netherlands and Wales, while the Germans will meet the winners of that group.
“I’m very happy that I’ve gained the confidence to play and I am happy with the goal that we got here today, but mainly because of the win today and that we are still in the tournament,” a beaming Blackstenius told reporters.
Despite playing her club football in England, Blackstenius said she had not thought about who Sweden might meet in the quarter-finals.
“I don’t want to stand here and say that I prefer any of the teams – it’s an incredibly good team, no matter who we face, so it will be very exciting to see how it ends (in Group D) tomorrow, and then we will continue to prepare ourselves, regardless of which team we play against,” she said.
The two teams also enjoyed enormous support, with a yellow wall of Swedish fans behind one of the goals that sang and drummed from beginning to end, building a big-game atmosphere.
“I enjoy being at championships. It’s something extra to experience. There’s something with these games that makes it extra special,” Blackstenius said.
“When I look up at our fans today, I think they’re very visible, and it also gives a feeling that we’re doing this together. There’s a lot that drives me in the whole set-up, with all the support and knowing that there are family and friends here.”
