Sweden’s Kosovare Asllani criticized the implementation of VAR in the European Championship ahead of her team’s semi-final against England. Sweden have had five goals disallowed by technology in four games.
âUsing 50% fewer cameras in our tournament than in the men’s game, that’s really a catastrophe,â Asllani said. âDecisions cannot be made with the same precision. It’s not just for us, but also for other teams. There are situations where I think you should have more cameras, that can be really decisive.â
Sweden coach Peter Gerhardsson echoed Asllani’s criticism, with memories of Rebecka Blomqvist’s goal against Switzerland and Stina Blackstenius’ goal in her Belgian quarter-final loss both causing frustration. Blackstenius was considered offside, but Swedish referee Jonas Eriksson noted that the line was drawn incorrectly.
“That line is completely wrong,” Eriksson told the Swedish newspaper Expressen. âYou have to draw the line at the most defensive point of the penultimate player, but if the ball is in front of that player, then it is the most offensive point of the ball that counts. But in this case the video referee has drawn the line from the most defensive point of the ball, alternatively from the forehead of the penultimate player. But in any case, they are both wrong.â
Gerhardssson said: âI think it’s strange. I like VAR, I think it’s fair when they have it but, if we have a game where they make a mistake because they mark the line on the wrong side and now we’ve heard that they don’t have the same cameras, for me it’s not acceptable in a euro .
âWe haven’t seen it ourselves, but a Swedish referee at home in a studio pointed out that they drew the line incorrectly… so you are incompetent at your job. Speaking of the cameras, there should be no difference if it’s women’s or men’s football.”
The coach also criticized the rule that allows five substitutions but prevents all five from warming up at the same time.
It perhaps hasnât been the tournament Blackstenius would have envisaged â the 26âyearâold has only one goal â but she will be relishing the opportunity to help her country to reach a first European Championship final since 2001. Blackstenius joined Arsenal in January and has enjoyed a fruitful spell with six goals in 11 league appearances. She will be keen to rediscover her goalscoring touch on a night when the stakes are high. Uzzi Majid
Hedvig \nLindahl\nGoalkeeper (DjurgĂĽrden)\nIn Swedenâs four matches, Lindahl has conceded only twice. In an alternative universe, she would be showcasing her abilities at the other end, having played as a forward in her youth. Lindahl helped Chelsea to win their first major trophy in 2015 as part of a league and cup double, and securing a second double in 2018. Beth Mead may have her work cut out if the Lionesses are to progress to the final on Sunday. UM
Kosovare \nAsllani \nStriker (Milan)\nAsllani has been an attacking threat throughout. Her three assists put her joint first on the list alongside Mead and Fran Kirby and her role as a setâpiece taker should also be taken into account. She played a crucial role in helping Sweden to defeat Belgium in the quarter-finals when her great delivery caused havoc that Linda Sembrant capitalised on to win the game in stoppage time. David Diangienda
Magdalena \nEriksson\nDefender (Chelsea)\nEriksson, who was out injured for three months until mid-March, has started every game at this tournament. Her passing accuracy of 84% has been vital to the team and her defensive qualities have shone whether she has been used in the back three, at left-back or in the centre of a four-player defence. Eriksson is familiar with all of Englandâs forwards from the Womenâs Super League, including her clubmate Kirby. DD
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Fast guide
Sweden’s Four Formidable
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Stina Blackstenius Forward (Arsenal)
It may not have been the tournament Blackstenius envisioned (the 26-year-old only has one goal), but she will relish the opportunity to help her country reach their first European Championship final since 2001. Blackstenius joined Arsenal in January . and she has enjoyed a fruitful run with six goals in 11 league games. She’ll be eager to rediscover her scoring touch on a night where the stakes are high. majid uzzi
Hedvig Lindahl Goalkeeper (DjurgĂĽrden)
In Sweden’s four matches, Lindahl has conceded just two goals. In an alternate universe, she would be displaying her abilities on the other end, having played forward in her youth. Lindahl helped Chelsea to their first major trophy in 2015 as part of a league and cup double, and secured a second double in 2018. Beth Mead may have her work cut out for her if the Lionesses are to progress to the final on Sunday. . SU
Forward Kosovare Asllani (Milan)
Asllani has been an attacking threat throughout. Her three assists put her first on the list alongside Mead and Fran Kirby and her role as a set piece taker should also be noted. She played a crucial role in helping Sweden defeat Belgium in the quarter-finals when her fine delivery wreaked havoc which Linda Sembrant capitalized on to win the game in stoppage time. david diangienda
Magdalena Eriksson Defender (Chelsea)
Eriksson, who was injured for three months until mid-March, has started every game in this tournament. His 84% ââpassing accuracy has been vital to the team and his defensive qualities have shone through whether he has been used in the last three, at left back or in the center of a four-player defence. Eriksson is familiar with all of England’s Super League Women’s strikers, including her club-mate Kirby. DD
“Now we have five substitutions, but you can only warm up three,” he said. âI don’t know if it’s the space; Why can’t you have five warming up? If you don’t bring in a player who has warmed up, it’s also something that seems strange to me. Why can’t five people warm up together? They are friends, I promise you.
Sweden’s players are no strangers to the task of trying to upset a host nation. In 2016 they beat Brazil on penalties at the Rio Olympics to advance to the final, where they lost to Germany.
Are they hoping to crash England’s party? “My favorite question,” Gerhardsson said. âI don’t think about that at all because I always think about possibilities, that’s my vision of everything. If you have a chance, then you have a feeling in your body that you can do it.”
Asllani said: âIt means a lot to the whole team. We are playing a semi-final against the host nation, we have done it before against Brazil in the Olympics in a stadium that is three times bigger than this one. It is a special feeling to enter a stadium with the fans from the country of origin. We will do everything we can. I don’t think you could be more excited and ready. We stick to the game plan and I think we will have a good chance tomorrow.â
Magda Eriksson, the Chelsea captain, said: âI’m really impressed with England so far. This will be the toughest test so far. It is the best team we are going to face, but we are very prepared for this. This game is what we have been dreaming of: to get to the next stage, we will do everything we can.â