After the initial Olympic Games victories against Norway and Germany, the meeting with Denmark became a thrilling thriller.
Entertaining for the loud crowd in Paris, but also painfully nervous towards the end.
And in the end, Sweden stood as the loser after not scoring a single goal in the last nine minutes of the match.
Denmark does well at the end and shows great morale, it's a shame it's not us who do it, says Jamina Roberts.
We barely get a shot in the last nine minutes, it feels like.
Bundsen played a great game
The Danes had won four consecutive championship matches between the teams – most recently the European Championship bronze match last year – and started clearly better this time as well. The Swedish attack game faltered significantly at the beginning, and it didn't take long before Denmark had taken a 6–1 lead.
Goalkeeper Johanna Bundsen – brilliant in the first two Olympic Games matches – couldn't be blamed for it. And when Sweden started to catch up, it was her continued great play that was one of the keys. A couple of quick counter-attack goals where Bundsen found Nathalie Hagman contributed to the Swedes catching up and even taking the lead – 12–10 at most – before Denmark came back and made it a tie, 14–14, at halftime.
In the second half, Bundsen and Hagman continued to celebrate triumphs in a phase when Sweden seemed to be taking a slight grip on the match. Shortly after Hagman's 23–21, Nina Koppang had the chance to fix a three-goal lead on a penalty, but missed.
I don't go for it a hundred percent and hesitate a bit, I think. I don't know, I'm disappointed in myself, says the right-back who only scored one goal on six shots in the match.
Three straight goals
Shortly after the penalty miss, Jenny Carlson was stopped by the post, and instead, three straight red and white goals gave Denmark the lead, 24–23, with minutes to go.
Bundsen saved with a minute left and gave Sweden a chance to equalize. Then Tyra Axnér hit the post again – and there went the chance for a Swedish point. Denmark could shoot 25–23 in the very last second, and Norway has now taken over the position as group leader.
Sweden has South Korea and Slovenia left to meet in Paris, on paper the two weakest teams. Wins in those matches will at least secure a second place in the group.
