All eyes will be on the other semifinals matchup between the USA and England, but people shouldn’t be sleeping on the Netherlands vs. Sweden showdown. The Netherlands will come into this match as the slight favorites, but if there’s one thing Sweden have made clear at the 2019 World Cup, it’s that they will not make it easy against any given opponent. Read on for a more detailed breakdown of this semifinals clash.
Netherlands are rolling right now. In the quarterfinals, they sent Italy packing for home with a 2-0 victory, thanks to goals by Vivianne Miedema and Stefanie van der Gragt and a stout defense that didn’t give Le Azzure much of a chance. Netherlands were all over the pitch in that match. They launched 21 shots on goal while allowing just six to Italy. Netherlands held the possession of the ball 59 percent of the time. There were some tense moments in the first half, but the Netherlands clearly had their issues straightened out at halftime, after which they looked every bit the defending European champions that they are .Miedemma is going to watch out for the Netherlands. She leads his team with three goals in five games. Netherlands appear to like scoring in the latter part of their matches in the tournament, as eight of their 10 goals so far in France were netted in the second half. The Netherlands are undefeated in their past nine games, with their last loss occurring in a friendly match against Spain back in January.
Betting on Sweden (+205)
Sweden were not going to be denied of a win in their quarterfinals matchup with Germany. Despite giving up the first goal of the game, Sweden gathered themselves and retaliated with two unanswered goals for a 2-1 victory and, more importantly, a spot in the semifinals. For the record, it was Sweden’s first win against Germany in a major tournament in nearly a quarter of a century or since 1995. Unlike the other three semifinalists, Sweden are the only team that suffered a loss in the tournament so far, as they were taken down by the United States in group play, though, that’s hardly a surprise, considering the form Team USA is showing in the tournament. But as shown in their win over Germany, the Blue-Yellow’s most important quality is an intangible one, and that’s their resiliency. They were the underdogs against Canada in the Round of 16, but won that match, 1-0.
Writer’s Prediction
Netherlands take the win, 2-1, and head to the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final.
