The Netherlands and Sweden played to a draw in a soccer match. It took 1:14 for it to happen.
It couldn't have been better for Saturday's match between the Netherlands and Sweden.
The Dutch beat the Swedes in both the quarterfinals and semifinals of the World Cup. Since their talismanic coach SarinaWiegman went to England, there had been questions over whether MarkParsons could lure the same slick game out of his side.
Sweden had a point to prove as they look to win their first major medal since their win in the inaugural Euros.
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It's a bit of extra fuel for me. "I want a good result against the Netherlands for many different reasons, and it adds a little bit of fuel to the fire," said Sweden's MagdalenaEriksson before the tournament began.
Sweden came out the better of the two teams in the first half and ended up with a draw. They weren't hammering down the door of the goal but they were pushing and holding the ball. A clash of heads in the penalty box forced the Netherlands to make a change at the start of the second half.
The goalkeeper won the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award at the World Cup after being included in the Best XI. She hasn't had the best of starts to the tournament, but she is still the most experienced option with her replacement only having one senior cap before Saturday.
The defensive troubles of the Netherlands were further compounded when Nouwen was forced to leave.
It felt like Peter Gerhardsson's side were going to push on. Stina Blackstenius was on the bench if they needed her, as well as young up-and-comer Hannah Bennison. It was ironic that Jonna Andersson got the goal because they have a lot of power. Sweden had five defenders contribute to 10 of their 40 goals in qualification. While possession was evenly split between the two, it felt like Sweden were doing more with the ball.
The same thing happened in the second half for Sweden. They dropped off despite being the team on the better run. Miedema was able to find success against Ilestadt. Purists often complain when Miedema drops back in that way, preferring her in a more traditional role, but she loves the space it gives her and it was clearly an area she worked out she could target as it was one of these runs that set Netherlands up for their tying goal.
Sweden was more timid than they had been in the first half. They did trouble the Sweden goal but Van Domselaar put in a stellar performance for her second cap, denying the shots that came her way with a confidence that waslied her experience.
After the game, it was clear that the Netherlands had turned things around. The first 20 minutes had taken its toll on them, according to Parsons.
The first half was difficult but we got some good moments when we played possession football. The spaces were too large which made it difficult for people to run.
Everyone stayed calm when you lost a captain and a center-back.
The response of the Netherlands to their early misfortune is calm. When asked what he said to his players at the half time break, he joked, "I just asked her thoughts and went from there."
Miedema stepped up in the second half and led her team to a crucial point. Her performance earned her a player of the match, and it was easy to see how important she was to the team.
She said after the game that they could be proud of getting a point.
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