Sverige: Road to the UEFA Women's Euro Cup

Reluctantly rising a bit earlier than expected the team huddled in the lobby prepared to take a light jog and stretch before a long day of travel by bus. Perhaps not the healthiest choice before a jog the team partook in some complimentary fruit flavored taffy in the lobby. Sneaking one or two extra in his pocket we turned our heads as Lance finished off the bowl. Heading out the door we walked towards the beach (the destination for our run) in weather... Slightly more gloomy than we had been used to. We welcomed it, though, as we quickly worked up a sweat while enjoying our morning stroll. Perhaps thirty minutes into our walk we realized the beach wasn't as close as we had origionally anticipated it to be. Stopping to ask an assumed local where the beach was we were assured that it was just up ahead. Finally rounding a bend and hushing our whiny inner teenager we arrived on the cool beach. Being that the walk was longer than expected Lance gave us the option to turn and head back, or to take a short jog along the shore. Although a little sore and a little tired we all agreed that we wouldn't pass on the opportunity to get our toes in the sand. Hurdling over holes dug in the beach and avoiding the questionable seaweed we jogged until coming to the mutual decision to stop and stretch. Making our way back to the entrance of the beach the thought of breakfast lingered on our minds. Our leisurely jog quickened to a run cutting our travel time down at least fifteen minutes, barely beating the rain. After a hardy breakfast and an hour wait in the lobby we loaded up onto the bus, destination: Norrköping. Drifting in and out of sleep the team transpired between dreamland and the beautiful country view just out the bus windows. Perhaps two hours of travel time under our belts we stopped for a pit stop at a small candy/souvenir shop. Walking in we stared in awe as a woman hand wrapped supersized candy canes. Countless favors of hard candy and odd sculptures of trolls put smiles on our road weary faces. Hopping back onto the bus it was a short thirty minute drive to our lunch which consisted of spaghetti and rolls. With full bellies and the rapidly growing excitement of the anticipation of the game we finally made it to Norrköping. As usual we were a comfortable two hours early which allowed us to stop at a tent vendor and make some game day purchases. Although Sweden was unfortunately knocked out the round before, the girls were still inclined to support the Swedish yellow and blue. The majority of us purchasing a scarf and even a t-shirt to commemorate this once in a lifetime experience. With still a good amount of time to kill before kick off we split off into groups in search of an afternoon latte and some ice cream. Regrouping after finding our preferred snack the girls sat and indulged in the their treats overlooking the river running through the center of town and feeling the light trickle of rain. As kick off grew near horns and bells started to make their debut as diehard fans sported their teams colors and headed for the stadium. Circling the stadium to arrive at our designated entrance we walk in to find, perhaps the most beautiful field I've ever seen. Redone speciafically for the euro cup we were practically drooling over the presteine condition of the pitch. Making our way down to the front row, many of us peered over the railing, a mere 10 feet from the side line. As Denmark and Norway emerged from the locker room we were surprised to see that they weren't as big as we thought they would be. Most of them no bigger than any of us. It wasn't until they began to demonstrate their speed and precision on and off the ball that it we began to witness their masked talent. Constantly moving and showing for the ball the Denmark team, in particular, seemed to work as one organism. Anticipating each others moves as if having done so since birth. Gearing up for kick off we made our way to our seats. Opening ceremonies began and the crowd roared. Standing for both the Demark and Norway national anthem, you could see the pride on the faces of the players. As the whistle blew the game began at a moderate pace. Denmark seemed to have the upper hand possession wise but it was Norway with an early goal, two minutes in off a corner. Denmark certainly was in control and had the majority of the ball the remainder of the half, but it still ended Denmark trailing Norway 1-0. As the second half began you could see Denmark trying to move the ball a bit more quickly, uneasy with the score. With less than 5 minutes remaining Denmark was able to draw a foul just at the bottom the of circle on their offensive half. The ball came in and was hit off a Denmark player away from the goal only to be met with another header, by number 6, finally finding the back of the net. Overtime. Both teams had dangerous chances, numbers 17 and 11 both bringing a huge edge to the Denmark team (easy to see who we were rooting for). After another thirty minutes of play the game was still stuck at a draw, pks would determine the winner. Denmark shot first and the Norway keeper made a fantastic save, putting her team in the lead. Norways sunk their shot and another Denmark shot was saved. Finally Denmarks' number 17 was able to put her shot away, triumphantly pointing at the Norway keeper. Both the next two shooters made their shots but Norways 4th shooter sealed the deal and Norway came away with the victory. While extremely disappointed the Danes handled their loss with class. Drained from the excitement of the game we loaded back onto the bus. Arriving at our hotel at about 2:30 am we managed to get ourselves up into bed. An incredible experience and a wonderful day! Riah Risk- Junior