[1/5]Football Soccer – FIFA Ladies’s International Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – Workforce G – Sweden v South Africa – Wellington Regional Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand – July 23, 2023 Sweden’s Amanda Ilestedt reacts REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
WELLINGTON, July 23 (Reuters) – Amanda Ilestedt’s ninetieth minute winner gave Sweden a 2-1 win over South Africa of their Ladies’s International Cup Workforce G fit on Sunday after a fortuitous equaliser from Fridolina Rolfo had cancelled out Hildah Magaia’s opener.
Below pouring rain within the New Zealand capital, the lanky Ilestedt jumped best and squeezed the ball house to save lots of her group’s blushes when they had been left pissed off via the African champions for a lot of the outlet hour of the sport.
The end result left the third-ranked Swedes best in their crew, ahead of Italy and Argentina play their opener in Auckland on Monday.
“South Africa made it laborious for us, however I feel we grew into the sport and were given higher and higher. In the second one part we performed higher, however a victory within the opening recreation is what counts,” Ilestedt stated.
South Africa, ranked 54th, had been searching for their first ever International Cup win on their 2d look on the match, having exited within the crew degree in 2019 with out selecting up some extent.
They stored their extra fancied fighters at bay within the first part, as a pissed off Sweden facet managed ownership however may just now not to find the final touch, and threatened at the counter.
Captain Refiloe Jane’s good long-range try floated over the crossbar, whilst Sweden struggled to create simple probabilities, with Filippa Angeldal drawing the one save from the goalkeeper within the first part with a tame effort.
Zecira Musovic had parried away Thembi Kgatlana’s shot however Magaia were given to the rebound ahead of Sweden defender Jonna Andersson and bundled the ball over the road two mins after the smash, scoring South Africa’s 2d ever International Cup objective.
However Johanna Rytting Kaneryd’s move skewed off defender Lebohang Ramalepe and bounced into the online off Rolfo at hand the Swedes a lifeline within the 66th minute.
Peter Gerhardsson’s facet driven for a winner however they had been denied via South Africa’s resolute protecting, till Ilestedt met Kosovare Asllani’s nook with a powerful header.
“We are so used to being in such scenarios the place issues do not paintings, (and eager about) what are we going to do,” Gerhardsson stated.
“It is no accident that we determined the fit on a collection piece, it is no accident as a result of that is what we observe so much.”
Sweden will tackle Italy in Wellington on Saturday after South Africa face Argentina in Dunedin on Friday. South Africa trainer Desiree Ellis stated there have been a number of positives to take from their opener.
“We knew that they had been going to be a problem at set items and I assumed we treated that actually neatly,” Ellis stated. “Even supposing it used to be a loss, we are very pleased with the way in which we performed.
“Now we have the rate and talent up entrance, now we have the ability in midfield and defensively we had been actually just right. That may be a large plus for us.”
Reporting via Hritika Sharma in Hyderabad; enhancing via Robert Birsel
Our Requirements: The Thomson Reuters Consider Ideas.
