Fridolina Rolfo return boosts Sweden ahead of Germany showdown

OBERENTFELDEN – Sweden’s Fridolina Rolfo may have managed only 13 minutes plus stoppage time against Poland at Women’s Euro 2025 so far, but the return of the flying winger from an ankle injury has been a shot in the arm for the Swedes ahead of their Group C showdown with Germany on July 12. 

The 31-year-old, who had spells with Frauen-Bundesliga clubs Bayern Munich and VfL Wolfsburg before joining Barcelona in 2021, has faced a race against the clock to be fit, and the July 8 cameo against the Poles gave both her and her team a lift ahead of the group decider. 

“I’ve sacrificed a lot these weeks to be here today, it comes back to you when you’ve worked so hard. I didn’t know if I would get to play in the Euro, it was a nightmare to get injured,” Rolfo told reporters at the Swedish team base in Cham on July 10. 

“I’ve been doing rehab and training six hours a day just to get this foot right, I’ve been lying at home every day with my foot elevated and just doing everything I can to reduce the swelling and get the foot to heal as quickly as possible.”

With Germany and Sweden already qualified, the two face off in Zurich to decide who will top Group C and face the runners-up in Group D, which features France, England, Netherlands and Wales, all of whom can still qualify. The runner-up in Group C will take on the winner of Group D. 

With the Swedes already guaranteed to advance to the last eight, how much of a role Rolfo, who left Barcelona earlier this week, will play against the Germans remains to be seen. 

“Speaking for myself, I want to play as much as possible and get into the championship. I always want to play, but we’ll see,” she added.

Earlier on July 10, Switzerland’s players were basking in the excitement of making history after Riola Xhemaili’s 92nd-minute goal against Finland put them through to the quarter-finals for the first time.

“It’s a historic moment for the whole of Switzerland. We’re showing the whole world what Swiss people can do... it’s magical,” Xhemaili told Reuters, after her goal gave the hosts a 1-1 draw with Finland which was all they needed to progress at the Finns’ expense.

Since they first qualified for the Euro in 2017, Switzerland’s women’s side had never gone past the group stage, nor had they ever seen such a huge level of support at their games.

“I think nobody of us expected things to happen in Switzerland – sold-out crowds... Everything is blowing up way bigger than we ever expected,” Swiss captain Lia Walti said.

The Swiss finished five points behind Norway, who sailed into the last eight with a perfect three wins from three after a 4-3 win over rock-bottom Iceland, who finished with no points.

Pia Sundhage’s team will face the winners of Group B, most likely world champions Spain, on July 18 after scraping into the next round on goal difference. REUTERS, AFP