Schelin fires Sweden to third place

Sweden's Algarve Cup campaign ended on a high as they defeated France 1-0 to seal third place in the prestigious tournament.

Four points
Both teams progressed to this play-off after tallying four points in their respective pool. Sweden drew with Norway and lost 3-0 to Germany before putting four goals past Finland, while France went into their final Group B game with a chance to win the section only to lose 4-1 to the United States.

Svensson chance
Sweden were deserved winners today at the Estádio Algarve having taken the game to Les Bleues from the start, Victoria Svensson in particular posing numerous problems to Eliabeth Loisel's side. The striker twice went close inside six minutes, passing by an excellent opportunity to break the deadlock when volleying a fine cross from the right wide.

Schelin winner
The goal finally arrived in the 51st minute as Lota Schelin raced on to a wonderful low pass from midfield and poked the ball under the advancing Sarah Bouhaddi. The goalkeeper's day got even worse in the 74th minute as she was shown a straight red for felling Hanna Ljungberg with her head after charging out of her area.

Dennerby satisfied
"Of course it was great to beat France and overall the tournament has been a very valuable experience," said Sweden coach Thomas Dennerby. "We have played against some top nations and overall we must be pleased with the result. Today was a performance on par with our one against Finland, which is encouraging."