Denmark and Sweden on track

Scandinavian rivals Denmark and Sweden each secured top-three finishes in this week's Algarve Cup tournament and both their coaches are in upbeat mood as the FIFA Women's World Cup draws nearer.

Final defeat
Denmark reached the final after beating France 4-0 and Norway 1-0, meaning they could afford a 3-0 loss to Germany. The United States proved too strong with a 2-0 victory in the decider, but Kenneth Heiner-Møller feels his team are on course for the World Cup in China from 10-30 September.

'Right track'
"In this tournament we have met the number one, two, three and seven in the world rankings, and that has resulted in two wins and two defeats," Heiner-Møller said. "Our play has been acceptable, although we still have plenty of work to do. I have told the players that the road to China will be long and winding, but that the Algarve Cup has shown us that we are on the right track."

'Giant leaps'
Sweden missed out on the final, as following a 3-0 defeat of Finland and last-gasp 1-0 victory against China they lost a tense game 3-2 to the US. However, they then secured third place with a 3-1 win against France to the pleasure of coach Thomas Dennerby. "We're very pleased with our performance in the tournament," he said "Our older, more experienced players showed that they still are very strong, and some of the young players have taken giant leaps forward."

Formation works
Dennerby was especially pleased with how his 4-3-3 formation succeeded. "We've worked hard to get it working and it's gone very well," he said. "Four goals conceded from four games Is good, even though three of them came against the US." And it was a further boost that the results came without key players like Sara Larsson, Hanna Ljungberg, Karolina Westberg and goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl. "We've obviously had some players at home, but the likes of Sara Thunebro, Sofia Lundgren and Charlotte Rohlin have showed their ability," he said.