Women's EURO 2022: Netherlands vs Sweden match facts, stats, ones to watch

Netherlands vs Sweden: Head-to-head

• Reigning champions the Netherlands kick off their title defence against Sweden, the winners of the very first UEFA Women's EURO, in a rematch of the 2017 quarter-final.
• The Oranje triumphed 2-0 in the last-eight encounter in Doetinchem five years ago with goals from Lieke Martens (33) and Vivianne Miedema (64), giving the hosts their biggest win in this fixture since October 1986.
• The sides met again in the semi-finals of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in Lyon, the Netherlands' Jackie Groenen scoring the game's only goal in extra time.
• The Netherlands have won the last three meetings between the sides – their longest winning run in the history of this fixture – keeping a clean sheet in each. The 1-0 Algarve Cup group victory in March 2017 ended Sweden's ten-game unbeaten run against the Dutch and was the Oranje's first triumph against the Swedes since April 1992.
• Sweden are winless in their last four meetings against the Netherlands (D1 L3), since a 2-1 friendly success in Canada ahead of the 2015 Women's World Cup in which Kosovare Asllani scored the winner as the Blågult came from behind.
• Sweden inflicted the Netherlands' record defeat in September 1981 with a 7-0 home friendly success.
• Sweden have had the better of this fixture overall, winning ten of the 22 previous meetings (D5 L7).
• In 2017 the Netherlands became the fourth nation to lift the UEFA Women's EURO trophy, thanks to a 4-2 comeback victory in the final against Denmark in Enschede. Miedema (10, 89), Martens (28) and Sherida Spitse (51) scored for Sarina Wiegman's side, who had fallen behind to Nadia Nadim's sixth-minute penalty. Pernille Harder (33) had levelled for the Danes at 2-2.
• The Oranje have reached the semi-finals or better in two of their three EURO appearances, losing in extra time to England in the last four as debutants in 2009 before a group stage exit in Sweden after failing to win a match four years later.
• Sweden are appearing at their 11th UEFA EURO, fewer only than Italy and Norway (both 12). The Blågult have reached the quarter-finals or better on each previous occasion, alternating between being eliminated in the semi-finals and the last eight since their most recent final appearance in 2001, when they lost in extra time to hosts Germany.
• Sweden were the inaugural European champions in 1984, Ulf Lyfors' team lifting the trophy on English soil with a 4-3 penalty shoot-out success against the home side in Luton after a 1-1 aggregate draw (1-0 h, 0-1 a).
• The Netherlands clinched their spot at a fourth successive EURO thanks to a flawless qualification campaign, winning all ten of their Group A fixtures to top the section and scoring 48 goals – the joint most in qualifying for EURO 2022 along with Denmark and Spain.
• Sweden sealed their place at an eighth successive EURO by clinching first place in Group F, winning seven and drawing one of their eight fixtures, scoring 40 goals and conceding only two. Their only failure to record maximum points came with a 1-1 draw against eventual runners-up Iceland in Reykjavik in September 2020.

Ones to watch: Netherlands

The Netherlands' Lieke Martens ANP/AFP via Getty Images

Lieke Martens

• The 29-year-old scored in three of the Netherlands' last four matches at EURO 2017, including the 2-0 quarter-final victory against Sweden.
• That helped the attacker pick up the Player of the Tournament prize.
• Martens scored the 50th goal of her senior international career in the group win against Zambia at the Olympics in July 2021.
• The forward joined Paris Saint-Germain on 16 June after five seasons with Barcelona, where she won eight major honours including the 2020/21 UEFA Women's Champions League.

Vivianne Miedema

• The 25-year-old scored four goals as the Netherlands clinched the EURO 2017 title, finding the net in all three knockout stage matches – a run that began with her close-range finish against Sweden in the last eight.
• Only England’s Jodie Taylor (five goals) outscored the Netherlands forward at the 2017 tournament.
• Miedema is the Netherlands' top scorer at EURO finals, with Martens and Spitse both just behind on three goals.
• The forward became her country's all-time leading scorer with her 60th international goal in a 3-1 World Cup group stage win against Cameroon in June 2019, overtaking Manon Melis' previous national record.

Daniëlle van de Donk

• The 30-year-old had a short spell with Swedish club side Kopparbergs/Göteborg FC in 2015, where she was a team-mate of Martens plus Sweden's Rebecka Blomqvist and Elin Rubensson.
• The midfielder struck eight goals in qualifying for EURO 2022, only Miedema (nine) and Sherida Spitse (ten) scoring more for the Oranje.
• Van de Donk started all six matches as the Netherlands won EURO 2017, scoring in the 3-0 semi-final success against England in Enschede.
• No player has made more EURO finals appearances for the Netherlands than Van de Donk's nine, level with Martens and Spitse.

Ones to watch: Sweden

Sweden's Kosovare Asllani Getty Images

Kosovare Asllani

• The 32-year-old scored the winner in Sweden's last two victories against the Netherlands, the 2-1 friendly triumphs in September 2012 and May 2015.
• The forward has started Sweden's last 13 matches at EURO, a run that stretches back to the 2009 tournament.
• Asllani has scored two EURO finals goals, in the group stage of both 2009 and 2013.
• The attacker, who is set to leave Real Madrid this summer, provided ten assists in qualifying for EURO 2022, more than any other Sweden player.

Stina Blackstenius

• The 26-year-old scored on her first two EURO finals starts, in the group matches against Russia and Italy in 2017.
• Blackstenius hit five goals as Sweden claimed the silver medal at the Olympic Games last summer, including the opener in the 1-1 final draw against Canada before she was substituted ahead of the shoot-out defeat.
• The forward was the leading scorer with six goals as Sweden won the UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship in 2015.
• The Arsenal striker, who joined the English club in January from BK Häcken, made her debut for the Gunners as a substitute for the Netherlands' Vivianne Miedema in an FA Women's League Cup defeat against Manchester United.

Caroline Seger

• The 37-year-old has made 16 appearances in EURO finals, one short of Victoria Svensson's Swedish record.
• Seger became the most-capped European player in June 2021 when making her 215th Swedish appearance, surpassing the previous landmark shared by compatriot Therese Sjögran and Germany's Birgit Prinz.
• The Swedish skipper has started the Blågult's last 15 EURO finals matches, since being an unused substitute in the 0-0 group stage draw against Finland in England at the 2005 tournament.
• The midfielder's only goal at the tournament came in Sweden's opening group match at EURO 2009, a 3-0 win against Russia in Turku.