Sweden's Ekroth heaps praise on Poland

Sweden coach Yvonne Ekroth said defeat was hard to take after losing out in the UEFA European Women's Under-17 final against Poland but was full of praise of for the eventual winners. Ekroth admitted her side achieved more than she expected them to, while defender Ellen Gibson "learned quite a lot" from finishing second in an international tournament.

Yvonne Ekroth, Sweden coach
It was quite a tough game, an even game, and during such games small mistakes become decisive and you have to be very careful. The girls have learnt that now and can take it away as experience. We should have been more aggressive in the first half and had more attempts but they played very well defensively, they are tough and aggressive.

We didn't quite get to do as we wanted. Poland have to be praised for that. We had as many chances as Poland in the first half so it was an even match. It's not easy to stand here now but we appreciate the silver medal we have won.

I'm so proud of the girls, they have achieved more than I expected. We've been through some tough games and just to get here is historic. For that I thank all the clubs and the Swedish districts, who have worked so hard with these girls. They are part of this.

Ellen Gibson, Sweden defender
We have learnt quite a lot, everyone has been able to gain some experiences, you learn a lot during these tough international games. We've learnt to play a more attacking game, a tougher and aggressive defensive game and to win. We've gained some experience, met a lot of good players, good teams, and it was great to be here.