DUBLIN (Reuters) – Sweden enjoyed a 3-0 win away to Ireland thanks to two goals from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and one by Fridolina Rolfo in their European Championship Group A3 qualifier on Friday, with the two sides set to meet again in Stockholm in four days’ time.
Rytting Kaneryd broke the deadlock in the 26th minute and Rolfo, who won the Champions League with Barcelona last Saturday, doubled the advantage with a brilliant curled effort after 66 minutes.
Ranked 25th in the world compared to Sweden’s sixth, the Irish put the visitors under enormous physical pressure at times but despite some decent chances they again failed to register their first goal of the campaign and Rytting Kaneryd swept home the third goal to wrap up the victory in the 86th minute.
With group leaders France kicking off later on Friday away to second-placed England, the win left the Swedes on four points after three games, while Ireland are bottom with no points.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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