The Netherlands (in orange) in game action with Sweden at York University
Sweden defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in an international friendly at York University’s Keele campus on May 30 in advance of the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The two teams squared off at York Stadium in their final training match ahead of the world’s most important women’s soccer tournament, which gets under way across Canada later this week.
Despite a significant rain storm, hundreds of local fans came out to enjoy world-class soccer in their own backyard. They were treated to an entertaining match between two teams among the world’s best, with Sweden ranked No. 5 heading into the World Cup and Netherlands No. 12. The game was also broadcast live back to Europe.
Manon Melis opened the scoring for the Netherlands in the 43rd minute, but Sweden came back to win in the second half with two goals scored in a six-minute span by Lotta Schelin and Kosovare Asllani.
The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off on Saturday with Canada facing China in Edmonton, and the Netherlands will follow against New Zealand. Sweden begins its tournament on Monday, June 8 against Nigeria in Winnipeg.