After 120 minutes of scoreless play in Thursday’s semifinal, Nadia Nadim and Denmark outshot Austria 3-0 in penalty kicks to move on to their first-ever UEFA Women’s EURO final.
Nadim impressed throughout the match with technical footwork and chances on goal, but it was her top-shelf shot in PKs that helped propel Denmark through to face the Netherlands on Sunday (9am PT, ESPN2).
In a post-game interview, Nadim noted, “Even though we were tired, we tried to [get] the energy from somewhere.” She went on to add that the Danish drive to win the game was what really pushed Denmark to victory. “Austria plays with a really big heart but today we played with an even bigger heart.”
Nadim and her her team will now travel to Encshede for a rematch with their Dutch hosts. The Netherlands last met Denmark in the group stage of the tournament, where they handed the Danes their only 2017 EUROs loss, 1-0. Sunday’s final will mark the first time either team has advanced to the championship match in the tournament’s history.
With a resounding 6-1 victory over Brazil Thursday night, Hayley Raso and the Matildas clinched the Tournament of Nations’ inaugural title.
The win capped off a sweep of the tournament, in which Australia scored 11 goals, allowed only 3 and upset their American hosts in the opening match. Raso played 33 minutes in the win, coming on as a substitute in the 57th minute for Lisa de Vanna, who scored two goals in the game.
The Matildas went down 1-0 early in the game before roaring their way back to a 4-1 lead at halftime. Despite Brazil’s three-goal deficit, Australia maintained the attack past the 45-minute mark. Caitlin Foord and Sam Kerr each scored in the second half before the final whistle was blown.
The United States Women’s National team rounded out Thursday’s action with a 3-0 victory over Japan, in the final match of the round-robin Tournament of Nations. Lindsey Horan and Allie Long were each subbed on in the second half and contributed strong performances in the U.S. win.
After being shutout by Australia in their Tournament of Nations opener, the WNT earned a second place finish in the competition thanks to their seven goals collectively scored against Brazil and Japan.
