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Netherlands players celebrate the only goal that separates the sides. Alessandra Tarantino
AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Netherlands v Sweden, Women's World Cup semi-final

Relive all the drama as the Dutch found a winner in extra-time to book their place in Sunday’s decider.

Just one spot left.

With the USA safely through to the Women’s World Cup final, there’s space left for either Sweden or the Netherlands in Sunday’s decider.

The European champions are in their first-ever World Cup semi-final and will take on a Swedish side who stunned Germany last weekend.

But who will progress to take on the defending champions?

Here’s how the sides have been named to line out:

Netherlands: Van Veenendaal; Van Lunteren, Van der Gragt, Bloodworth, Van Dongen; Groenen, Van de Donk, Spitse; Beerensteyn, Miedema, Martens.

Sweden: Lindahl; Glas, Fischer, Sembrant, Eriksson; Bjorn, Asllani, Seger; Jakobsson, Blackstenius, Hurtig.

We’re getting closer and closer to the 8pm kick-off, which will be shown on TG4 and BBC One.

Who do you think will win?


Poll Results:

Netherlands (146)
Sweden (54)
Draw (12)

Atmosphere is building nicely 

France Netherlands Sweden WWCup Soccer AP / PA Images AP / PA Images / PA Images

France: Netherlands vs Sweden (women) SIPA USA / PA Images SIPA USA / PA Images / PA Images

Netherlands v Sweden - FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 - Semi Final - Stade de Lyon EMPICS Sport EMPICS Sport

Netherlands v Sweden - FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 - Semi Final - Stade de Lyon EMPICS Sport EMPICS Sport

The teams are heading out onto the pitch now in Lyon.

1 min: Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

And we have lift off.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Netherlands earn a free early on after a handball by Caroline Seger. They take it quickly and feed possession to Vivianne Miedema, but she fails to cause a threat with her shot.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Good work from Lineth Beerensteyn. She creates some space for herself on the wing and tries to swing in a cross, but her final effort is easily cleared.

Lina Hurtig cuts inside and tries to engineer a chance at the other end for Sweden. She does well to get inside her marker and get a shot off but the ball had already gone over the endline.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

GREAT TACKLE!

Caroline Seger does so well to get back and block Miedema from getting getting  a shot off from point blank range.

That would certainly have ended up in the net without Seger’s intervention. 

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

SAVE!

Stina Blackstenius should have done better there. Sofia Jakobsson did brilliantly to race through the Dutch defence and put the ball on a plate for Blackstenius in the Netherlands box.

The final shot didn’t really trouble Sari van Veenendaal.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

CLOSE!

Magdalena Eriksson whips in a corner that angles dangerously towards the goals. Van Vaeenendaal does well to get her fingertips to the ball and steer it out over the endline.

Both sides are starting to attack with a bit more bite now.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Another good attack from Sweden, they’re starting to impose themselves a bit more on this game. 

Jakobsson takes the ball out wide before drilling it across into the Netherlands’ penalty area. Blackstenius tries to get her toe to it for the flick but her effort is blocked down.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Lineth Beerensteyn looks like she might have to come off with an injury after a collision. She’s taking a breather on the sideline as play resumes.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

SAVE!!

Huge chance for Sweden there as van Veenendaal pulls off a great reflex save. A corner comes in and comes to Lina Hurtig who tries to toe-poke it into the net, but the Dutck keeper does very well.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

The pace of this game is nowhere as intense as last night’s semi-final. Both sides are a bit ponderous on the ball as we go into the final minutes of the first half.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

The Dutch looked dangerous there in the Swedish box. Danielle van de Donk creates the move with a lovely backheel to release Miedema.

But credit to Sweden’s defence, they close her down instantly and try to launch a counter-attack.

Three minutes of added time to be played.

Half-Time: Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Really not much to say about that half. There’s been a few half-chances but neither side looks particularly threatening.

The pace of the game is very flat and defences are well on top.

It’s certainly not an exciting game but Hope Solo seems to be enjoying it. Speaking on the BBC Sport coverage of the game, she said that this standard of defending “is what wins tournaments.”

The story of the first half

Netherlands v Sweden - FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 - Semi Final - Stade de Lyon EMPICS Sport EMPICS Sport

Netherlands v Sweden - FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 - Semi Final - Stade de Lyon John Walton John Walton

Netherlands v Sweden - FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 - Semi Final - Stade de Lyon EMPICS Sport EMPICS Sport

Netherlands v Sweden - FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 - Semi Final - Stade de Lyon EMPICS Sport EMPICS Sport

Netherlands v Sweden - FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 - Semi Final - Stade de Lyon EMPICS Sport EMPICS Sport

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

The second half is coming up shortly. 

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Netherlands change: Lieke Martens is off and has been replaced by Jill Roord. That’s a big loss for the Dutch.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Great defending!

Blackstenius does well to swipe possession away from Dominique Bloodworth and making a dash for the Netherlands goals.

But Bloodworth responds to get back and snuff out the opportunity. They concede a corner but Sweden fail to make anything from that and the European champions can breathe a sigh of relief.

Much livelier start to the second half.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Sloppy play there from both sides, coughing up possession cheaply. Seger is the first to give the ball away but the Dutch counter attack doesn’t last long as Sweden regain the ball easily. 

This is still a very cagey affair compared to last night’s battle.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

POST!!

Sweden just inches away from breaking the deadlock. The ball comes to the unmarked Nilla Fischer in the Dutch box and she lets fly with a low shot at the goals.

Van Veenendaal gets down quick enough to get her fingertips to the ball. And it’s just about enough as the ball comes crashing off the woodwork.

That’s the first meaningful shot of the night.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

CROSSBAR!!

And now it’s the Netherlands who almost break the deadlock. Miedema gets on the end of a corner with a free header and unleashes a bullet at the Sweden goals.

It was a brilliant effort that looked to be heading for the roof of the net but Sweden’s goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl manages to get her fingertips to the ball and pushes it onto the bar.

Another dramatic moment in the second half of this World Cup semi-final. But still no goals.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden 

Netherlands substitution: Shanice van de Sanden comes into the action for Beerensteyn. That’s a brilliant impact player for the Dutch to bring on.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden 

Van de Sanden pounces on a clearance to launch a counter-attack with a brilliant run through Sweden’s half of the pitch. 

She’s really made her presence felt since coming on.

She forces a corner but Sweden manage to clear the danger. 

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Coming into the last 10 minutes now.

Will someone be able to break the deadlock? Or are we heading for extra-time?

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Two corners for Sweden but they fail to make anything of the chances. Sherida Spitse clears one of them with a header at the post and the second comes Kosovare Asllani, who fires her shot well over the bar.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Van de Donk concedes a blatant free out of frustration just outside the box. It’s an inviting position for Sweden and they can test the Dutch defence here. 

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

CLOSE!

Eriksson tries to curl the ball in at a low angle to unsettle the defence but there’s just a bit too much air under the ball and it sails onto the roof of the net.

There’s just a few minutes left of normal time now.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Five minutes of added time to be played. Are we heading for extra-time?

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

SAVE!

Van de Sanden tests the keeper with a fizzing shot from the edge of the box but Lindhal keeps her eye on the ball and helps it out for a corner.

Full-Time: Netherlands and Sweden go to extra-time

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Here we go! Extra-time is underway.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

The sides have half an hour to grab a winner. Could we be heading for penalties?

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Sweden substitute Julia Zigiotti Olme gets a yellow card for a heavy challenge on van de Donk.

Netherlands 0-0 Sweden

Van de Donk applies brilliant pressure to force Hanna Glas to concede a corner. The delivery goes over the heads of everybody and Sweden come away with the ball.

GOAL! (Groenen) Netherlands 1-0 Sweden

Netherlands 1-0 Sweden

The Dutch lead! Jackie Groenen puts the European champions in front with a super strike in the first half of extra-time.

She struck the ball from the edge of the penalty area and kept her effort low to squeeze past the clutches of Hedvig Lindahl.

Can Sweden muster a response? This hasn’t been the game for goal-chances but they need to create something to keep their World Cup dream alive.

Netherlands 1-0 Sweden

Take a look at that brilliant Netherlands goal

Half-Time (ET): Netherlands 1-0 Sweden

Netherlands 1-0 Sweden

And off we go again! Can Sweden do something in the next 15 minutes to nab an equaliser? 

Netherlands 1-0 Sweden

Van de Donk and van de Sanden combine well to hold onto possession as the former draws a foul out near the corner in Sweden’s half of the pitch.

They’re starting to kill the clock as we go into the last 10 minutes of extra-time.

Netherlands 1-0 Sweden

The Netherlands have a free out for a challenge on van de Donk. It’s crucial possession for the European champions as we head for the final minutes of the second half.

Netherlands 1-0 Sweden

CLOSE!

Asllani tries to cross the ball, but it starts sailing towards the goal mid-flight and just trickles away over the endline.

Netherlands 1-0 Sweden

Two minutes of added time to be played and the Dutch have possession.

Netherlands 1-0 Sweden

There’s a stoppage in play and there’s a stretcher on the pitch as medics tend to Sweden’s Kosovare Asllani. She fell to the ground awkwardly after contesting the ball in the air.

The ball hit her in the face as she came down. There’s a huge round of applause for her as she’s carried from the pitch.

Netherlands 1-0 Sweden

There’s a stoppage in play and there’s a stretcher on the pitch as medics tend to Sweden’s Kosovare Asllani. She fell to the ground awkwardly after contesting the ball in the air.

The ball hit her in the face as she came down. There’s a huge round of applause for her as she’s carried from the pitch.

Full-Time: Netherlands book World Cup final spot after extra-time

Netherlands 1-0 Sweden

The Dutch manage to hang on!

They hold off Sweden to book their place in Sunday’s final against the reigning champions USA. Jackie Groenen’s goal was the difference with a great strike in extra-time.

Sweden just didn’t have an answer in a game that didn’t have many chances for either side. 

That’s all for tonight, folks after a mammoth World Cup semi-final.

Have a read of our match report and we hope to have you with us again soon. 

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