Football: Soccer-Gerhardsson strives for success as Sweden eyes World Cup win

AUCKLAND (Reuters) – Sweden’s march to the Women’s World Cup semi-finals has seen the Scandinavians eliminate former winners Japan and the United States, but coach Peter Gerhardsson does not want his team to rest on those achievements as he focuses on winning the title.

Gerhardsson’s side will face Spain on Tuesday with a place in the final at stake after handing 2011 winners Japan a 2-1 defeat in Auckland on Friday.

Their progress comes after seeing off the United States, the defending champions, in a penalty shoot-out in the last 16 five days earlier and has left Gerhardsson looking for even more from his squad.

“For me as a coach and the players, you are never finished, you have to prove things all the time,” said Gerhardsson.

“It’s our performance out there. That’s the show.

“Football is difficult for me. It’s difficult, technical, and everything like that. So that’s why everybody’s interested. You, me, players, audience, everybody. It’s exciting.”

Sweden’s success has come despite the team receiving little of the fanfare afforded to the tournament’s more fancied nations prior to kick-off last month.

Of those remaining in the competition, Sweden, winners of the silver medal at the Olympics in Japan in 2021, possess the best historical record, having appeared in the semi-finals on four previous occasions.

The Swedes have only converted one of those appearances into a place in the final, however, when they defeated Canada before losing to Germany in the 2003 decider.

While the outside world has paid his team minimal attention, Gerhardsson believes his players possess the on-field confidence more often associated with a club team.

“I have had such incredibly skilled players, not only on the pitch,” he said. “They’re very meticulous, they’re interested and always give 100 percent whatever it concerns and I think that’s a very important aspect.

“During tournaments like this we become more of a club team. If you’ve played in a club team for many years there can be some tension between certain players, but we manage this time we have together very well.

“When I was a player I enjoyed making my own decisions on the pitch within a certain framework. They do that. They’re nice, they’re cocky when they’re on the pitch and that makes me calm. Whether that matters for them, I don’t know.”

(Reporting by Michael Church, Editing by Miral Fahmy)