Sweden U20 W vs Poland U20 W

Sweden opened the sharper side, racing to a 12-8 lead midway through the first half at the Jinzhong College Gymnasium. But Poland, driven by Zuzanna Zimnicka and Julia Grzesista, clawed back with three unanswered goals to cut the deficit to 12-11 at the interval.

The second half was a different contest. Sweden's defence conceded only 11 goals in the final 30 minutes, and the attack shot at 64% efficiency overall (29/45). A decisive 7-2 run from 15-14 to 22-16 broke Poland's resistance.

Isabelle Rydén (5/6, 83%) and Selma Hestner Olsson (4/5, 80%, four assists) led the scoring for Sweden, while Märtha Dittschlag and Smilla Lilja each went perfect from the field (4/4). For Poland, Maria Mazurkiewicz scored 5/6 (83%) and Zimnicka added five goals, but the team's 43% shooting efficiency (22/51) proved costly.

Poland had momentum after levelling at 13-13 early in the second half. But Sweden responded with a five-goal unanswered burst between the 34th and 41st minutes, turning a 14-14 deadlock into a 19-14 lead. Goalkeeper Danielsson made four critical saves during that stretch, snuffing out Poland's attempts to regain parity.

Anna Danielsson (Sweden) — 16 saves, 42% save rate. The Swedish goalkeeper was the match's defining influence. Poland took 51 shots but put only 38 on target, and Danielsson repelled almost half of those. Her performance in the second half — where she saved eight of 19 shots on target — neutralised Poland's primary threats.

Isabelle Rydén (Sweden) — 5 goals, 83% shooting. The Swedish right back was clinical, converting five of six attempts and providing a reliable outlet whenever the attack needed a finish.

Selma Hestner Olsson (Sweden) — 4 goals, 4 assists. Her playmaking from the backcourt created space for Sweden's wing players and kept the Polish defence guessing.

Maria Mazurkiewicz (Poland) — 5 goals, 83% shooting, 2 assists. The Polish centre back was her team's most efficient attacker, but lacked sufficient support from a faltering supporting cast.

Sweden's 64% shooting efficiency (29/45) against Poland's 43% (22/51) tells the story of a match decided by shot quality and goalkeeping, not volume. Poland attempted 51 shots — six more than Sweden — but generated only 22 goals. The 5/34 combined save rate from Poland's goalkeepers (Joanna Kalbarczyk, Nina Smelcerz and Maria Pentek) stands at 15%, well below tournament average, while Sweden's Anna Danielsson posted 16 saves at 42%. Sweden also recorded 15 assists to Poland's two, reflecting crisper ball movement and better shot selection.

The contrast in wing play was stark: Sweden scored eight goals from the wings, Poland just one.

Sweden will play for ninth place on 5 July 2026 against the winner of the other 9-12 semifinal. A top-10 finish continues the Scandinavian side's strong tournament trajectory after they finished 9th in the 2024 edition.

Poland, who had secured a historic best-ever top-10 finish by reaching this stage, will contest the 11th-place match on 5 July. Despite the defeat, Poland's tournament — which included a group-stage win and a dramatic 25-24 victory over Romania in the previous round — represents progress for a program that entered the championship ranked outside the top 12.

Sweden were the sharper, more coherent side from start to finish, with Danielsson's goalkeeping providing a platform the Polish defence could not match. A seven-goal margin flattered neither team's effort but reflected a genuine gap in execution — particularly in the second half, where Sweden shot 54% while holding Poland to 37%. The ninth-place final will test whether Sweden can sustain this defensive intensity against a rested opponent.