Stina Blackstenius delivered a statement performance for Sweden with a stunning hat-trick against Denmark, capping off a productive international break for several Arsenal stars ahead of this summer’s European Championship.
BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 03: Jess Park and Alessia Russo of England interact following the UEFA Women's Nations League 2024/25 Grp A3 MD6 match between Spain and England at RCDE Stadium on June 03, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images)
Photo by Judit Cartiel/Getty Images
Stina Blackstenius led the way as a host of Arsenal players featured for their national teams during the latest round of international fixtures, with the striker scoring a hat-trick in Sweden’s 6-1 demolition of Denmark to seal top spot in their Nations League group.
Sweden crushed Denmark - making up for the Nations League buck Göteborgs-Posten4 Jun 2025 PHOTOS: EMMA WALLSKOG Sweden wins the Nations League group after 6-1 against Denmark in the decisive group final. Sweden's soccer ladies are making up for the Nations League buck this fall. Thanks to Stina Blackstenius for that. The Arsenal striker scored a hat-trick as Sweden drove over Denmark 6-1 in a heavy show of force ahead of the European Championship premiere in a month. - I hope to take this feeling with me as much as possible, says the hat trick hero. Pang, pang, pang said that at Strawberry arena and before the game clock reached eleven minutes, Sweden had punctured Tuesday's group final in the Nations League. - When our high defense is combined with good combinations in our attacking game, we know that it can look like this, says Stina Blackstenius to SVT. Sweden needed only one point to secure the group victory that would earn a place in the autumn playoffs, but quite obviously had no plans to defend themselves until the ”final four”of the tournament. This is how the victory was salvaged in the balmy early summer evening in Solna: * After 37 seconds, Stina Blackstenius tore the ball past a defender and rolled in 1-0. * Just over four minutes into the match Johanna Rytting Kaneryd snatched a Danish foul pass, ran free and chipped in 2-0. * In the eleventh minute, it was Filippa Angeldahl's turn to find the right one. A foul Blackstenius at the penalty area passed the ball backwards to Angeldahl, who thundered in 3-0 with a heavy long-range shot. Denmark reduced a few minutes before the half-time break, when Janni Thomsen set up the 1-3 goal after a quick counter-attack. But the red-white Joy did not last long. Stina Blackstenius has had a hard time with the goalscoring during the spring, but perhaps loosened somewhat when she with the only goal of the match decided the Champions League final for Arsenal the other week. Because before the end of the evening, the striker had scored both one and two more goals, completing a hat-trick. Until the match against Denmark, she had not scored a single national team goal since the beginning of december last year, but now the goal form seems to have arrived just in time for the summer European Championship. - Very important, of course. I hope to take this feeling with me as much as I can. Again, great fun to play today and super happy to be able to contribute, says the 29-year-old. In extra time, another Arsenal player, Lina Hurtig, pounded in 6-1. For Peter Gerhardsson, this was a lovely farewell to the National Arena. He quits as national team captain after the European Championship and then hands over to Tony Gustavsson, who will be the one who gets to take on France, Germany and Spain in the Nations League play–offs in October-november. But first, Gerhardsson will guide the team through the European Championship in Switzerland, which for the Swedish part begins against Denmark on July 4. "Now we have two wins against Denmark, so I just hope that we can see it as a strength and bring both of those performances into the match against Denmark in the European Championship as well," Blackstenius continues.
Sweden crushed Denmark Göteborgs-Posten4 Jun 2025
The 29-year-old struck three times in a dominant performance in Solna, breaking her international goal drought in emphatic style just a fortnight after scoring the winner in the Champions League final. “Very important, of course. I hope to take this feeling with me as much as I can,” Blackstenius told SVT. “Again, great fun to play today and super happy to be able to contribute.”
Sweden needed only a point to win the group but blew Denmark away with an early blitz. Blackstenius opened the scoring after just 37 seconds, before goals from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd and Filippa Angeldahl put the game beyond reach inside 11 minutes.
Denmark pulled one back through Janni Thomsen, but any thought of a comeback was short-lived, with Blackstenius netting twice more either side of half-time to complete her hat-trick before Lina Hurtig, who leaves Arsenal this summer, added a sixth in stoppage time.
The result caps a strong international window for the Arsenal forward and her Sweden teammates, who will face Denmark again when they open their European Championship campaign on 4 July.
In Spain, Alessia Russo put England ahead against the reigning world champions in a 2-1 defeat to Spain, continuing her excellent scoring form after topping the Women’s Super League goalscoring charts.
BARCELONA, SPAIN - JUNE 03: Alessia Russo of England celebrates scoring her team's first goal during the UEFA Women's Nations League 2024/25 Grp A3 MD6 match between Spain and England at RCDE Stadium on June 03, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images
Russo took advantage of a defensive lapse to give the Lionesses a first-half lead, but a second-half brace from Claudia Pina turned the match in favour of the hosts.
Beth Mead also started, while Leah Williamson captained the Lionesses. Chloe Kelly came on in the second half, replacing Mead.
Mariona Caldentey started for Spain on the left wing.
Elsewhere, Laura Wienroither returned to the Austria starting lineup, while Manuela Zinsberger was an unused substitute as they were dismantled 6-0 by Germany. Austria finished third in the group, having picked up six points from six matches.
In the same group, Daphne van Domselaar and Victoria Pelova both started for the Netherlands in a 1-1 draw with Scotland. Former Arsenal players Jill Roord, who scored the Dutch goal, and Danielle van de Donk also featured, while Dominique Janssen came off the bench in the second half.
The Netherlands ended the group in second place, five points behind Germany. Scotland, despite securing their first point in the group with the draw, finished bottom.
Jill Roord of Netherlands looks on during the UEFA Women's Nations League 2024/25 Grp A1 MD6 match between Netherlands and Scotland on June 03, 202...
Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images
Katie McCabe, Ireland’s captain, was in the starting XI as her side beat Slovenia 1-0. However, the result was not enough to top the group, with Ireland falling short of the four-goal winning margin required to overtake Slovenia on goal difference.
Lia Walti played the full 90 minutes for Switzerland in their 1-0 defeat to Frida Maanum’s Norway, while Noelle Maritz and Pauline Peyraud-Magnin, both formerly of Arsenal, featured for Switzerland and France respectively.
Maanum’s Norway finished second behind a dominant France, who ended their group 10 points clear at the top. Switzerland, meanwhile, picked up just two points from their six matches.
It was a mixed window for Arsenal’s international contingent, but Stina Blackstenius’s return to goalscoring form will be a timely boost ahead of the European Championship.
After a spring blighted by inconsistency, her match-winning display in Lisbon and hat-trick for Sweden suggest she is finding momentum at exactly the right time.
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