The third match of Hammarby’s UEFA Women’s Champions League group stage campaign saw Martin Sjögren’s side slip to a second consecutive defeat in the competition, with goals from Laura Blindkilde Brown and Aoba Fujino handing Manchester City a crucial three points at Joie Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Hammarby, who were buoyed throughout the match by more than 500 passionate travelling fans, sit third in Group D at the halfway point of the competition and will be seeking revenge when they host the Cityzens at Stockholm’s Tele2 Arena next Thursday.
What did Martin Sjögren say?
“We knew this was going to be a tough game for us,” admitted Hammarby’s Martin Sjögren in his post-match press conference at the Joie Stadium. It is easy to forget that this is his side’s maiden European campaign, and one in which they’ve been pitted against two major heavyweights – Manchester City and FC Barcelona.
Last time out in the UEFA Women’s Champions League, Hammarby were dealt a crushing 9-0 defeat by the reigning European champions. Reflecting on that hefty loss in Catalunya, Sjögren highlighted that “it was a tough lesson, but a good lesson. We’ve been talking about the importance of our defensive game and our compactness – it’s hard to defend against a team like Barcelona with the dynamics they have in the team and in midfield. City aren’t the same, if you look at the way they play their attacking game.”
“For us, this was more suitable than the Barcelona game and with this team, they’re fast learners. It’s the first time we’re in this competition, and I think the team improves with every game we play in Europe.”
Embed from Getty ImagesIt’s certainly a fair assessment. Hammarby, despite looking prone to a loose pass amongst the back line every so often, managed to keep their hosts frustrated throughout the first half before ultimately falling behind inside the first two minutes of the second half. Sjögren emphasised that his side knew “we’d spend most of the game in defence, and we did that in a good way, especially throughout the first half where City didn’t create that many chances if you look at the possession they had.”
“We had a tough start in the second half – it was a long attack that they finally scored off. That was a tough start for us but we fought back into the game and around minute 70, when we’re down by one goal, the game is still alive and we felt quite good with that,” he continued, “but then when the 2-0 comes, it’s really hard for us. At least we tried until the end and we created some chances for us to maybe get a goal. I’m really pleased with the performance of the players, the way we performed throughout the game.”
Sjögren and his players will be relishing the opportunity to face Manchester City next Thursday at the Tele2 Arena, with more than 15,000 tickets already sold for that clash. The Damallsvenskan season concluded last weekend, meaning Bajen have eight uninterrupted days to prepare for a second meeting with an injury-ravaged Cityzens side that must travel to Chelsea this weekend for a mouthwatering top-of-the-table affair.