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Sweden finished the first round-robin tournament in women’s EuroVolley 2021 qualification Pool B unbeaten. On the last competition day in Matosinhos, the Swedes grabbed a 3-1 (25-21, 25-16, 19-25, 25-15) victory over Portugal to leave the hosts in third place with a 1-2 win-loss record.

Several times in the first set, Sweden managed to break away with a solid lead, and several times Portugal managed to catch up, but never quite managed to step in front. After 21-21 and after Isabelle Haak had already piled up nine points to her name, four points in a row by Alexandra Lazic delivered the set Sweden’s way at 25-21. Portugal had a 7-4 lead in the second set, when Sweden went on a six-point run to take control and never let go. With Haak still spearheading the offence, they cruised on to a comfortable 25-16 win, shaped up by a Dalila-Lilly Topic hit for the last point.

At 5-4, Portugal took control of the scoreboard in the third set and held on to it through the end. Julia Kavalenka was on fire with seven points, including the last one, towards a 25-19 strike-back. With Haak acing four times towards a 10-point total, the fourth set was completely one-sided after 5-5. Sweden dominated on the way to a 25-15 close and a 3-1 victory.

Isabelle Haak impressed with both her seven-ace tally and the match-high total of 32 points.

Ettore Guidetti, head coach of Sweden: "We faced a very good and proud team. They played a really good game and put us under pressure. It’s the first time in the last four matches that someone is able to steal a set from us. So it was a very difficult match. It’s very good for us to face teams like this, because our team is really young we need to develop and raise the bar. For the second tournament, I hope my team do what they have done so far - continue to fight and, above all, the players continue to enjoy playing together. That is very important for me as a coach."

Joao Jose, head coach of Portugal: "We were already expecting the difficulties that we would face and the value of the opposing team. We tried to eliminate certain key elements of Sweden; we managed to do it in regards to Alexandra Lazic, but with regard to Isabelle Haak, one of the best opposites in the world, we only managed to do it in the third set. In the fourth set, she completely made a difference with her serving. We obviously have to be dissatisfied with our results, but not discouraged, because this is part of the growth process and it will be useful for us in the matches of the second tournament."

 
Marta Hurst, outside hitter and captain of Portugal: "Sweden has a very strong opposite, a very experienced player internationally. Our team need to feel that we can also be decisive. When we managed our game properly and respected our game plan, things went well. So we need to be more consistent, and that’s something that also comes with experience. I think it’s a long-term process and we need to be focused on that."