Sweden clinched a well-deserved 1-0 victory over Argentina thanks to Nilla Fisher's second half goal.
Sweden dominated play in the first half. The yellow shirts of Sweden poured into Argentina's defensive area but Sweden failed to turn its attacking verve into a killer punch and the game remained a goalless tie at half-time.
Though the scoreboard remained clean, Sweden was certainly the stronger side since they created many threatening shots on goal during the first half.
Therese Sjogran's long range free kick in the 15th minute whistled past the crossbar. Eighteen minutes later, Sara Thunebro's shot on goal forced a marvelous full-stretch save from Argentina's goalkeeper Vanina Correa.
Sweden emerged just as aggressive and dangerous in the second half. If it was not for the outstanding performance of Correa, Argentina would have conceded a goal much earlier.
Sweden's opening score finally came ten minutes into the second half when Fisher headed a free kick home.
To its credit, Sweden did not move into defensive mode after taking the lead. Instead it continued to attack and did not give Argentina a chance to level the score. In the 23rd minute of the second half, a shot from Victoria Svensson rattled into the woodwork like a cannonball.
Argentina was kept busy resisting Sweden's attacks and did not enjoy any clear-cut chances during the regular 90 minutes of game time. As the clock ticked into injury time, Argentina suddenly rallied and created several threatening attacks inside Sweden's defensive area. If it was not for Sara Thunebro's clearance, Fabiana Vallejos' close-range shot could have given Argentina an equalizer.
In the other two games that were held at the same time, the United States beat Japan 1-0 after Carli Lloyd scored a goal in the first half. Germany finished off Nigeria with a 1-0 victory. Germany's Kerstin Stegemann scored a goal in the 64th minute.
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