“Spännande” night as Hammarby reach Europa Cup semi-finals on penalties

After a 1:0 win in Lisbon, Hammarby headed into the home second leg against Sporting as favourites. But the visitors levelled the tie in the second half, forcing the contest to be decided by a penalty shootout. The match was, as they would say in Sweden, spännande — tense, dramatic and decided on the finest of margins.

• New signing Mathilde Janzen struck the decisive penalty, calmly converting the final spot kick to seal Hammarby’s progression and celebrate under pressure.
• Hammarby converted all of their penalties to seal progression. The achievement is all the more impressive given that the Swedish domestic season has yet to begin and the squad has undergone significant changes since the autumn, with several key players moving to England.

• In the semi-finals, with the first leg scheduled for 24 or 25 May, Hammarby will face Sparta Prague, who defeated Austria Vienna 3–1 after extra time.