Sørum for Queenballers: We want to show more than we did in the last game

Despite winning the first leg of the semi-final of UEFA Women’s Europa Cup in Prague 3–2, Hammarby were not satisfied with their performance, according to Elin Sørum. Their motivation for the return leg is clear: to win — and deliver the result they promised to Bajens, the Hammarby fans.

The first leg of the UEFA Women’s Europa Cup semi-final between Sparta Prague and Hammarby took place at Letná Stadium in Prague. Both sides were backed by vocal support, creating the backdrop for an intense and entertaining encounter.

Although Sparta led 2:1 in the 83rd minute, Hammarby turned the game around late on, with 16-year-old Fanny Peterson among the scorers. The Swedish side now head into the second leg at the 3Arena with a one-goal advantage. However, Sparta have already shown in this Europa Cup campaign that they are a strong away side.

Elin Sørum, who opened the scoring in the first leg, is well aware of that. Speaking to the media ahead of the return leg, she said: “We know they’re strong in away matches, so it’s going to be a tough game. We were a bit disappointed with our performance in the last match, even though we got the win — and in Europe, winning away is never easy.”

Motivation? Our Bajens

Hammarby’s motivation, however, is clear — and playing at home only adds to it:
“We want to deliver a much better performance this time. We want to win for ourselves, but also for the fans who are coming to support us. We’re really motivated to show more than we did in the last game.”

Hammarby are widely regarded as one of the strongest developers of young talent. While Sparta remained largely unchanged over the winter window, Hammarby lost several key players — including Smilla Holmberg, Ellen Wangerheim and Julie Blakstad — all of whom moved to the WSL.

“We were a very new group when we came together in January, so it naturally takes time. But I think we’ve used that time well and built a solid foundation. Now it’s about continuing to build on that. Of course, it’s not easy when you lose so many good players, but at the same time, the new players who have come in have really shown their potential. Over the past three months, I think we’ve been building something good — and now we just need to keep moving in that direction,” added Sørum, who is herself still relatively new to the green-and-white side.

Just as Sparta can rely on the prolific Denisa Rancová — one of the Fortuna Liga’s top scorers — Hammarby have an even younger talent in 16-year-old Fanny Peterson, who scored the winner in Prague and also found the net at the weekend against Rosengård in the Damallsvenskan.

“I think we have a lot of very good players. Of course, Fanny is one of them, and it’s easy to forget how young she is when you see the way she plays. Her technique is amazing, she’s scoring great goals, including an important one last week. She’s definitely a big asset for us. But at the same time, we have quality across the squad, so it’s not just about her. Still, she’s definitely someone to watch — she’s shown in several matches now what a great player she is,” Sørum concluded.

The UEFA Women’s Europa Cup semi-final second leg, with Hammarby hosting Sparta Prague in Stockholm, is set for April 2, 2026, with kick-off at 19:00 CET.