Familiar foes Sweden and Denmark meet again his weekend in the opening game of the 2024/25 IFAF U19 European Championships less than a year after they last clashed on the international stage.
Back on April 9, 2023, Swedish running back Vilgot Valeskog rushed for an impressive 264 yards on 21 carries and 2 touchdowns including an 88-yard score and a two-point conversion to claim the MVP award in a 31-17 win. The victory earned Sweden a place in the continental championship game where they came up short against defending champion Austria, while Denmark was narrowly beaten by bronze medalist Finland.
The Scandinavian rivals were paired together along with Germany in Group B of the latest Euros tournament and are in opposition for the fourth time in as many years at 2pm CET this Sunday, March 31 at the Kristianstads IP in the Swedish city of Kristianstad.
“In terms of Denmark, we know who they are and what they’re capable of and what they’re doing right,” says Sweden head coach Sebastian Brinkenfeldt. “They have a new head coach this year, but I feel that the DNA that Lars Carlson has instilled in the Danish national teams is still there.”
Watch the game live in Sweden & Denmark PPV. Team Denmark @ Team Sweden, March 31, 14:00 CET (2 pm, 8 am EDT)
Watch the game live outside Sweden/Denmark free: Team Denmark @ Team Sweden, March 31, 14:00 CET (2 pm, 8 am EDT)
That new head coach is Kasper Skyum, who is well versed in the rivalry having faced Sweden before as both a player and an assistant coach.
“In some ways it’s annoying to play Sweden again, but they’re the second-best junior team in Europe and if you want to be the best you have to beat the best,” he says. “I’ve been talking with the coordinators about what can we do that Sweden hasn’t seen from us before. We need to give them a bit of a fight.”
Last year, Denmark had led 10-0 through a fake field goal that saw Matija Rajovic pass for a touchdown. Marius Hein Barkholt Fruelund returned an interception to the end zone to make it 17-8, but Swedishlinebacker Benjamin Kennedy Chaanhing returned the resulting kickoff for a touchdown to close the gap at the interval. Running back Valeskog put Sweden ahead for the first time with a pounding scoring run in the third quarter, then Anton Jansson caught a game-sealing touchdown pass from Max Lambert. Fruelund’s two interceptions earned him the Denmark MVP honours.
The two nations have met 15 time previously at the U19 level, going back to 1996, with Sweden boasting 12 wins.