Smilla Holmberg Reflects on European Championship Experience as She Returns to Hammarby

After experiencing a challenging European Championship (EM) in Switzerland, Smilla Holmberg and teammate Ellen Wangerheim are eager to return to the pitch with Hammarby in the Damallsvenskan league. The Swedish national team was eliminated in the quarter-finals by England in a nail-biting penalty shootout, a match where Holmberg notably scored against Germany but missed a crucial penalty against England.

Reflecting on her debut at the championship, Holmberg, 18, expressed the difficulty of articulating the unique atmosphere of such tournaments: "It’s difficult to describe what a championship is like and how it feels to live in that bubble unless you have experienced it before." She is now focusing on learning from the EM experience and is motivated for the upcoming matches as Hammarby prepares to face Alingsås, positioned at the bottom of the league table.

The team, currently just one point behind league leaders BK Häcken, aims to overcome the challenge of facing a lower-ranked opponent. Wangerheim highlighted the importance of maintaining performance, saying, "It’s always a difficult task to be better on paper and to perform from the start." Coach Martin Sjögren acknowledged the pressure to secure a win but noted Alingsås' recent improvements. Both players are poised to demonstrate their resilience, especially following a disappointing draw against Norrköping prior to the league break, with Wangerheim affirming, "We want to show who Hammarby is this fall, both in Europe and in the league."