If the Great Britain women’s football team are to claim an Olympic medal then it is this sort of encounter that will be key.
Ranked fourth in the world, Sweden have as good a chance of claiming a medal as any of the twelve teams taking part at the Games. As such, Team GB manager Hope Powell can be pleased with the run out her squad was given going into their first group game against New Zealand on Wednesday; they controlled much of the possession and were able to keep their visitors at bay, although the game never truly reached top gear.
Rachel Yankey striking the post in the second half was as near as either side came to breaking the deadlock, though the Swedes did miss two presentable openings as the game closed down. The return of England icon Kelly Smith, who performed creditably in the first period, from a long injury layoff will delight Powell, as will the successful integration of Scottish duo Kim Little and Ifeoma Dieke, the only non-English players called into the squad.
The United States and Japan remain the teams to beat for the gold, but with the world’s number two side Germany failing to qualify the draw looks open for one of the underdogs to snatch a podium place.
Smith and Ellen White lead from the front. The Arsenal pair, making up two of a forward three with Eniola Aluko, each slashed across goal as GB forced the early openings.
Steph Houghton put a long range costless kick down the throat of Sweden goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl before carving out a volley from the edge of the box that whistled agonisingly over the crossbar, but while they were more concerted in their build-up play Sweden were going for the jugular.
Powell's Olympians were playing a dangerous offside game, though Sofia Jakobsson was unable to take advantage as she consistently found herself the wrong side of the defensive line when the final pass was played.
But with the greater possession, the British side were making more chances than their visitors. The best of them fell to White, who whipped an instinctive shot on the turn past the right-hand upright after Aluko burst through the inside-left channel and cut the ball back.
Caroline Seger wasted a similar opportunity at the other end, misconnecting with a sidefooted shot that dribbled frustratingly out for a goal kick.
Having lived on the edge for the much of the first period, the Team GB defence were eventually turned. One of Jakobsson’s willing runs paid off, the 21-year-old darting in behind, only to shoot tamely at Karen Bardsley.
The home side finished the half in the ascendency as Smith twice found herself in behind, being squeezed off her first opportunity as she failed to bring the ball out from her feet. The second time around Smith did have the ball in the net, only to be judged offside when Kim Little slipped a pass through the Sweden back four.
The expected raft of substitutions after the break failed to provide any initial excitement. Rachel Brown, Bardsley’s replacement between the posts, had the most work of any of the substitutes, comfortably holding a clutch of long-range shots.
With the second period progressing slowly, the fans in the sparsely populated stands at the Riverside drastically needed some action; England record cap holder Rachel Yankey provided the excitement that they had been waiting for. Karen Carney swept a sumptuous ball through a gap in the defence, only to see her teammate drive flush against the post.
Carney then went for goal herself, attempting a long-distance lob with Lindahl off her line, coming agonisingly close as the ball bounced off the roof of the net.
The energy had returned to both teams, though it was Sweden who came closest to bagging a winner. Therese Sjogran missed perhaps the best opening either side had forced all afternoon, prodding an unmarked volley over the bar seven yards from goal. Emma Berglund wasted the final chance of the game, beating a header off target from a well worked corner to end an intriguing warm-up before the Olympics begin in earnest.