Sweden beat Spain in a thrilling encounter of UEFA World Cup qualifiers 2022 by 2-1 at Friends Arena, Solna.
La Furia Roja led early into the game courtesy of Carlos Soler. However, the lead didn’t last long as Alexander Isak scored the equaliser in no time with the help of a lapse in concentration from the Spanish side. And in the second half, Viktor Claesson scored the winner for Blågult.
With this defeat, the Spanish side are in real danger of missing out on the automatic qualification for the World Cup 2022. Luis Enrique’s side are currently sitting second with seven points in four games. On the other hand, Sweden are a group topper with nine points in three games.
Sweden 2-1 Spain team news:
Jan Anderson went with the 4-4-2 formation and Robin Olson started between the sticks. Victor Lindelof and Filip Helander were the centre backs. Alexander Isak and Dejan Kulusevski led the line for the Blågult.
Luis Enrique went with his preferred 4-3-3 formation and Unai Simon started on goal. In front of him are the back four of Cesar Azpilicueta, Eric García, Aymeric Laport and Jordi Alba. Gerard Moreno, Álvaro Morata and Ferran Torres were the front three for La Furia Roja.
Sweden 2-1 Spain Post-match analysis:
The game started in a blistering manner as Luis Enrique’s side scored on the fourth-minute mark. Jordi Alba’s delicious cross fell nicely to Soler who made no mistake to put it away. However, the Spanish joy didn’t last long as Isak took full advantage of the lethargic miss pass from La Furia Roja midfield and found the back of the net.
Meanwhile, the story of the game was quite familiar as Spain kept on passing one side to another and the Sweden defence was comfortable dealing with any challenges. The Blågult had better opportunities in the transition as Eric García struggled to cope with the pace and the power of Isak.
Sweden doubled the margin in the second half thanks to Claesson. An excellent cut back from Kulusevski found the 29-year-old unmarked inside the box who had enough time to place it beyond the outstretched hand of Unai Simon. With this strike, the Swedish fans inside the Stadium erupted with joy for the first time in years.
After that Enrique made few changes to turn the game around but the Swedish defence stood tall and came away with all three points.
Notable Performances:
Alexander Isak(Sweden): The Real Sociedad forward’s pace caused problems for the Spanish defensive pairing and also scored the equaliser.
Carlos Soler(Spain): Made his debut for Luis Enrique’s side and scored the opener. Overall, he had a very good game.
Eric García(Spain): The defender looked completely unsettled and could not cope with the attacking duo of Sweden.
Sweden will play away to Greece in their next game in UEFA World Cup qualifiers on 8th September and Spain will welcome Georgia on Sunday.
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