No Zlatan effect as Sweden reaches World Cup quarter-finals
Tehran (KNA) - A Swedish national football team that resisted having famed Zlatan Ibrahimović in its World Cup 2018 roster has stunned many by advancing to the quarter-finals of the top global soccer event.
It was a deflected shot from Emil Forsberg on the 66 minutes that sealed Sweden's 1-0 victory against Switzerland in St Petersburg on Tuesday.The mostly dull game between the two European teams had nothing special to offer to the cheerful Swedish and Swiss fans as both teams hardly reached the area and had very few shots on target.
However, the Swedes outclassed their opponents in creating a few clear chances in the box with Marcus Berg and Albin Ekdal missing notable opportunities in the first half. It was RB Leipzig's Forsberg, whom many have seen as a right replacement for Zlatan, who struck with a deflection off Swiss defender Manuel Akanji.
Sweden could make it 2-0 in the stoppage time when the referee first awarded a penalty but then revised his decision after consulting the video assistant referee (VAR) to award a free kick, which was saved by Swiss goalie Yann Sommer.
Source: PressTV