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– Movement! Movement!
– Stop, get the ball out! Get it out!
– Enter with the ball in the area!
At some point in the first half, the captain of the national team, Janne Andersson, attempted to start Sweden’s game from the bench.
Sweden did not shine, but they did take three important points in the first match of the World Cup qualifiers in an empty and echoing Friends stadium.
The introduction of the party lacked momentum. and imagination of the blue-yellow side. Sweden had most of the ball but rarely caught up with comeback Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the top.
Instead, Georgia was able to excel several times in quick counterattacks.
But Andersson’s cry was not in vain. With half an hour to go, Sweden increasingly found its way into the penalty area.
Zlatan had a chance when he dropped the ball, the shot missed. But the possibilities increased.
In the 35th minute, Mikael Lustig sent a free kick high over the penalty area with the ball, Zlatan Ibrahimovic lowered it beautifully to the chest and tilted it towards Viktor Claesson, who scored the goal with a header.
Zlatan spread his arms like a hen gathering her chickens under her wings, and the entire team got a place in the same goal-setting embrace.
Unsurprisingly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic started the match on top alongside Alexander Isak, and made his first match for the national team in five years. At 39, he is now the oldest player to ever play for the Swedish national team, and he sang seriously in the national anthem before the game, where he stood with his arm around Dejan Kulusevski.
With eight minutes to go, he resigned and was replaced by Robin Quaison.
Midfield rested at the beginning Albin Ekdal and Emil Forsberg, but both joined later.
Ekdal’s change was only three minutes long. He came in with 20 minutes left in the game and replaced Kristoffer Olsson. But almost immediately, Ekdal was slapped on the thigh in a duel with Levan Sjengelia of Georgia.
The Sampdoria player was in pain, signed off the bench for a change, and simply sat where he received treatment before heading back out.
Janne Andersson had said beforehand that he will rotate some players, and the starting eleven may look partially different against Kosovo on Sunday.
In midfield it also started Dejan Kulusevski, Sebastian Larsson, Kristoffer Olsson and Viktor Claesson, with defenders Mikael Lustig, Victor Nilsson Lindelöf, Filip Helander and Ludwig Augustinsson behind.
Regular goalkeeper Robin Olsen has struggled with muscle damage to his abdomen recently, he also sat on the bench and was replaced by Kristoffer Nordfeldt. Towards the end, he made a strong save on Levan Sjengelia’s shot as Georgia chased after a draw.
After the break, it was Georgia who took the lead and initially pushed Sweden. Blue and yellow took the initiative again, but the game did not impress much.
