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SAINT PETERSBURG – Sweden reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup for the first time in 24 years, after the deflected shot of Emil Forsberg, who imposed 1-0 against Switzerland on Tuesday.
It was far from a clbadic at St Petersburg stadium and if players from Colombia or England were watching Moscow, they might be forgiven for feeling optimistic about their prospects in the last eight.
Switzerland's Michael Lang was sent off due to a last minute injury on Martin Olsson and referee Damir Skomina lowered his penalty kick to a free kick on the edge of the box. But the game was already in place.
Forsberg's second-half strike, which deviated from the unfortunate Manuel Akanji, means Sweden are eighth in the World Cup for the first time since 1994 in the United States.
Their road to the neighborhoods was not easy and, what they lost in Zlatan Ibrahimovic's individual brilliance, they seem to have gained in courage, determination and collective spirit .
Their next opponents would be stupid to take them lightly.
Match # 55 | #SWE 1-0 #SUI #SWESUI pic.twitter.com/ARsZod37rM
– FIFA World Cup ™ (@FIFAWorldCup) 3 July 2018
The only black spot in the win was a yellow card for defender Mikael Lustig, who will now be suspended for Saturday's quarter-final at Samara.
Suspensions were also hampered, with Switzerland being more affected. They were without Fabian Schaer and Captain Stephan Lichtsteiner at the back, prompting Johan Djourou and Lang to enter.
For Sweden, Gustav Svensson replaced Sebastian Larsson in midfield.
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After consecutive penalty shoot-outs, Brazil against Mexico and Belgium's strong comeback against Japan, there was always a danger that this equality of 16 low expectations .
It was a competition that lacked quality, especially in the last third, where both teams were often painfully imprecise.
Victor Lindelof slipped the ball in the first 10 seconds and set the tone for the first half. was largely a collection of mishit pbades, heavy hits and crooked shots.
Chances were and Sweden had most. Marcus Berg cleared a clearance from the start and then saw his arrival blocked following a poor clearance by Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
The @Budweiser #ManoftheMatch for #SWESUI is @ eforsberg10 ! pic.twitter.com/3ALeLhh7uX
– FIFA World Cup ™ (@FIFAWorldCup) 3 July 2018
After a slow start, and Lustig's fault on Josip Drmic, Switzerland has grown in confidence and should have marked when Blerim Dzemaili snatched the withdrawal of Steven Zuber.
On the other end, Albin Ekdal was even closer, and completely free, when he doubled Lustig's cross.
Rather than letting go, both teams tightened after the interval, and Forsberg's goal came out of the blue. With space on the edge of the box, her model made for Granit Xhaka before the shot was helped by Akanji's outstretched foot.
On two occasions, Switzerland equalized to equalize. Djourou dribbled the goal line and substitute Haris Seferovic narrowly fired at close range.
Olsson was pushed into the back by Lang with only Sommer to beat in injury time, with Skomina who first allowed a penalty but who changed his decision on a free kick after consulting the recovery . Lang's red card was standing and Sweden was holding on.
Agence France-Presse (AFP)
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