Alexander Isak had already dribbled out two players near the sideline, he must have been tired, but it didn’t help. He ran diagonally towards the Slovak penalty area, went past the next opponent, had room to shoot, but goalkeeper Martin Dubravka held the ball. Isak shook his head, breathing hard. A little later he initiated the winning goal.
Sweden coach Janne Andersson praised the striker after the 1-0 win against Slovakia. Isak, who came to Borussia Dortmund at the age of 17 and now meets regularly for Real Sociedad at the age of 21, is a great talent, despite his youth he is in Sweden’s starting XI. He takes on an impressive amount of responsibility for his age. It’s his first major tournament, after all.
Sweden conceded only one goal in seven competitive games in 2021
Maybe it’s his stage for the next transfer, at least Real Sociedad is negotiating after information from Sport 1 especially with Borussia Dortmund about getting rid of a buyback clause over 30 million euros. Dortmund had it assured in 2019 when BVB let the attacker move to Spain for around 6.5 million.
As a precaution, Andersson also said that Isak needed the influence of his colleagues for his game. And that he still has a lot of development potential. His statements should by no means be interpreted as if the 1.92-meter-tall attacker had to provide the Swedish offensive with a goal threat all by himself.
The win against Slovakia secured four points after the 0-0 opener against Spain. Judging by the results, the Scandinavians are playing a very good tournament so far, the round of 16 is now very close. Andersson rated his team with appropriate benevolence. Sweden have conceded only one goal in seven games in 2021 so far. And yes, things looked better up front too. However, this only applied to the last half hour of the game. And it took the penalty from Leipzig’s Emil Forsberg for the redeeming goal in the 77th minute.
Sweden is missing from the European Championship: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 39, had already finished his career in the national team, now his injured knee is holding him back. That draws attention to his successors.
(Photo: Jesper Zerman / Bildbyran / imago)
Against Spain, Andersson had consistently relied on the tried and tested security on the defensive, the Swedes only had 25 percent possession of the ball. This time it needed more offensive against the Slovaks who were deeply defending and surprisingly victorious in the opening game against Poland. That hardly succeeded in the first half and only gradually changed in the second half – until the substitute Robin Quaison from Mainz 05 was fouled in the penalty area after Isak presented it.
It’s a bit tiresome and unfair for the following generations, but the assessment of Swedish football, especially its attack, can hardly be done without mentioning a famous name. Zlatan Ibrahimovic had already ended his career in the national team, but this time he would have played again at 39 if his injured knee hadn’t slowed him down. That inevitably draws attention to his successors.
One, whose name the Swedish fans sang in Saint Petersburg, sat outside for 90 minutes. Dejan Kulusevski, 21, from Juventus Turin was back in the squad before the tournament after his corona infection, but there was no place for him due to the course of the game, the coach said. On the other hand, striker Marcus Berg, 34, who is not always viewed favorably in Sweden, still seems to be placed. Isak’s neighbor left the pitch after an hour, this time without much impact. The substitution of Quaison, 27, paid off. Andersson praised the man from Mainz who was convincing in training.
Gary Lineker? “Is that an old player who works in the studio now?”
One of the main actors was of course winning goal scorer Forsberg, 29, who ran up on the wing. He played well, said the coach, but: Forsberg had to take the initiative more often and get the ball more often. The Leipziger was quite often in action on Friday, but his passports often lacked the right timing, they were usually a bit too long or too short. How frustrating the day had been for him until he scored was shown by his cheers: He kicked the gang. So there is still a lot to improve if the Swedes want to come close to winning the 2018 World Cup when they made it to the quarter-finals.
Isak, on the other hand, could go on almost exactly like this. Gary Lineker, English TV expert and 1986 World Cup top scorer, called him an exceptional talent who is sure to attract the attention of clubs across Europe. “I don’t really know him. Is that an old player who works in the studio now?” Isak asked when asked. A good sign, with a view to the successor to Ibrahimovic: Football history doesn’t seem to interest him that much.
Regarding his game with two missed scoring chances, he said that he was actually only missing one goal of his own. Coach Andersson’s plans could serve to reassure him. One must draw conclusions from the game between Spain and Poland (1: 1) about the tactics for the final group game against Poland and adapt to the opponent. A 0-0 would be enough for advancement.
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