This is how you feel when you lose to Norway, on two goals, neither of which should be allowed.
This is how you meet a team that has a clinical scorer and you don’t have one ready yourself.
Congratulations, my little brother, the duty of Sweden.
It’s been 17 loss-free years against Norway. By God, it does not hurt when the wings of prestige explode. On the national stage, with at least a national team moving forward is the most promising thing for a long time.
But what to do when Norway has a better team, or rather one in which the main player has already taken a step towards an established world player?
A little earlier in the day, tennis player Casper Rudd had to throw in the towel in the final against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in Paris. The 23-year-old Norwegian had to go in three straight sets and it was clear that at least it wouldn’t be a classic Norwegian sports day.
She definitely wouldn’t be Swedish either, we learned a few hours later.
Sweden suffered
Jan Andersson’s attack continued after the victory over Slovenia on Thursday, and once again Sweden had to form a new defensive line, with Aleksandar Milosevic and Joakim Nilsson in the middle.
Going forward, there was more routine, and we must admit the quality, but that didn’t stop Sweden from tearing up the pain for almost the entire first half. Uncertainty, confusion and erosion of thighs and skulls after a long season. But the circumstances, as is known, are the same for all.
Twenty minutes passed when Morten Thorsby ran into Emil Kraft in a Swedish penalty area and got the kind of penalty he’s now used to when a video reviewer had an opinion. But the trajectories of the VAR chamber are unfathomable: the punishment remains. Erling Braut Haaland stepped forward and hit a penalty that Robin Olsen couldn’t do anything about no matter how much he threw himself in the right direction.
The punishment was violently undeserved, but the administration’s goal was not.
Sweden entered the match cowardly, Norway took the lead and took the lead. Twenty minutes passed when the Norwegians took the lead. And so Sweden stayed in the first half to show that this temporary start was a miscalculation, an accident in Jan Andersson’s work, and a lame start in front of a swaying Friends Arena to put an arc around.
Isaac was the angrier
But Sweden didn’t get much better after the setback. In particular, the Swedes had a hard time getting three balls in a row to sit inside the team. The pressure on the Norwegian ability was obvious, it was Gang Yan who acted like a little brother in the house. And Dejan Kulusevsky was clearly not happy about that.
Emil Forsberg was even more frustrated.
But the most infuriating was, somewhat unexpectedly, Alexander Isaacs, who got hardly anything from his fake number nine position in Sweden’s three-man attack.
Of course, there were explanations for this. Putting four internationals on right after a regular football season is insane in itself, Sweden’s injury status is as good a sign as anyone, and starting each international with a new eleven is never optimal.
But: in the second half, Janne’s gang started in a more convincing way, without any apparent reasons. Seven minutes later, Sweden entered with an attack that involved a handful of players. In the next half hour Sweden put in a much higher level than the first 45, Emil Krafth retaliated with a penalty kick (non) in the first half with his first goal with the national team, but the Norwegian leg got in the way.
What rock did they cut it from?
Instead: The Norwegian took a 2-0 lead when Joachim Nilsson misjudged the clearance completely in the 60th minute and Haaland took advantage of the situation, extending his ankle and hitting a ball at the far post so that Robin Olsen – absolutely brilliant tonight – could do nothing. Around. It was a single mistake that should not, as it is claimed, occur at this level. But they do, and Erling Braut Haaland better not be ready to chop. But that is the case with target monsters like the 21-year-old Norwegian. The question was never whether he would score a goal. Rather, the question was: What rock did they cut it from?
Sweden have scored three goals in their last six international matches. Haaland has scored five goals in his last three games for Norway. You do the math, they say.
It cannot be ruled out that Sweden, with all its attacking talent, all its outstanding and future players, does not yet have an outstanding offensive captain, top scorer who could attract the North Derby to his request.
But maybe the future is here tomorrow. Because when Anthony Ilanga came in with broken lungs and an upbeat run, something happened in the final race of the match. The reduction goal came naturally in a fantastic arc of Manchester United’s arena for youngsters and friends that got fresh air into their lungs with only a few minutes left to play. But this was not enough.
It is happily the case of revenge in Oslo in just over a week. Home and do your homework, Sweden. Pick up Elanga from the start then.