Sweden start with a win
GRANQVIST KEEPS HIS COOL TO CONVERT FROM SPOT AGAINST SOUTH KOREA
AVAR-awarded penalty gave Sweden a narrow but deserved victory in their opening Group F match against a poor South Korea side in Nizhny Novgorod yesterday.
Veteran Swedish skipper Andreas Granqvist scored the only goal of the game from the spot after Viktor Claesson was upended by South Korean substitute Kim Min-woo in the 62nd minute.
Despite furious appeals, El Salvadoran referee Joel Aguilar, who had ironically been whistle-happy up until that point, initially waved away Swedish penalty claims.
But after consulting the video, he pointed to the spot. “The VAR took a while but we are very pleased they had it … I was pretty sure,” Granqvist said of the wait.
Sweden coach Janne Andersson said the penalty was “crystal-clear”, adding: “We played the match way we had intended, but I’m a little unhappy with the chances we didn’t put away.”
It was the third VAR penalty awarded at these championships after France and Peru also benefited from video referrals.
The win was reward for Sweden’s more attacking approach, but it was unsurprising the winner came from the penalty spot in a game between two sides, who had only managed two goals between them in seven games heading into Russia.
Sweden never really convinced that they would score prior to the penalty despite their domination and a toothless South Korea did not manage one shot on target.
However, they should have equalised in the 90th minute but Hwang Hee-chan put a free header wide, spurning the Koreans’ best chance of the game by far. The victory leaves Sweden joint top of the group after Mexico’s surprise victory against Germany on Sunday.
Next up for the Swedes is an intriguing encounter against Germany in Sochi on June 23.
South Korea started the game brightly, forcing the first corner in the fourth minute, but were gradually forced back by an attritional Swedish side.
It was the Europeans, who came closest to breaking the deadlock when forward Marcus Berg was denied by a fine pointblank save Jo Hyeon-woo in the 20th minute.
Berg was denied again nine minutes later by a desperate last-ditch block from Kim Young-gwon.
Despite their increasing dominance, Sweden also demonstrated why they have struggled to score goals.
But resilient Sweden held firm after the goal and the Hwang late scare aside, and a half-hearted South Korea appeal for a penalty, their defence rarely looked troubled.