Sweden – Spain: Sweden Stun Spain (2-1)
Failing to break down Sweden at the EUROs, Spain hoped to make amends this time around. But a quick start proved to be false hope. Frail at the back and impotent upfront, a familiarly flawed display handed the home team a window of opportunity that they could hardly refuse.
Tactical analysis and match report by Emmanuel Adeyemi-Abere.
Bowing out of EURO2020 to the champions Italy despite a commanding display, Spain showed they were worthy of battling Europe's best. But, at the same time, this team has flattered to deceive, falling foul of faults in the final third The one-third of the pitch that is closest to the opposition’s goal. to deliver dominant but impotent performances. So what better chance to show more signs of progression than to beat the outfit that has often ground their attack to a halt?
Indeed, Sweden kicked off their EURO campaign with a 0-0 draw against their visitors. Though they fell short at the Round of 16 to Ukraine, the emergence of more enterprising attacking patterns to join a familiarly stubborn deep block have boosted the side's range of tools. Now facing Spain again, they hoped to go one better and claim all three points to go clear at the top of the qualifying group.
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