The Hindu : Sport / Football : Sweden's gamble pays off

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Sunday, Jun 20, 2004

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Sport - Football

Sweden's gamble pays off

PORTO, JUNE 19. Italy is on the brink of early elimination again after allowing an 85th-minute equaliser by Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a 1-1 Group `C' draw at the European Championship on Friday.

Customarily a tightly defensive team that relies on a solid 4-4-2 formation, Sweden used four forwards late in the second half in an all-out assault.

Former Celtic striker Henrik Larsson started with Ibrahimovic. But late in the second half Sweden first substituted midfielder Christian Wilhelmsson with forward Mattias Jonson, and then minutes later replaced defender Erik Edman with a fourth attacker, Marcus Allback.

The `Azzurri' led for most part of the game at the impressive new Dragao stadium after a 37th-minute goal by emerging star Antonio Cassano, who replaced the banned Totti, in an all-out first-half assault. By the end, however, it was the defensive Italy of old.

"In the last 20 minutes we had the wrong attitude," captain and defender Fabio Cannavaro said. "We returned to a defensive Italy, we were afraid."

By the time Ibrahimovic scored, coach Giovanni Trapattoni had removed nearly all of Italy's attack.

While Sweden was in the process of beefing up its attack to four strikers, Italy first removed Cassano in the 70th for midfielder Stefano Fiore and then Alessandro Del Piero was replaced by midfielder Mauro Camoranesi in the 82nd.

Only powerful forward Christian Vieri, more of a finisher than a player capable of creating goals on his own, remained, and Trapattoni acknowledged that Vieri had little energy by the match's end.

"He might have been tired," the coach said. "Unfortunately, I wasn't able to give him any rest. We produced a great performance in the first half, we had a lot of chances and their goalkeeper made good saves," Trapattoni said. "In the final minutes we were tired and slowed down. Certainly the result makes our chances for qualifying questionable."

Italy must win its final group match against Bulgaria on Tuesday and hope that Sweden and Denmark don't arrange a 2-2 draw, which would qualify both teams.

"If they manage that, I'll pack my bags and go home," Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon said. "To draw 2-2 is not so easy. I'd like to see who would score the first goal. It would be a very dangerous game for them to play. The Scandinavian teams are loyal thus I expect a strong effort by both sides."

Failing to advance would be an even worse performance for Italy than its second-round ouster against co-host South Korea at the World Cup two years ago.

Cassano scored with a glancing header off a cross from AS Roma teammate Christian Panucci. Considered one of Italy's best young talents, the 21-year-old Cassano celebrated the goal by blowing a kiss to Totti in the stands.

Ibrahimovic's goal came when he leaped on a bouncing ball in the area and flicked it with his right heel behind Buffon.

"It was like in the last World Cup, when we allowed goals in the closing minutes," Buffon said.

Ibrahimovic said his team was satisfied with the draw as Italy is "one of the most difficult teams to play."

"We scored a lucky goal and have to be satisfied with one point," Ibrahimovic said. "It was an incredible goal. The ball was coming from the air, it was a one touch and it went in. Lucky."

"It was marvellous," Sweden coach Lars Lagerback said. "We gambled with just three defenders in the last 15 minutes but it paid off," he added. "But it paid off and it feels really good. You have to be a little lucky."

"In the first half we didn't attack enough and gave away too much," Ibrahimovic said. "At halftime the coaches said attack more and they put on more forwards. This is why we had so many more scoring chances in the second half."

Following the equaliser, the Swedes reshuffled their players on the field once more for another unconventional composition, as the coaches signalled from the bench for Jonson to switch to defensive duty.

"Before the game, I really wasn't expecting to play," a bewildered Jonson said.

"I wasn't expecting to come on and join the other forwards. And particularly to play in that (defender) position at the end of the game. But at that point, we had to defend the draw."

The draw gives Sweden four points and puts it atop the Group `C' standings. Denmark also has four points, but sits second behind the Swedes on goal differential.

Italy is third with two points and is now in a must-win situation against Bulgaria in its final group match, though that will not necessarily guarantee the Italians a place in the quarterfinals.

Line-ups:

Italy: Gianluigi Buffon, Christian Panucci, Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Gianluca Zambrotta, Gennaro Gattuso (Giuseppe Favalli 76th), Andrea Pirlo, Simone Perrotta, Antonio Cassano (Stefano Fiore 70th), Christian Vieri, Alessandro Del Piero (Mauro Camoranesi 82nd).

Sweden: Andreas Isaksson, Mikael Nilsson, Olof Mellberg, Andreas Jakobsson, Erik Edman (Marcus Allback 77th), Tobias Linderoth, Christian Wilhelmsson (Mattias Jonson 67th), Fredrik Ljungberg, Anders Svensson (Kim Kallstrom 55th), Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrik Larsson. — AP

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