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Zlatan Ibrahimovic was self-critical after the unexpected and costly Swedish loss against Georgia in the World Cup qualifiers. – I missed the last sharpness in front of the goal. I will set the chances I get, he says.
The Swedish national team chased three extremely important points in the battle with Spain for the group victory and the direct place in the World Cup finals in Qatar, which will be decided in November-December next year.
Ibrahimovic himself was looking for his 63rd national team goal. One that had made him Swedish national team football’s oldest goal scorer of all time.
He had more great opportunities against Georgia, as well as several of his teammates.
– It felt like it was such a match where it did not matter how many chances we created. We would have won, we would have scored three, four goals in the first half. The only difference in the match was that we did not score. That’s how it is. Today is gone, tomorrow is a new day. Then we will prepare for the next match, says Ibrahimovic.
Gren’s record stands
Gunnar Grens The 64-year-old record (37 years and eleven months) stands at least until Sunday night in Seville.
If Sweden is to win the group and avoid an uncertain playoff (drawn in Zurich on November 26), nothing applies to victory – and that against a world team.
The chance is not great, but Ibrahimovic believes in himself and the team.
– We will believe in it. It is very mental, says Ibrahimovic.
But the question is whether his 40-year-old body can handle a third 90-minute match on Sunday – with Milan on Monday and with the national team on Thursday and Sunday.
– The more I play, the better. I have two matches in my body, there can be three. We will see how Janne (Andersson, national team captain) thinks. I’ll do it. If he wants me on the field, I’ll play. Physically, I felt good.
Janne Andersson on how his players felt physically shortly after the 0-2 loss:
– I have no idea right now. We do rehab here (at the hotel in Batumi) before we go to Spain. We’ll see how the players feel. I do not feel now that there is someone who can not play on Sunday.
“Almost inconceivable”
After the match, he hurried to the hotel to see Spain win 1-0 in Athens.
– We will see what we can learn from that match before Sunday.
His immediate conclusion after the World Cup qualifier in Batumi was that Sweden made an okay match but completely lacked efficiency where it is most important – in front of the opponent’s goal.
– The analysis must be that we must become sharper in the situation when we get the chance. Everyone who has played football knows that goals are the hardest thing to do. i created enough to score goals and win the match. It is almost inconceivable that we do not score in the first place.
– Hopefully we score on our chances against Spain, says the Swedish national team captain.
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