EM, Sweden | Sweden kept away from the Spanish onslaught: Took one point in the European Championship premiere

SPAIN – SWEDEN 0-0:

Isak created most of it for a Sweden team that was very deep throughout the match against Spain.

Martin Ødegaard’s former teammate in Real Sociedad was very close to sending Sweden in the lead after a wild solo performance before the break, while he spun around with several Spanish players and served Marcus Berg on a blank box after the break.

Berg, however, was unable to put the ball on goal, and soon after, the two strikers were taken off the field by national team manager Janne Andersson.

Isak was asked about the change after the match, and assured that it was not an injury.

– You always want to play. I started to get offensive and created a lot. But it is clear, in such matches you may put more energy in the defensive work and there I may have started to lose some energy, he says to Aftonbladet, before he continues.

– I can understand that Janne wanted some healthy legs defensively.

Andersson also justified the change of Isak with the fact that the striker began to get tired.

– If we look at him and “Mackan” (Berg), they ran the most of all our players, he says to SVT.

However, there were several in Sweden who did not have the same understanding of the prey, and Andersson’s choice to take out Isak provoked strong reactions in his home country.

– Isak? Out? But what the f *** are we talking about? But please, Janne … Sweden’s best player is replaced. With 20 minutes left. No, what is this? writes Marcus Leifby in Aftonbladet live update.

Sweden still managed to stay away from a hard-pressed Spanish team. Both Koke, Alvaro Morata and Gerard Moreno, among others, each had their own gigantic opportunity during the match, but Sweden’s Robin Olsen stood like a wall for a total of 96 minutes and denied the Spaniards scoring.

The Swedes have thus got a very good start to the group stage in the European Championships before the matches against Poland and Slovakia.

Spain with iron grip

Luis Enriquez’s Spanish team took the baton firmly with both hands from the start in the first half, and let Sweden barely have the ball for the first 45 minutes.

The first opportunity of the match came after 16 minutes when a fever rescue from Robin Olsen in the Sweden cage prevented scoring.

Leipzig star Dani Olmo got the ball inside the box and headed towards the far corner, but Olsen threw himself like a panther and saved the closing attempt.

In the next few minutes, Atletico Madrid star Koke had two great opportunities to send Spain ahead, but the midfielder was unable to put his finishes on goal.

Alvaro Morata was given a chance to change things around. A terrible mistake by Sweden defender Marcus Danielson meant that the Juventus striker was suddenly alone through, and the 28-year-old should only screw the ball around Olsen and in the far corner, but ended up widening the ball outside.

Sweden barely got the ball in Spain’s half in the first half, but just before the break Isak was very close to shocking the Spaniards.

The youngster got the ball inside the box, spun around with Aymerick Laporte, before finishing via Marcos Llorente, who saw the ball go into the post and out into the lap of a confused Unai Simon in the Spain goal.

A Swedish score before the break would have been very sensational, considering the numbers from the first half.

417-64 completed passes

155-25 passes in the last third

91% -65% in hit percentage on passes

– It is a miracle, said Glenn Strömberg in SVT studio after Sweden had kept zero at the break.