The Stelios Kyriakides Stadium’s turf stood up to the wet for a long time. But with the torrential rain in Pafos, Cyprus, it was only a matter of when the pitch would turn really sour.
And it didn’t take very long.
After about 20 minutes it splashed heavily around the players’ feet and in some places the ball neither bounced nor rolled, which gave the international match between Sweden and Estonia a parodic touch.
– It is very difficult to play. I don’t know if you saw it on TV, but the rain poured down and there were big puddles, he tells TV4 Play.
The puddles on the field became most evident when Isaac Kiese Thelin, Malmö FF’s Allsvenskan top scorer and the most experienced national team player in the squad, was given a free position in the 32nd minute, but it was a chance that disappeared when the ball got stuck in a pool of water.
Despite the conditions, Sweden found the right in the end.
After a good start, with a lot of ball and aggressive, high pressure, it took until the 30th minute before Sebastian Nanasi, Malmö FF, scored the equaliser.
Before that, it was Estonia that found the net – even then Nanasi was involved.
– It was too bad of me. I thought Anton (Salétros) was more free but I misunderstood. Fit was too loose, way too bad. That goal is on me, says the 21-year-old about Kevor Palumet’s lead goal after 19 minutes.
The rain subsided at the end of the first half and by the second the pitch was again in playable condition.
Then Sweden got out more of the game and Isaac Kiese Thelin, played by another MFF player, Taha Ali, scored the winning goal 2–1 in the 54th minute.
Acting national team captain Daniel Bäckström – who normally takes care of the U21s but has now expressed that he is “ready” to take over the A national team after Janne Andersson – then saw his team in control of the remaining minutes.
2024-01-12 20:00:56
#Victory #national #football #team #rain #chaos
