Sweden strike force faces tough Tunisia test in World Cup opener
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June 12 : Sweden boast a formidable strike partnership in Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyokeres, but the two will have their work cut out in their opening World Cup Group F game on Sunday when they take on a Tunisia side that didn’t concede a goal in qualifying.
The 28-year-old Gyokeres arrives in the U.S. fresh from winning the English Premier League title with Arsenal, and it was his late goal in a 3-2 playoff win over Poland that punched Sweden’s ticket to the World Cup, where they will also face the Netherlands and Japan.
Strike partner Isak may have struggled with injuries since his big-money move from Newcastle United to Liverpool last September, but on his day the 26-year-old has a blend of speed and skill that can leave even the best defenders in his wake.
“Alex has had a difficult spell at Liverpool because of injury, but the player doesn’t change, his quality doesn’t change – he’s still a top, top, top player,” Sweden coach Graham Potter said during the build-up to the World Cup.
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Isak will need every ounce of that quality against a Tunisia side that was rock-solid in defence in qualifying as they won nine and drew one of their games to make it to their third World Cup in a row.
“(That defensive performance in qualifying) shows you’re a great side that, above all, defends well as a team, even if the World Cup will be a higher level altogether,” Tunisia coach Sabri Lamouchi told FIFA.com ahead of the tournament.
“The teams we’re going to face will make much more difficult demands of us, at a much higher level of intensity, and we’ll have to stand up and be counted.”
Lamouchi’s somewhat cautious approach is mirrored in that of Potter, who inherited the Sweden job in the midst of a catastrophic qualifying campaign that had them finish bottom of their group with two points, only qualifying thanks to a Nations League playoff lifeline.
Potter has since righted the listing Swedish ship, restoring some sense of defensive organisation and giving Isak and Gyokeres a license to go and attack, supported by creative wide players such as Lucas Bergvall, Anthony Elanga and Benjamin Nygren.
“We know that it’s not easy winning games in international football, but at the same time, you have to have a belief that you can win any game,” Potter told Reuters ahead of the tournament.
Source: Reuters
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