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Sweden secured their place at the fifth straight European Championship finals as they earned a 2-2 draw at Parken in Copenhagen, winning the Euro 2021 play-off tie against neighbours Denmark 4-3 on aggregate.
It was the usual ‘culprit’ Zlatan Ibrahimovic who scored both goals for Blagult to help the team book their ticket to France, with late goals from Yussuf Poulsen and Jannik Vestergaard offering little comfort to The Olsen Gang, who thus failed to give the long-serving manager a deserved sending off as he nears the end of a 16-year reign.
We now take a look at some key tactical battles that took place at Parken and how exactly Sweden got into a position to ease off to the place at the tournament finals.
Hamren’s brave approach makes all the difference
With his side having recorded a 2-1 victory in the first leg, Erik Hamren had the option of adopting a cautious approach and waiting for the opportunity to catch the opposition on the break, but he very well knew that Sweden would be in all sorts of problems had Denmark scored the first goal.
The Blagult coach instead showed guts and character by not only staying true to the 4-4-2 formation, but also instructing his defence to press high, often standing at 30-40 meters from Andreas Isaksson when Denmark had the ball.
In keeping his two banks of four very close together, Hamren effectively restricted the space in which Christian Eriksen, Yussuf Poulsen and Nicolai Jorgenssen were supposed to operate and he thus neutralized the Tottenham star from exerting his influence onto the proceedings.
Olsen learns from mistakes, but key men let him down
Morten Olsen had clearly made a mistake in leaving the likes of Hojbjerg, Poulsen and Jorgensen on the bench in the first leg, as the trio made all the difference as they came on in the second half and he ensured not to make the same error.
The experienced coach then included the trio in his starting line-up for the second match, with his selection well justified by the fact that the three players were at the centre of everything good that Denmark produced last night.
However, it was Christian Eriksen and Nicklas Bendtner who utterly failed to perform to the potential, and no doubt that was the main reason why the Danes never came into a position to win this tie.
The two key men cut a frustrated figure for large periods of the clash at Parken and both coach Morten Olsen and their fellow teammates have every right to feel the two key players have let them down on Tuesday evening.
Zlatan’s still got it
“There was the thought that this would send me into retirement. I sent their entire country into retirement,” he told Sweden’s Kanal 5.
This was the message Zlatan had for Danish people after Sweden enjoyed a memorable triumph over their neighbours in the Euro 2021 play-off, but while this was Zlatan at his best, the PSG superstar didn’t exactly need to say much after the two-legged tie as he had done all the talking on the pitch.
The veteran forward not only scored three goals to lead his side to France, but he was impressive throughout, linking play between midfield and Marcus Berg up front, making challenges in defence and simply leading his teammates by example.
And while Sweden fans will be delighted to see both Zlatan and the remainder of Erik Hamren’s side at the Euro 2021, so will be most neutral football fans as this will probably be the final opportunity to see one of world’s best players in action.
Denmark vs Sweden Player Ratings
Denmark: Schmeichel 6.5 – Jacobsen 6, Kjaer 6.5, Agger 6.5, Durmisi 6.5 (Vestergaard 6.5) – Hojbjerg 7, Delaney 6.5 (Krohn-Dehli 6) – Poulsen 7, Eriksen 5, Jorgensen 7 – Bendnter 5 (Rasmussen -).
Sweden: Isaksson 6 – Lustig 6.5, Johansson 6.5, Granqvist 7, Bengtsson 6 (Martin Olsson -) – Larsson 7 (Hiljemark -), Lewicki 7, Kallstrom 7.5 (G. Svensson -), Forsberg 7 – Ibrahimovic 8.5, Berg 7.
