Four-star Zaltan annihilates England
16 Nov 2012 8:03 AM IST
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored all four goals as Sweden celebrated the opening of their new national stadium by coming from behind to beat England 4-2 in a friendly on Wednesday. The Sweden captain became the first player to score at the Friends Arena and then struck three times in the final 15 minutes after goals from Danny Welbeck and England debutant Steven Caulker had threatened to spoil the Swedish party.
The result meant that Sweden avenged their 3-2 loss to England at Euro 2012, while England coach Roy Hodgson, who handed debuts to six players, tasted defeat over 90 minutes for the first time in 12 games.
It also meant that England captain Steven Gerrard had to stomach a loss on the occasion of his 100th cap, as Ibrahimovic moved ahead of Henrik Larsson and into third place in the list of Sweden’s all-time top scorers. Despite the pomp of a pre-match inauguration ceremony, a muted atmosphere and a pitch that cut up badly contributed to a low-key opening.
Sweden took lead when Ibrahimovic saw his shot getting blocked by Caulker, but the Paris Saint-Germain hitman reacted quickly to poke the ball into the top-right corner and claim the first goal at the new stadium.
England drew level, soon when Ashley Young flummoxing Sebastian Larsson with a step-over and crossing for his Manchester United team-mate Welbeck to score at the back post. Gerrard, positioned at the base of an inverted triangle in midfield, then made his mark on the game by supplying the deep free-kick from which Caulker put England ahead.
But Sweden roraed back again when their captain chested down Anders Svensson’s lifted pass to volley home the equaliser in the 77th minute and then completed his treble with a 30-yard free-kick that eluded Hart to nestle in the bottom-right corner.
There was more to come. In stoppage time, a through-ball drew Hart racing from his line and when he miscued his headed clearance, Ibrahimovic found the net with an audacious overhead bicycle kick from 20 yards.
NEYMAR MISSES PENALTY, BRAZIL HELD
Neymar conjured up a superb equaliser and a dreadful penalty miss in a pulsating 1-1 draw between 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil and Colombia in their friendly on Wednesday.
Juan Cuadrado gave Colombia the lead just before halftime, Neymar levelled in the second half but was left red-faced after sending his penalty kick flying several metres over the crossbar in the 80th minute with a complete mis-kick. In doing so, he denied Brazil their seventh successive win in a match played at a breakneck pace.
After a long period of possession, Colombia’s James Rodriguez set Cuadrado clear on the right and the Fiorentina player scored with a low shot into the far corner which Diego Alves got a hand to but could not stop. Neymar pulled an equaliser out of the hat in the 64th minute as he broke down the left, looking as if he would go outside his marker, but then dragged the ball back and shot between two defenders into the far corner. Neymar, who has 17 goals in 26 internationals, curled a free kick centimetres wide before nearly sending the ball out of the stadium with his duffed penalty.
MESSI FAILS AS SAUDIS HOLD ARGENTINA 0-0
Lionel Messi failed in his bid to set an outright record for the most Argentina goals in a calendar year as his side were held 0-0 by Frank Rijkaard’s Saudi Arabia in a friendly in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Saudi goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah did well to keep out substitute Augusto Fernandez and Messi who shares the Argentina record of 12 goals in a year with former striker Gabriel Batistuta. Ranked 112, Saudis, coached by Dutchman Rijkaard who gave Messi his Barcelona debut in 2004, defended in numbers and frequently troubled Argentina with quick breaks.
The home team had the ball in the net when defender Mohammed al-Sahlawi headed a free kick past goalkeeper Sergio Romero in the 28th minute but were unlucky to see a marginal offside decision go against them. Messi has 12 goals in nine internationals this year and 31 altogether for Argentina. Batistuta holds the overall record for his country with 56 goals, hit 12 in 1998.
The result meant that Sweden avenged their 3-2 loss to England at Euro 2012, while England coach Roy Hodgson, who handed debuts to six players, tasted defeat over 90 minutes for the first time in 12 games.
It also meant that England captain Steven Gerrard had to stomach a loss on the occasion of his 100th cap, as Ibrahimovic moved ahead of Henrik Larsson and into third place in the list of Sweden’s all-time top scorers. Despite the pomp of a pre-match inauguration ceremony, a muted atmosphere and a pitch that cut up badly contributed to a low-key opening.
Sweden took lead when Ibrahimovic saw his shot getting blocked by Caulker, but the Paris Saint-Germain hitman reacted quickly to poke the ball into the top-right corner and claim the first goal at the new stadium.
England drew level, soon when Ashley Young flummoxing Sebastian Larsson with a step-over and crossing for his Manchester United team-mate Welbeck to score at the back post. Gerrard, positioned at the base of an inverted triangle in midfield, then made his mark on the game by supplying the deep free-kick from which Caulker put England ahead.
But Sweden roraed back again when their captain chested down Anders Svensson’s lifted pass to volley home the equaliser in the 77th minute and then completed his treble with a 30-yard free-kick that eluded Hart to nestle in the bottom-right corner.
There was more to come. In stoppage time, a through-ball drew Hart racing from his line and when he miscued his headed clearance, Ibrahimovic found the net with an audacious overhead bicycle kick from 20 yards.
NEYMAR MISSES PENALTY, BRAZIL HELD
Neymar conjured up a superb equaliser and a dreadful penalty miss in a pulsating 1-1 draw between 2014 World Cup hosts Brazil and Colombia in their friendly on Wednesday.
Juan Cuadrado gave Colombia the lead just before halftime, Neymar levelled in the second half but was left red-faced after sending his penalty kick flying several metres over the crossbar in the 80th minute with a complete mis-kick. In doing so, he denied Brazil their seventh successive win in a match played at a breakneck pace.
After a long period of possession, Colombia’s James Rodriguez set Cuadrado clear on the right and the Fiorentina player scored with a low shot into the far corner which Diego Alves got a hand to but could not stop. Neymar pulled an equaliser out of the hat in the 64th minute as he broke down the left, looking as if he would go outside his marker, but then dragged the ball back and shot between two defenders into the far corner. Neymar, who has 17 goals in 26 internationals, curled a free kick centimetres wide before nearly sending the ball out of the stadium with his duffed penalty.
MESSI FAILS AS SAUDIS HOLD ARGENTINA 0-0
Lionel Messi failed in his bid to set an outright record for the most Argentina goals in a calendar year as his side were held 0-0 by Frank Rijkaard’s Saudi Arabia in a friendly in Riyadh on Wednesday.
Saudi goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah did well to keep out substitute Augusto Fernandez and Messi who shares the Argentina record of 12 goals in a year with former striker Gabriel Batistuta. Ranked 112, Saudis, coached by Dutchman Rijkaard who gave Messi his Barcelona debut in 2004, defended in numbers and frequently troubled Argentina with quick breaks.
The home team had the ball in the net when defender Mohammed al-Sahlawi headed a free kick past goalkeeper Sergio Romero in the 28th minute but were unlucky to see a marginal offside decision go against them. Messi has 12 goals in nine internationals this year and 31 altogether for Argentina. Batistuta holds the overall record for his country with 56 goals, hit 12 in 1998.
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