Spain 1-0 Sweden
When Janne Andersson’s Sweden stumbled to a 2-0 loss in Georgia last week, they knew their final World Cup 2022 qualifying match with La Roja had become a must-win as they arrived in Seville a point behind their hosts.
These two nations have battled it out for supremacy in Group B throughout the qualifiers and the sell-out 60,000 crowd at the Estadio Olimpico de la Cartuja were ready for an epic battle.
In the event, this final showdown turned out to be a war of attrition as the two teams slugged it out and the keepers had a relatively quiet night. Sweden had their chances to snatch a win but in the end it was Alvaro Morata who fired Spain to the World Cup finals.
The Swedes are left to try their luck in the play-offs, but they are a strong side and I wouldn’t bet against them joining Spain in Qatar.
Highlights of the game
The World Cup 2022 betting odds had La Roja heavily odds on to win this game and they started the match well, knocking the ball around with confidence as they dominated possession.
Pablo Sarabia’s winner against Greece put Spain in pole position in Group B, and he came close to giving La Roja an early lead when he fired just wide after good work from Raul De Tomas.
And then Sweden had a good attempt on goal as Emil Forsberg ran at the Spain defence before unleashing a decent shot which Unai Simon seemed to tip wide, though the referee gave a goal kick.
Spain against Sweden was billed as ‘style’ against ‘system’ and, while La Roja dominated possession throughout the first half, it was the systematic Swedes who came close to scoring before the break, and it was Forsberg once again who volleyed just wide.
The hosts were halfway toward qualification, but they came out for the second half a little sluggishly. Alexander Isak was presented a great chance by a defensive mix up but he blazed over and soon after, Forsberg missed his third presentable chance.
Sweden were chasing the game knowing they needed a win and head coach Janne Andersson rolled the dice, bringing on Mattias Svanberg and Robin Quaison to replace Forsberg and Dejan Kulusevski. And Svanberg was in on the action quickly, trying an overhead kick which looped over the bar.
Then, with 20 minutes remaining, on came the 40-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic to replace Isak, a striker just over half his age. Sweden had to go for the winning goal but Spain too were trying to close down the game. Alvaro Morata had time and space to direct a volley but he skied it.
Sweden pressed for the winner but the Spanish defence, though jittery, kept them at bay and Morata tested Robin Olsen with a low shot when he burst through on the break.
And then, with two minutes left on the clock Spain booked their place in Qatar in spectacular fashion. Dani Olmo hit a beauty of a strike destined for the top left corner but Olsen tipped it onto the crossbar. Morata reacted quickly, picking up the rebound and lifted it over the keeper to send the Seville crowd into ecstasy.
Key statistics
We expected the hosts to dominate the World Cup 2022 highlights and so it was in the first half as La Roja had over 70 per cent of the possession but with no end result, as neither side had a registered shot on target, though Forsberg would disagree with that.
Sweden tried to fight their way back into the game but didn’t manage a shot on target in the second half and Spain, with all the possession and four shots on goal, deserved their victory.
This was the first time La Roja had beaten Sweden in four matches and they are now unbeaten in 16 games on home soil.
What’s next?
So Spain have booked their place at Qatar 2022 and Sweden must now prepare for a nerve-wracking one-match play-off encounter in March. And, of course, here at SBOTOP we’ll be at the play-offs with news, previews and all the best Asian Handicap Betting offers.
In the meantime, there is more European World Cup action to come this week, as Euro 2020 champions Italy head to Northern Ireland in search of the points they need to avoid a play-off while world champions France head to Finland, and there’s a blockbuster match in South America on Tuesday when Argentina come face to face with Brazil.
Who doesn’t love an international weekend? Spain fans certainly do.
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