Proud Isak stakes claim to Zlatan's crown as Sweden beats Slovakia

After a drab first half, Alexander Isak exploded into life in the second, bamboozling the Slovak defence with mazy dribbles that reminded Swedish fans of a young Ibrahimovic.

Published : Jun 18, 2021 22:51 IST

"I said before the tournament I've tried to explain how it feels to represent Sweden, and I was wrong - this is a whole different feeling," Alexander Isak said after the game.
"I said before the tournament I've tried to explain how it feels to represent Sweden, and I was wrong - this is a whole different feeling," Alexander Isak said after the game.
lightbox-info

"I said before the tournament I've tried to explain how it feels to represent Sweden, and I was wrong - this is a whole different feeling," Alexander Isak said after the game.

He may not have been involved in the penalty that Emil Forsberg scored as Sweden beat Slovakia 1-0 in its Euro 2020 Group E clash on Friday, but the name of Alexander Isak was on everyone's lips as the Swedes went to the top of their group.

After a drab first half, the 21-year-old Real Sociedad striker exploded into life in the second, bamboozling the Slovak defence with mazy dribbles and sharp changes of direction that reminded Swedish fans of a young Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

"It feels great. I said before the tournament I've tried to explain how it feels to represent Sweden, and I was wrong - this is a whole different feeling," he told broadcaster SVT.

"To play the European Championships in these arenas and to do it for Sweden, it's an unbelievable feeling, and I'm so happy that we managed to take three points from this game."

The Swedes won few fans with a defensive performance in their scoreless draw with Spain on Monday, and the opening 45 minutes against Slovakia offered more of the same until Isak restored their pride with some moments of brilliance.

RELATED |

He fired a header just over the bar, then went on an incredible dribble from the halfway line that almost resulted in a goal as the Swedes finally started to find the cracks in the Slovak defence.

Another mazy run ended in a shot that failed to find the back of the net as unmarked strike partner Robin Quaison threw out his arms in frustration that Isak didn't pass to him. But harmony was restored when Quaison won the penalty that decided the game.

"In the first half it was more to receive the football, pass it off to a teammate, in the second it was a bit more open, and I could attack and create a number of chances. I think everyone knows what the one thing that was missing today was," Isak explained.

Coach Janne Andersson was full of praise for his young striker, promising that the best was yet to come. "Fantastic. I've said before that he's not the finished product as a player yet, he has a wholeness that is incredibly attractive. With the margins on his side he would have scored, but they will come," he said.

The win puts Sweden top of the group with four points before its final game against Poland, which faces Spain on Saturday.

"It'll be fun. We've had a great start to the tournament, it's about charging the batteries as well as possible and doing our best against Poland," added Isak.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment