Sweden’s World Cup hopes get a big blow when they fall down to defeat Georgia
Sweden sank to a shock defeat in Georgia with talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic who could not prevent giving Spain an advantage in Group B, while Croatia and Russia note big wins before their last day.
- Sweden lost 2-0 away against Georgia to lower their World Cup hopes
- Not even the presence of Zlatan Ibrahimovic could spur Sweden to victory
- The Swedes fired 15 shots on goal with Alexander Isak who missed a great chance
- Russia on the way to qualifying after beating Cyprus 6-0 in Group H.
- But Croatia’s 7-1 victory over Malta keeps them in contention for automatic qualification
Sweden’s hopes of qualifying directly for the World Cup finals in Qatar got a real bang when they sank to a 2-0 loss away against Georgia in Group B on Thursday.
It turned out to be costly, with Spain later in the evening defeating Greece to top the group and it now means that Sweden must win in Sevilla on Sunday to advance to the final automatically.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic returned to the Swedish side after a knee injury that kept him out of the European Championships 2020, but not even the presence of their record goal scorer could not save them from an embarrassing defeat.
Sweden sank to a 2-0 loss against Georgia in a huge setback for their World Cup dreams
The Swedes made 15 attempts on goal, including golden chances for Alexander Isak and Viktor Claesson, but it was the home team that took the lead through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the 61st minute and the outside added another 16 minutes later to secure a famous victory.
Elsewhere, Russia had no such problems against Group H minnows, securing an emphatic 6-0 victory.
It leaves them at the top of the table and two points ahead of Croatia who also enjoyed a thumping win with a 7-1 triumph over Malta.
Luka Modric was on target for the visitors who now have to defeat Russia in Split in their last group match on Sunday to qualify automatically at the expense of the opponents.
Russia cruised to a comfortable 6-0 against Cyprus among the early kickers
Below them in the group and already eliminated from the qualification were Slovakia and Slovenia who played a 2-2 draw in Trnava, where the hosts must come from 2-1 under against 10 men to save a point.
In Group J, Northern Macedonia triumphed 5-0 in a kick-off at 5 pm in Armenia, where Enis Bardhi became the first player for his nation to score a hat-trick in a 25-year-old World Cup or European Championship qualifier.
The result took Northern Macedonia up to second place in their group, where they remain one point ahead of Romania who could only draw 0-0 at home against Iceland later in the evening in the battle to secure a playoff spot behind the group winners Germany. .
At the same time, Luxembourg’s 3-1 victory over Azerbaijan means that they enter the final round of matches with a chance to take a highly respectable third place if they avoid defeat against Ireland as a draw at home against Portugal in Group A.
Luka Modric (left) was on target when Croatia beat Malta 7-1 to keep qualification on track
Advertisement