It’s Lewandowski vs Zlatan for a berth in the Qatar World Cup 2022 when Poland and Sweden meet
Chorzow, first published March 29, 2022, 11:34 IST
When Poland and Sweden meet in Tuesday’s finals for the World Cup in Qatar 2022, fans from both sides would ask that their favorite team win this decisive match, as it would be hard to imagine that neither Robert Lewandowski nor Zlatan Ibrahimovic would be part of the showpiece . tournament. The winners in Chorzow join Friday’s draw for the World Cup group stage.
It may be the last chance to play in a World Cup for the legendary Swedish striker Ibrahimovic and Polish Lewandowski when the final kicks off in Qatar in November.
“A World Cup without Zlatan is not a World Cup,” said Ibrahimovic, who has endured a season with injuries and last played a full 90 minutes for AC Milan in January. Sweden’s coach Janne Andersson said that Ibrahimovic “is a weapon for us” as a substitute but “can not play the whole match”.
However, Bayern Munich’s legendary striker Lewandowski is in sensational shape, having scored 50 goals for club and country this season. FIFA’s best men’s player 2021, the Polish captain participated in Sunday’s training after suffering a knee injury last week and is scheduled to start against Sweden.
There will be an element of seeking revenge for the hosts Poland, who lost 2-3 against Sweden in their last group game for the European Championships 2020 last summer. Sweden’s winning goal by Viktor Claesson in stoppage time in St. Petersburg knocked out Poland in the group stage.
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“We won last summer, so they (Poland) will no doubt be hungry for revenge. It would be fantastic to give them another slap in the face,” said Sweden’s playmaker Emil Forsberg.
Sweden is dissatisfied with the fact that Poland automatically qualified for the play-off final after receiving a bye when UEFA banned its semi-final opponents Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine.
“The principle of playing under the same conditions, ie winning two matches to reach the World Cup finals, should apply”, says FA’s Secretary General Håkan Sjöstrand.
The same night that Poland drew a friendly away match against Scotland on Thursday with Lewandowski rested, Sweden needed extra time to push past the Czech Republic 1-0 in their playoff semifinals. Robin Quaison made the winner for Sweden in the 110th minute in Stockholm.
Last updated March 29, 2022, 11:34 IST