Sweden 1-0 South Korea: Captain Granqvist leads the charge as Swedes win their World Cup opener
A penalty from Captain Andreas Granqvist was the difference as Sweden beat South Korea 1-0 in Nizhny Novgorod to win their first match of the 2018 World Cup and equal leaders Mexico on points in Group F.
In both countries' first match at the 2018 World Cup in Russia the decisive moment was the spot-kick awarded thanks to VAR.
READ ALSO: Sweden fans who paid $1,700 for World Cup told at the last minute they can't go to Russia
Kim Min-woo brought down Viktor Claesson in a clumsy challenge and the referee ran to the sidelines to view video of the incident before pointing to the spot.
Granqvist stepped up and coolly slotted the ball away to cap-off a man of the match performance from the veteran defender, who made some essential last-ditch challenges in the first half to deny the Koreans.
The clash was tight as expected but Sweden's compact defensive work was enough to edge the encounter, just as it had been enough for them to secure qualifying against the odds at the expense of Italy in the play-offs.
Next up for Sweden is a much bigger challenge as they face Germany on June 23rd in Sochi, with the reigning world champions hungry for their first win of the World Cup following a disappointing 1-0 loss to Mexico in their opening game of Russia 2018.
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In both countries' first match at the 2018 World Cup in Russia the decisive moment was the spot-kick awarded thanks to VAR.
READ ALSO: Sweden fans who paid $1,700 for World Cup told at the last minute they can't go to Russia
Kim Min-woo brought down Viktor Claesson in a clumsy challenge and the referee ran to the sidelines to view video of the incident before pointing to the spot.
Granqvist stepped up and coolly slotted the ball away to cap-off a man of the match performance from the veteran defender, who made some essential last-ditch challenges in the first half to deny the Koreans.
The clash was tight as expected but Sweden's compact defensive work was enough to edge the encounter, just as it had been enough for them to secure qualifying against the odds at the expense of Italy in the play-offs.
Next up for Sweden is a much bigger challenge as they face Germany on June 23rd in Sochi, with the reigning world champions hungry for their first win of the World Cup following a disappointing 1-0 loss to Mexico in their opening game of Russia 2018.
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