FOOTBALL Live

Wednesday March 3, 2010 Regular Finished The Liberty Stadium

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Wales

Sweden

  • Elmander 44’

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  1. Swedes down Wales

    Swedes down Wales

    A Johan Elmander volley was enough for Sweden to see off a below-par Welsh side 1-0 in their friendly match at Swansea. More

  • Live Commentary

    Time:90'
    • Wales
    • Sweden
    • 90' And there goes the final whistle. A fairly drab match that has been won by Sweden 1-0, and is a result which leaves John Toshack's admittedly under-strength Welsh side with some thinking to do.
    • 90' Three minutes of stoppage time will be played
    • 88' Viktor Elm strikes well over, who have stepped up a gear and forced Wales back into their own half over the past 20-25 minutes
    • 86' Hennessey has to back-peddle to tip over a well-worked Swedish corner, which was initially delivered outside of the box, but played back in with real venom
    • 82' Hysen forces Hennessey into a good save to his right, striking from just inside the Welsh penalty area, after Collins was found napping in defence
    • 81' Fourth Swedish sub: Viktor Elm is coming for Kim Kallstrom
    • 80' Ola Toivonen sends a cross from the right horribly wide, but Sweden seem to be in complete control of the match, despite threatening the Welsh goal rarly in this half.
    • 76' The ball falls to Larsson after Toivonen looses control, but his first-time left-footed snap-shot goes just wide of Hennessey's left post.
    • 75' Mikael Lustig attempts an audacious bicycle kick with his first touch, but instead swings at fresh air
    • 74' Third Swedish sub: Mikael Lustig is coming on for Christian Wilhelmsson
    • 73' Hysen strikes high and wide, after creating space to turn, from outside the Welsh box. That shot was more likely to hit row z than the goal
    • 72' Sixth and final Welsh sub: Jack Collinson is coming off for Andrew Crofts
    • 71' Clever build-up from Sweden, including a cheeky flick from Wilhelmsson, but they again fail to test Hennessey in this half with a meaningful attempt on goal
    • 68' Fifth sub for Wales: The impressive Gareth Bale coming off for Lewin Nyatanga
    • 67' Gustaffson's clearance is once again poor, and that leads to the ball being played out to Cotterill, who beats his man down the left and forces Majstorovic to clear for Sweden following an incisive delivery into the box. Better from Wales
    • 66' Fourth Welsh sub: David Cotterill on for Simon Davies
    • 65' Bale slides the ball thorugh to Eanrshaw, whose pace causes panic in the Swedish box and eventually leads to a corner. From that, Earnshaw stings the palm of Gustaffson with a low drive. Good impact from the substitute so far
    • 63' And the third Swedish sub: Oscar Wendt coming on for Behrang Safari, as Toshack relays some tactical instructions to Bale on the touchline
    • 59' Couple of Swedish substitutions: Wernbloom and Hysen on for Elm and Elmander
    • 59' Gareth Bale, who has been Wales' best player, swings in a low cross to the left, which Vaughan makes contact with but hits over
    • 57' Comfortable save for Hennessey, as a Swedish corner pings around the Welsh box, before a final looping header falls into the substitute keeper's hands.
    • 54' Third Welsh sub: Sam Vokes comes on for Simon Church
    • 54' Earnshaw plays the ball to Bale out on the left-flank but his cross is misguided and hits the side-netting.
    • 51' Kallstrom sends a looping ball to Wilhelmsson on the right, but his one-two with Rasmus Elm breaks down with a lack of communication. Let off for Wales, who were defensively all over the place.
    • 49' Golden chance for Wales. Bale plays the ball into Rob Earnshaw from the left; it ends up making its way to Church who takes an extra touch when a first-time shot would have been the preferred option, and Gustaffson can gather easily.
    • 48' Wales have started the second-half on shaky ground, as Wilhelmsson drives the ball towards their backline but eventually loses possession
    • 46' And Sweden get us back under way for this second half in Swansea
    • 45' Welsh subs on at the start of the second half: Rob Earnshaw on for Ched Evans, and Wayne Hennessy on for Boaz Myhill
    • 45' And that is half-time. Sweden lead 1-0 thanks to a Johan Elmander strike at the end of the 45 minutes.
    • 45' 1 minute of stoppage time added, which is coming to an end...
    • 45' And from that corner, Sweden take the lead. An unmarked Elmander rifles in an unstoppable shot at the far post (following a looping delivery) which leaves Myhill with no chance. Terrible marking from Wales, however.
    • 45' GOAL FOR SWEDEN!
    • 44' Johan Elmander has acres of space to run and forces Myhill into a low save to his right, shotting from outside the area, and forces a corner aswell.
    • 43' Elmander goes down in the box under pressure from Craig Morgan, but replays show minimal, if any, contact. Then, down the other end, Jack Collison blazes a shot high over the bar when bursting through from midfield
    • 41' Chris Gunter is brought down, and Simon Davies' free-kick from the right is comfortably collected by Gustafsson. Poor delivery
    • 40' Wales have lacked creativity so far, but Bale is still proving to be a threat down the left - his throw-in fails to reach a Welsh man, though.
    • 38' Johan Elmander goes to the sidelines for some tratement. He's rubbing his head, maybe just slightly dazed, and looks like he'll be re-joining the action shortly
    • 36' Collins nudges into Elmander, and a free-kick is awarded to Sweden in a shooting position about 25 yards out from the Welsh goal. Larsson is presiding over it, and it's just wide following his curling left foot strike which made it's way over the wall before dipping.
    • 33' Correction - the delivery for the Swedish disallowed goal was from Rasmus Elm (not Seb Larsson) and then it was Ola Toivonen who was adjudged to have moved a fraction too early when getting his header on target (even though the Swedish striker seemed to be in line with two Welsh defenders)
    • 32' Collinson and Wilhelmsson have a little verbal coming together, and the ref is called upon to calm the situation
    • 31' Gustaffson hurries another clearance - not the best opening 30 mins the Swedish goalkeeper will have experienced. First-choice keeper Andreas Isaksson watches on meekily from the bench.
    • 28' Wilhelmsson earns a corner for Sweden, following good link-up play with Seb Larsson (the creator for that disallowed goal). And, from Rasmus Elm's delivery, Mellberg is unable to make proper contact with the ball in directing it towards goal.
    • 25' Let off for Wales, as a Sweden goal is ruled out for offside. Toivonen heads in following a sweet right-wing delivery, and that was marginal.
    • 24' Davies plays the ball to Church, who takes a heavy first touch, which allows Gustaffson to clear - but he does make a meal of it.
    • 22' Elmander gets in behind Chris Gunter, but the Welsh full-back recovers and wins the race to the ball before clearing the danger.
    • 19' Safari sends a great ball into the box from the left, having beaten Simon Davies down the wing, but Toivonen heads wide when under pressure from Williams. Good chance that
    • 17' Wales stream forward and Collison's deflected drive in the box leads to a corner. From the outswinging delivery, James Collins jumps highest sending a firm header down to the right of keeper Gustafsson, which has to be cleared off the line by Larsson.
    • 16' Gareth Bale is adjudged offside as he attempts a sprint in behind the Sweden backline down the left flank
    • 14' Promising build-up down the left by Sweden, which involves Elmander, but it is Rasmus Elm who eventually sends a wasteful looping cross from the left directly behind the goal
    • 12' A quickly taken Gareth Bale throw-in almost catches Sweden by surprise as the ball just fails to make its way to Ched Evans - instead, it leads to a corner, which is headed clear by Toivonen in his own box.
    • 10' Church starting to cause problems down the right for Sweden - he's forced the first corner of the match, but Wales are unable to profit as Sweden head clear the delivery.
    • 8' Collins plays a long-ball for Simon Church to run onto, but his cross into the box is calmly gathered by Gustafsson in the Sweden goal
    • 6' Wales are just about edging the opening exchanges, but neither side have been able to force either keeper's hand thus far
    • 5' Morgan cuts out a long-ball aimed at Toivonen, and Sweden are unable to threaten with a throw-in deep in Welsh territory
    • 3' Bale shows good endeavour down the Welsh left flank, but is unable to force the corner.
    • 2' Wales haven't beaten Sweden in their last five head-to-head's. Could that be about to change tonight?
    • 1' And Wales kick us off
    • - And with the Welsh national anthem belting out around the Liberty Stadium, we are less than five minutes away from kick-off.
    • - Teams: Wales - Myhill, Gunter, Williams, Collins, Morgan, Bale, Collison, Davies, Vaughan, Evans, Church. Subs - Hennessey, Eardley, Dorman, Nyatanga, Crofts, Cotterill, Earnshaw, Vokes, King Sweden - Gustafsson, Mellberg, Majstorovic, Safari, Larsson, Rasmus Elm, Svensson, Kallstrom, Elmander, Toivonen, Wilhelmsson Subs - Isaksson, Olsson, Granqvist, Lustig, Wendt, Wernbloom, Viktor Elm, Hysen
    • - Meanwhile, Sweden's (under their new coach Erik Hamren) most notable absence is star player Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is focused on club football for Barcelona and doesn't want the distractions of International friendlies at present. But there will still be a number of familiar faces on show, including Bolton striker Johan Elmander and former Villa defender Olof Mellberg, who is poised to win his 100th cap.
    • - And, in warming up, the Welsh players showed a sign of unity for Aaron Ramsey's plight, wearing t-shirts with the slogan 'Get well soon Rambo'. Nice touch
    • - So, all that means that Simon Davies returns to the Welsh fold, in place of the stricken Ramsey, after being out for 11-months with a foot injury. Hull's Boaz Myhill starts in goal in place of Wayne Hennessey, while David Vaughan also gets the chance to shine after some impressive displays in the Championship. Sheffield United's Ched Evans partners Simon Church of Reading up front, and Aston Villa defender James Collins wears the captain's armband tonight.
    • - Toshack is also without Cardiff star Joe Ledley (hip), Wolves' Dave Edwards (ankle), Joe Allen of Swansea (knee) and Doncaster's Brian Stock (back). Bolton defender Sam Ricketts has also pulled out after picking up a knock, while Danny Gabbidon is another senior player to miss out.
    • - Just as surprising is the omission of Craig Bellamy for tonight's match. There still appears to be ill feeling between Wales coach John Toshack and Bellamy, after the striker failed to report for international duty against Montenegro last August. Toshack has hinted that the striker will not now be selected for friendlies, and that coupled with his growing preference for nuturing young Welsh talent, has appeared to sound the death knell for Bellamy's long international career.
    • - Wales will be without Aaron Ramsey, after the 19 year-old sustained fractures to the tibia and fibula in his right leg following a horror challenge by Stoke's Ryan Shawcross during Arsenal's 3-1 victory at the Britannia Stadium on saturday.
    • - Apart from that, the draw was kind for Wales. Sweden, meanwhile, could not get past a World Cup qualifying group containing the likes of Denmark, Portugal and Hungary. They are likely to have a similarly difficult time qualifying for Euro 2012 where they'll come up against the Netherlands, fierce rivals Finland and once again the Hungarians in Group E. Anyway, that is in the future, tonight represents a chance for both sides to attempt to restore some national pride.
    • - Both teams, of course, will not be lining up at this summer's World Cup. But it is an important fixture, nonetheless, with the Euro 2012 qualifiers looming which, for Wales, will pit them against old foes England in Group G
    • - Hello and welcome to this evening's International friendly clash between Wales and Sweden from the Liberty Stadium in Swansea

  • Summary

    • 86' Hennessey has to back-peddle to tip over a well-worked Swedish corner, which was initially delivered outside of the box, but played back in with real venom
    • 82' Hysen forces Hennessey into a good save to his right, striking from just inside the Welsh penalty area, after Collins was found napping in defence
    • 65' Bale slides the ball thorugh to Eanrshaw, whose pace causes panic in the Swedish box and eventually leads to a corner. From that, Earnshaw stings the palm of Gustaffson with a low drive. Good impact from the substitute so far
    • 49' Golden chance for Wales. Bale plays the ball into Rob Earnshaw from the left; it ends up making its way to Church who takes an extra touch when a first-time shot would have been the preferred option, and Gustaffson can gather easily.
    • 45' GOAL FOR SWEDEN!
    • 36' Collins nudges into Elmander, and a free-kick is awarded to Sweden in a shooting position about 25 yards out from the Welsh goal. Larsson is presiding over it, and it's just wide following his curling left foot strike which made it's way over the wall before dipping.
    • 25' Let off for Wales, as a Sweden goal is ruled out for offside. Toivonen heads in following a sweet right-wing delivery, and that was marginal.
    • 19' Safari sends a great ball into the box from the left, having beaten Simon Davies down the wing, but Toivonen heads wide when under pressure from Williams. Good chance that
    • 17' Wales stream forward and Collison's deflected drive in the box leads to a corner. From the outswinging delivery, James Collins jumps highest sending a firm header down to the right of keeper Gustafsson, which has to be cleared off the line by Larsson.

Team lineup & ratings

  • Wales

    Manager: John Toshack

  • Sweden

    Manager: Erik Hamrén

  • Lineup

    Live Team Line-Up

    • Starting line-up

      • B. Myhill Substitution Out (45′)
      • C. Gunter
      • A. Williams
      • J. Collins
      • G. Bale Substitution Out (67′)
      • J. Collison Substitution Out (70′)
      • D. Vaughan
      • C. Morgan
      • S. Davies Substitution Out (63′)
      • C. Evans Substitution Out (45′)
      • S. Church Substitution Out (53′)

      Subs

      • D. Cotterill Substitution In63′
      • W. Hennessey Substitution In45′
      • N. Eardley
      • S. Vokes Substitution In53′
      • A. Dorman
      • R. Earnshaw Substitution In45′
      • L. Nyatanga Substitution In67′
      • A. Crofts Substitution In70′
      • A. King

    • Starting line-up

      • E. Gustafsson
      • S. Larsson
      • O. Mellberg
      • D. Majstorovic
      • B. Safari Substitution Out (62′)
      • K. Källström Substitution Out (80′)
      • A. Svensson
      • C. Wilhelmsson Substitution Out (73′)
      • J. Elmander Goal Substitution Out (58′)
      • O. Toivonen
      • R. Elm Substitution Out (58′)

      Subs

      • A. Isaksson
      • O. Wendt Substitution In62′
      • A. Granqvist
      • V. Elm Substitution In80′
      • M. Berg
      • M. Lustig Substitution In73′
      • T. Hysén Substitution In58′
      • J. Olsson
      • P. Wernbloom Substitution In58′

  • Rate Players

    Rate Players

    Please to rate the players.

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    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      Substitution Out45′ - -
      Defenders
      - -
      - -
      - -
      Substitution Out67′ - -
      Midfielders
      Substitution Out70′ - -
      - -
      - -
      Substitution Out63′ - -
      Strikers
      Substitution Out45′ - -
      Substitution Out53′ - -
      Subs
      Substitution In63′ - -
      Substitution In45′ - -
      Substitution In53′ - -
      Substitution In45′ - -
      Substitution In67′ - -
      Substitution In70′ - -
    • Player Y! Users Expert My Rating
      Goalkeeper
      - -
      Defenders
      - -
      - -
      - -
      Substitution Out62′ - -
      Midfielders
      Substitution Out80′ - -
      - -
      Substitution Out73′ - -
      Strikers
      Goal Substitution Out58′ - -
      - -
      Substitution Out58′ - -
      Subs
      Substitution In62′ - -
      Substitution In80′ - -
      Substitution In73′ - -
      Substitution In58′ - -
      Substitution In58′ - -

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