Greece snatch a late 2-2 draw to spoil Sweden's World Cup send-off
Sweden's last rehearsal before the World Cup ended in frustration on Thursday as Giorgos Masouras struck a stoppage-time equaliser to earn Greece a 2-2 draw at the Strawberry Arena in Solna. The hosts had twice clawed their way level and then in front, only to switch off at the very end.
For a Sweden side that only scraped into the World Cup through the playoffs, it was a night that flattered to deceive. The attacking pieces clicked at times, the defending did not, and that combination tends to get punished once the games start counting.
Greece strike first, Gyökeres responds
It was Greece who settled quicker. Kostas Tsimikas put them in front inside the opening ten minutes, quieting a home crowd that had turned up expecting a procession. Sweden needed the break and got it through their main man, Viktor Gyökeres levelling early in the second half with the kind of finish that has made him one of the most coveted strikers in Europe.
The goal lifted the place, and for a spell Sweden looked the likelier winners. Gustaf Nilsson turned things around midway through the second half, bundling in from close range to put the hosts 2-1 ahead and seemingly on course for a winning send-off.
A late lapse undoes the good work
That lead lasted until the fifth minute of added time. Sweden failed to deal with one last Greek attack, and Masouras pounced to level and silence the arena. A friendly it may have been, but the manner of it will gnaw at the coaching staff far more than the result itself.
Conceding in the final seconds of a controlled game is exactly the sort of habit a team wants to leave behind before a World Cup, not pack in the suitcase. Sweden created enough to win comfortably and instead handed Greece a draw they barely deserved on the balance of play.
What it means heading into the tournament
There are positives to hold onto. Gyökeres looked sharp and took his goal well, the forward line carried a threat throughout, and a warm-up is precisely the place to expose soft spots while they still cost nothing. Greece, who are not at the World Cup, can take heart from the character of a side that kept coming back.
Sweden will want their next 90 minutes to look a lot more like the middle hour of this one and a lot less like the last five. The tournament does not wait, and the margins only get thinner from here.
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