Sweden Reclaims Pride with Dominant Victory over Northern Ireland

Sweden bounced back impressively from their disappointing defeat to Luxembourg over the weekend, securing a resounding 5-1 victory against Northern Ireland in an international friendly held at Strawberry Arena in Solna. This win marked their sixth triumph in the last eight outings.

Manager Jon Dahl Tomasson responded to the lacklustre performance on Saturday by making seven changes to the starting lineup, opting for a 3-4-2-1 formation instead of the previous 3-5-2 system.

It only took seven minutes for his tactical adjustments to pay off. One of the new inclusions, Emil Holm, found the back of the net with a finish from within the six-yard box.

Key to this opening goal was Alexander Isak, who evaded the offside trap and drew in the Northern Irish defenders before selflessly passing to the unmarked Holm.

As the match progressed, Northern Ireland began to find their footing, creating chances through Brodie Spencer and Shea Charles. However, it was Sweden who landed a devastating blow just after the 30-minute mark.

Gabriel Gudmundsson combined well with Ken Sema on the left, resulting in Gudmundsson reaching the byline and delivering a low cross into the penalty area. Though goalkeeper Pierce Charles got down to it, he could only deflect the ball into the path of Benjamin Nygren, who made no mistake in slotting home his first international goal into an open net.

The third goal came shortly before the hour mark. A free-kick curled into the box found Nygren, whose initial shot ricocheted off the post and back to Ken Sema. Sema seized the opportunity, driving the rebound through the crowded penalty area, leaving the keeper with no chance.

The contest was all but settled five minutes later when Sebastian Nanasi intercepted the ball in Northern Ireland’s half, directing it towards Isak. The forward showcased his skill by opening his body up and smashing the ball home from 25 yards, marking his 16th goal for the national team.

Tomasson introduced Niclas Eliasson and Anthony Elanga for the final 20 minutes, and they quickly made their mark. Elanga arrived at the back post just in time to convert Eliasson’s curling cross, extending their lead to 5-0.

Sweden nearly made it six later in the match when Besfort Zeneli’s powerful 20-yard strike crashed against the crossbar.

Zeneli played a role in the visitors’ lone goal as well, inadvertently deflecting Isaac Price’s shot past goalkeeper Viktor Johansson in the dying moments, resulting in a final score of 5-1.

Sweden’s next challenge is another friendly against Hungary in June, followed by the start of their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign against Slovenia in September.