World Cup 2018: Sweden slides past South Korea with 1-0 victory

World Cup 2018: Sweden slides past South Korea with 1-0 victory
By Euronews
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Sweden and South Korea go head-to-head in the group stages of the FIFA World Cup.

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Sweden defeated South Korea 1-0 in their opening match on Monday. Andreas Granqvist broke the match's scoreless spell when he scored on a penalty in the 77th minute against South Korea. Here's five things we learned while watching the match:

Swedish spies succeed

Before the game, the South Koreans changed their shirt numbers and played in different positions to put off their opponents' scouts in their warm-up fixtures. Sweden dominated the game and, in the end, gained the three points.

VAR works again

Initially, the referee was adamant it wasn't a penalty to Sweden. However, on viewing the decision, he overturned his decision to give Sweden the penalty, which proved to be the right call. 

South Korea lacking forward options

Other than a few headers, which failed to test Swedish goalkeeper Robin Olsen, the attacking line fell short of creating big chances with its lacklustre performance. South Korea's offence may struggle in its upcoming matches, especially against teams like Germany and Mexico.

Sweden need shooting boots

In a game that they controlled in possession and chances, Sweden should have been ahead earlier on in the game. Striker Marcus Berg had a couple of chances, which he should have taken.

Granqvist shows bottle

When Sweden were awarded a penalty, captain Andreas Granqvist stepped forward. Centre-backs aren't usual penalty takers, so for Granqvist to take it shows his determination to win.

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