skysports.com
Zlatan Ibrahimovic said it looked like his Sweden debut when he set up the game-winning goal in his first international outing in nearly five years, a 1-0 home victory over Georgia in the 2022 World Cup qualifying on Thursday.
Ibrahimovic, 39, played his last game for Sweden at Euro 2016 before donning the yellow jersey for the 117th time in their Group B opener.
He fed Viktor Claesson in the first half to help Sweden start the season with a win in a group that also included Spain, Greece, and Kosovo, where they will travel this weekend. “It felt great. It felt like I was playing in my first international match. “There was a lot of adrenaline,” Ibrahimovic explained to Sverige Radio.
“I believe I should have done even more. But the most important thing is that we won the game “He said. Sweden’s all-time top scorer formed a new strike partnership with 21-year-old Alexander Isak.
Former France defender Willy Sagnol took over for the first time, and only four players retained their places from the draw with Estonia in November. In Stockholm, the home team dominated the first half-hour and came close to breaking the deadlock after 25 minutes. Claesson found Isak in the box, but Giorgi Loria quickly parried the Real Sociedad attacker’s feeble effort.
Ibrahimovic’s first half-moment of excellence arrived 10 minutes later. He chested the ball in the box before playing a deft pass to Claesson, who volleyed home his second international goal in as many games to make it 1-0.
Six minutes after the break, AC Milan’s Ibrahimovic had an opportunity to add to his 62 goals for the national team, but his shaky shot dribbled past the post.
