England 3 - Sweden 2: The Three Lions Roar!

 On a lovely night for football in Kiev, England produced their best performance since Euro 2004 as they defeated Sweden 3-2 in dramatic fashion.  After an incredibly dull match against France, England played with infinitely more positivity.  While they relied on the long-ball during several periods of the match, they also maintained possession through short, quick passes.  They were delightful to watch.

The English manager, Roy Hodgson, made several personnel and tactical changes from their opener.  Hodgson benched Alex Oxlade-Chamblerain and went with Liverpool striker, Andy Carroll.  Hodgson placed Carroll up top alongside Manchester United's Danny Welbeck, and shifted Ashley Young into Oxlade-Chamberlain's role.  While Oxlade-Chamberlain provides fantastic speed, Carroll's ability to hold the ball up for the oncoming midfielders was crucial for the English attack.

While the Swedes were desperate for points after losing their opener, the English already gained one point from their opening draw.  However, from the opening whistle it did not appear this way.  The Three Lions controlled the tempo from the outset.  The midfield, led by Steven Gerrard and Scott Parker, provided constant outlets, created scoring opportunities, and won numerous 50/50 balls.

With the Swedes on their heels, the English struck first.  In the 24^th minute, Steven Gerrard delivered a powerful cross from thirty yards away that Andy Carroll buried into the corner of the net to give England a 1-0 lead.  Carroll used the pace of Gerrard's cross and perfectly steered the ball past Swedish keeper, Andreas Isaksson.  

Unlike previous England teams, they did not bunker down and defend.  They smelled blood and looked to build on their lead.  For the remainder of the half, the English attacked in waves.  They nearly added another when Chelsea's Ashley Cole delivered a perfect through ball to give Young a breakaway.  However, Young's first touch was abysmal and he barely mustered any power on the shot, which Isakssson saved easily.  While they kept coming, they seemed unsure of how to penetrate the defense without a cross or set piece.  They constantly had the ball within twenty yards of the Swedish goal, but ended up going backwards, leaving Isaksson untested.  

At the half, the English led 1-0 and deserved it.  They attacked, while Sweden defended.  The Swedes appeared tired or not up to the challenge.  They had 45 minutes to change their fortune.

Although the English surprisingly attacked after their initial goal, normality returned as they bunkered down when the second half began.  This was not a wise decision as the desperate Swedes played with much more urgency.  This urgency resulted in the equalizer just four minutes in after a rebound from a set piece.  In a blink, England's optimism faded. 

The Swedes, led by the always dangerous Zlatan Ibrahimovic, poured the pressure on.  Ibrahimovic nearly gave Sweden the lead in the 56^th minute, but a last ditch slide tackle from Liverpool's Glen Johnson halted the danger.  However, it was just three minutes later that another Swedish set piece resulted in a goal as Olaf Mellberg headed one past Joe Hart.  Mellberg was essentially unmarked, which is an utter embarrassment on all levels. 

After such a large reversal of fortune, Hodgson quickly acted by removing the ineffective James Milner for the speedy Theo Walcott.  Hodgson's move paid immediate dividends.  Walcott's arrival combined with a newfound sense of urgency uplifted the English.  John Terry nearly tied the game in the 63^rd with a header, but Isaksson made a phenomenal save. However, the English capitalized on the resulting corner kick as Theo Walcott buried the rebound from the top of the eighteen.  Isaksson was blinded by the numerous players in front of him, and by the time he saw the ball, it was too late.

Within twenty minutes, three goals were scored.  It was a thrilling game to watch as both teams went at each other to break the deadlock.  In a flash of brilliance, Welbeck put the English on top in the 78^th minute.  Walcott broke through the Swedish defense with speed, and crossed the ball to the oncoming Welbeck, who back-heeled it past Isaksson.  It was an incredible goal.

In the final twelve minutes, the Swedish attempted to get the equalizer, while the English tried to put them away.  However, neither team added to their tally as the English won 3-2.  It will arguably go down as the game of the tournament.  England's victory eliminated Sweden from advancing, though they will have a say in which teams do go through in their finale against France.  England kept their hopes of advancing alive, needing only a draw against Ukraine to assure a quarterfinals ticket.  

Sweden played tough in this tournament, but they will regret blowing leads in both games.  While Ibrahimovic is no speedster, he is an incredible player.  He is a threat from anywhere on the field.  He barely needs any space to unload powerful shots, he wins balls in the air, and he is an absolute beast on the ball.  It is almost impossible to push him off of the ball.  Unfortunately, he does not have enough help on the Swedish team.  Isaksson is a world class keeper as well.  

It is fair to say that the English should have learned plenty from this game. Andy Carroll needs to be on the field at all times.  Yes, he made a stupid foul that led to a Swedish goal off of a set piece.  However, he was a force to be reckoned with throughout.  His goal was superb.  More importantly, he is a fantastic point man up top.  He holds the ball up well for oncoming midfielders, he wins balls in the air, he flicks the ball on for teammates, he hustles, and he passes well. Furthermore, Danny Welbeck is also a quality player that should be on the field.  He has great speed, vision, and a knack for stepping up in a huge spot.  

In the midfield, Steven Gerrard was world class.  Scott Parker also played his part well.  Theo Walcott was a revelation.  He showed that he should be on the field from the opening whistle.  It was great to see Walcott enjoy such a shining moment after some rough times in an England jersey.  Ashley Young was average.  He showed very little throughout.  He often dribbled the ball into unwinnable situations.  Meanwhile, it is fair to say that James Milner should see the bench as Wayne Rooney returns against Ukraine.  Other than his meaningless foul that led to Sweden's second goal, Milner merely existed without positively impacting the game.

Defensively, they must significantly improve on set pieces.  Glen Johnson and Ashley Cole provided effective overlapping runs that created space for the central attackers.  They threatened the Swedish defense on numerous occasions.  Meanwhile, John Terry looked painfully slow.  He barely kept up with Ibrahimovic, who is no speedster.  In addition, he was fortunate to not get booked several times.  I know it will not happen, but I would love to see Hodgson remove Terry and put Gerrard into a hybrid center back/defensive midfielder that can attack at his discretion.  This would allow the insertion of Walcott or Oxlade-Chamberlain, both of whom would add another dimension to the English attack.

One thing is certain, unlike previous English teams, this team is incredibly resilient.  After squandering the lead in consecutive games, they did not whimper into the night, they fought.  It is unknown whether it will happen again, but for one night the Three Lions roared with ferocity.

By Jeff Graceffo