A Group F fixture of the 2018 FIFA World Cup between national teams of Sweden and South Korea was staged in Nizhny Novgorod on 18 June. The Scandinavian team achieved a 1-0 win largely due to efforts by the two FC Krasnodar representatives, midfielder Viktor Claesson (the acting Krasnodar player) and defender Andreas Granqvist (the ex-captain of the Bulls who will move back to the Helsingborgs IF of his hometown once the World Cup is over).
The two Krasnodar supporters’ favorites made an early appearance on a field of play for the Blågult and became the most prominent players in their team throughout the game. They took regular sharp actions next to the opposite goal and played safe next to their own. It was exactly this duo who created the only goal of the match that was scored in the middle of the second half. Viktor Claesson left an opponent behind for a split second fighting for the ball in the South Korean box and got his legs kicked. The referee consulted with the VAR system and ordered a penalty kick that was duly executed by Andreas Granqvist.
This goal became the second one for FC Krasnodar players at the 2018 FIFA World Cup. As a reminder, the black-green midfielder Yury Gazinsky scored the first goal of the World Cup in the opening match of the tournament.
We congratulate Viktor and Andreas with their first win of the World Cup and wish them further success in the matches that follow.
As for now, Sweden shares the first position in the Group F standings with Mexico. Both teams have earned 3 points, while Germany and South Korean have none. On the second matchday of the World Cup (23 June) the Swedes will meet Germany and the South Koreans will test themselves against Team Mexico.
Photo by R-Sport