VAR the hero as Sweden edge out South Korea in Fifa World Cup, FT 1-0

Sweden centre-back Andreas Granqvist slotted home in the 65th minute after the referee consulted the video-review technology to score the sole goal of the match.

Full-time match report: 
The Sweden-South Korea match had made it to the papers days before it even took place after the Swedish camp was accused of spying on the South Korea squad at a pre-World Cup training camp. When the match did take place today at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, you'd wonder why the Swedes were even worried as the men from South Korea hardly threatened and lost the match after Andreas Granqvist scored from a VAR-assisted penalty in the 65th minute. Or maybe, it was the insider information that the Swedes used to keep the Korean attackers quite. Who knows?

The Koreans started brightly. In the first 10 minutes, Sweden found the going difficult, especially going forward. In fact, Sweden could launch their first attack only in the 17th minute which Korea's Kim Young-gwon did well to divert by making a sliding challenge. A couple minutes later, Sweden got a glorious chance to take the lead after Marcus Berg sidefooted a shot from eight yards out towards the goal but Korean goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo made a wonderful save to keep the ball out. 

Korea lost Park Joo-ho to an injury in the 26th minute after the central defender fell awkwardly while trying to keep the ball in play. Korea then chose to sit back and hit on the counters instead for the rest of the half. They have had their chances too, mainly coming from Tottenham winger Son Heung-min who, using his pace and trickery, went marauding down the right flank on more than one occassion but couldn't earn his team a goal.

Sweden had another good chance near the end of the first half from a corner but a lack of anticipation from the Swedish player meant the ball didn't go in. Sweden have had the better chances but Korea looked dangerous on the counter too. The Koreans defended well and that kept the scoreline 0-0 at half-time.

In the second half, Korea tried to change their approach and ventured towards the opposition box more often. They created a couple of chances too but just could not finish. They were starting to look dangerous but all of that changed in the 65th minute after Kim Min-woo pulled out a desperate lunge at Claesson inside the box. The referee first waved away the appeal for penalty but later consulted VAR and pointed to the spot after consulting VAR. Granqvist slotted his penalty kick into the bottom-right, sending the Korean goalkeeper the wrong way.

The Koreans tried to get back in the game but they couldn't really break the Swedish defence. The Swedes looked happy defending for the rest of the game and comfortably saw out the match too, earning three valuable points in the process. With that, Sweden join Mexico at the top of the table. Sweden will face Germany in their next game, while South Korea face joint-group leaders Mexico.

Live updates: 

Minute 80-- Sweden's Larsson limps off the pitch andis replaced by Svensson

Minute 76 -- Sweden's Toivonen applaus the crowd as he is replaced by Thelin.

Minute 73 -- Koo is  replaced by Lee Seung-Woo for Korea.

Minute 71 --  Ekdal is replaced by Hiljemark for Sweden's first substitution of the afternoon.

Minute 66-  Kim Shin-wook is replaced by Jung Woo-young for South Korea.

GOAL!!

Minute 65 -- VAR moment! Kim Min-woo pulls out a desperate lunge at Claesson inside the box. The referee first waves away thepenalty for penalty but later points to the spot after consulting VAR.  Andreas Granqvist takes the peanlty kick and slots it to the bottom-right, sending the Korean goalkeeper the wrong way. 

Sweden 1-Korea 0

Minute 60 -- Sweden's Claesson is shown the yellow card for bundling down Lee Yong.

Minute 58 -- A real chance for Korea. Hwang Hee-chan skips past Granqvist down the right.The South Korean forward charges into the box, tries to find a teammate inside the box but finds Jansson's foot in the way.

Minute 54 -- Yellow card for Hwang Heechan who seemingly kicks Augustinsson after bringing him down. Sweden take the resulting free-kick which is headed towards the Korean keeper who fails to keep hold of the ball before the ball is kicked out by a Korean defender.

Minute 51 -- So close for Korea! Koo Ja-cheol heads the ball into the side-netting and relief for Sweden.


Minute 48-- It's Sweden's chance to break now as Claesson runs at the Korean defence who get to him. Claesson lays the ball to Forsberg who takes a touch before firing his effort over the bar.



Second-half begins.


Half-time report:

Neither South Korea nor Sweden have been able to truly threaten the goal in a match which has ended goal-less at half-time in today's World Cup Group F game between Sweden and South Korea at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium. Although, Sweden will feel they had the better opportunities, but that's because South Korea, after aggressive start to the game, chose to sit back and hit on the counters instead.

The biggest chance of the first-half came in the 19th minute when a precise through ball found Berg. With only the goalkeeper to beat, the Swede sidefooted his shot only for goalkeeper Cho tomake a remarkable save. Korea also lost defender Park Joo-ho in the 26th minute after he landed awkwardly as he tried to head a ball to keep it in the play. Korea have since chosen to sit back and hit on the counters instead. They have had their chances too, mainly coming from Tottenham winger Son Heung-min who, using his pace and trickery, has been marauding down the right flank.

Sweden had another good chance near the end of the first half from a corner but a lack of anticipation from the Swedish player meant the ball didn't go in. Sweden have had the better chances but Korea have looked dangerous on the counter too. With the scores tied, it's anybody's game to win in the second halfr. Stay tuned!

Live updates:

Minute 46 --Larson heads a cross which looks set to find the net but Jang Hyun-soo's head is in the way who glances the ball to safety.

Minute 42 -- Ki Sung-yueng makes a sweet tackle on Toivonen inside the hpenalty box. The Swede appeals for penalty but the refree isn't interested.

Minute 36 -- Another counter for Korea which Lee Jae-sung starts after pulling down Sweden's Forsberg. The attack fizzels out to nothing but the Swedes are furious at the referee for allowing the game to go on.

Minute 33 -- Korea are sitting back and looking to attack on the counter. Son is pacing down the right wing with help arriving on the other side. He tries to put out a cross but is denied by a lunging Swedish defender.

Minute 30 -- Son is hurtling down the is right but is harried down and pulled back by Granqvist, who fails to keep up with the pace of the Tottenham winger.

Minute 26 (Substitution)-- Park Joo-ho's game is over for the day as the defender lands awkwardly after a header, trying to keep the ball in play. The medical team is out and he is replaced by Kim Min-Woo.

Minute 19 -- Remarkable save by Cho Hyun-woo after Berg sidefoots a shot from eight yards out towards the goal but the Korean goalkeeper makes a wonderful save to keep the scores level. Although, Berg would feel he should have buried it. 

Minute 17 -- Vital challenge by Kim Young-gwon as Granqvist charges on a forward pass. Kim Young-gwon makes a sliding challenge to divert the ball otherwise the Swedish centre-back would have only the goalkeeper to beat.

Minute 12 -- Korea's Kim Shinwook is shown the match's first yellow card. He is booked for a lunge at Ekdal.

Minute 10-- Korea make a good start to the game. Sweden, on the other hand, are finding the going difficult, especially going forward.


Minute 5 -- Korea get the first free-kick of the match and that is near the Swedish box. Son takes the free-kick and although the cross is good, it doesn't do much for them.

And we are off!!! Peeeepppppp!!

Trivia: 

-- South Korea have won only one of their last nine World Cup games (D3 L5) - it was in their opening match of the 2010 edition against Greece (2-0). (Source: OptaJoe)

-- The first shot of this game came on 20:00 - the second longest wait for a shot in a World Cup match since 1966 (Netherlands v Costa Rica in 2014, 20:59). (Source: Goal.com)

-- Sweden have now gone 382 minutes of play without scoring, with their last goal coming in a 2-1 defeat against Chile back in March. (Source: OptaJoe)

-- Trivia: Andreas Granqvist's goal was the first penalty scored by Sweden at the World Cup since 2002, when Henrik Larsson netted against Nigeria.  (Source: OptaJoe)

Line-ups out!!

Line-ups out!!

South Korea (4-3-3): Cho Hyun-woo; Lee Yong, Park Joo-ho; Kim Young-gwon, Jang Hyun-soo; Koo Ja-cheol, Ki Sung-yueng, Lee Jae-sung; Son Heung-min, Kim Shin-wook, Hwang Hee-chan.

Sweden (4-4-2): Olsen; Lustig, Granqvist, Jansson, Augustinsson; Claesson, Ekdal, Larsson, Forsberg; Toivonen, Berg.

South Korea will try to force an upset when they face higher-ranked Sweden in their 2018 FIFA World Cup Group F opening match at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium here on Monday.

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Yesterday was a not-so-good day for favourites of the FIFA World Cup. Get all the highlights and match analysis here:

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South Korea vs Sweden preview:

Football fans saw FIFA World Cup 2018's first upset as Mexico defeated Germany 1-0 in a Group F contest at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium. But that was an exception. Sweden and Korea Republic are well aware of the importance of opening match at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.  

South Korea, in their 10th World Cup, are certain underdogs in their group, where they are also paired with defending champions Germany and Latin American powerhouses Mexico, reports Yonhap news agency.

Neither history nor statistics are in South Korea's favour when it comes to their meeting with Sweden.

Coached by Shin Tae-yong, South Korea are ranked No.57 in the latest FIFA rankings while Sweden sit at No.24.

South Korea have two draws and two losses from their four previous encounters with Sweden, although their last meeting was in 2005.

Probably the only statistic that South Korea can rely on is their opening match results in recent World Cups. Beginning in 2002, South Korea have not lost any of their first World Cup matches, collecting three wins and one draw.

Neither team had an impressive World Cup tune-up before landing in Russia. South Korea played to a scoreless draw with Bolivia and fell 0-2 to Senegal in their friendly matches in Austria. Sweden had 0-0 draws with Denmark and Peru in their World Cup warm-ups at home.

There has been an off-pitch battle between the two sides ahead of their Group F clash. Sweden claimed they've analysed all of South Korea's closed-door training in Austria while South Korea accused Sweden of playing the press to distract them.

Shin has yet to confirm whether he will use a back three or a back four against Sweden, whose main formation is 4-4-2. South Korea mostly used a 4-4-2 setup in their recent friendly matches.

But whether it's a back three or a back four, South Korea kept a two-forward system with Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan playing up front. Son is arguably South Korea's best player in recent years. The Tottenham Hotspur talisman has 21 goals in 67 caps.

If using 4-4-2, they're likely to be flanked by two Lees -- Hellas Verona's Lee Seung-woo on the left and Lee Jae-sung on the right.

South Korean captain and Swansea City anchorman Ki Sung-yueng will orchestrate the midfield with his defensive partner Jung Woo-young. Ki will be the man who will distribute the ball and control the team's buildup process.

South Korea are likely to deploy the center back duo of Jang Hyun-soo and Kim Young-gwon, who are currently the most experienced defenders on the squad. Veteran right back Lee Yong is set to start on the right side of the defense, with former Borussia Dortmund man Park Joo-ho likely to start ahead of Hong Chul and Kim Min-woo.

Kim Seung-gyu, who also competed at the 2014 World Cup, is likely to be the starting goalkeeper for South Korea, ahead of the less experienced Jo Hyeon-woo, who only has six caps under his belt.

Sweden, coached by Janne Andersson, have been pretty much sticking to their 4-4-2 system, with Al Ain striker Marcus Berg and Toulouse forward Ola Toivonen playing upfront.

Their attacking ace, however, is RB Leipzig star Emil Forsberg. The 26-year-old left winger tends to cut into the centre to create chances. Viktor Claesson, who is with Russian side Krasnodar, is expected to start on the right wing.

Veteran midfielder Sebastian Larsson and Albin Ekdal are likely to be the central midfielders against South Korea.

But it was that stingy and powerful defence that helped Sweden to reach the World Cup ahead of football giants like the Netherlands and Italy in their qualifying campaign. Led by captain Andreas Granqvist, Sweden boast defenders who are physically strong.

Granqvist, who is also with Russian side Krasnodar, is likely to form the center back line with Manchester United's Victor Lindelof. Mikeal Lustig of Celtic is certain to start as a right back, while Ludwig Augustinsson of Werder Bremen or Martin Olsson of Swansea could play as left back.

Robin Olsen, who is with Danish club FC Copenhagen, is likely to wear the gloves for Sweden.

When and where to watch Sweden vs South Korea live:

FIFA World Cup 2018 Sweden vs South Korea match will take place on Monday, June 18, 2018 at 5.30 PM .

FIFA World Cup Sweden vs South Korea will be broadcast on Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 2 HD, Sony ESPN, Sony ESPN HD in English Commentary and Sony Ten 3 and Sony 3 HD in Hindi Commentary.

Sweden vs South Korea match will be available for live streaming on Sony Liv. And Both Airtel and Jio would broadcast the FIFA World Cup 2018 matches for free to their respective subscribers.

This is probable squad for Sweden vs South Korea:

Sweden: Olsen; Lustig, Granqvist, Lindelof, Augustinsson; Claesson, Larsson, Ekdal, Forsberg; Berg, Toivonen.

Korea Republic: Kim Seunggyu; Lee Yong, Kim Younggwon, Jang Hyunsoo, Park Jooho; Ki Sungyueng, Jung Wooyoung; Hwang Heechan, Lee Jaesung, Son Heungmin; Kim Shinwook.