When Sweden beat Slovakia 2-1 on Saturday evening and secured first place in their group in the C-division of the Nations League, the joy was marred by the fact that team captain Victor Nilsson Lindelöf injured himself again.
Very sad. He had just come back from injury and then got a new injury, it's tough to see, says Bologna defender Emil Holm when he meets journalists on Sunday.
"Gave him a hug"
A frustrated Manchester United defender repeatedly slapped his hands on the grass on the Strawberry arena when he realized what had happened. He received help from the pitch and had a heavily bandaged left thigh.
He was very down in the dressing room too. He's an important guy in the team, he's the captain after all. No, it was sad, says Emil Holm, who came on in the 75th minute against Slovakia.
Did you say anything to him?
I gave him a hug and told him to take care of himself, says Holm.
The centre-back made his season debut for United for the first time on October 6 with a 45-minute long substitute appearance – it was his first minutes in the league in over five months.
I've never been as injured as I was last season. It started already in December last year, I came back, played a few matches and then I pulled my hamstring and was out almost the entire season, said Nilsson Lindelöf ahead of Sweden's away match against Slovakia earlier this fall.
Replacements called in
In Bratislava, the 30-year-old got a 30-minute substitute appearance. He didn't play at all a few days later against Estonia.
How long Victor Nilsson Lindelöf is expected to be out is unclear, but he is leaving the national team gathering. National team coach Jon Dahl Tomasson has called in two new defenders ahead of the Nations League finale against Azerbaijan on Tuesday.
Gabriel Lagerbielke, FC Twente, and Henrik Castegren, Sirius, have joined in Stockholm. For Tuesday's match, centre-back Isak Hien is also missing, who is suspended after a warning against Slovakia.
