Svanberg's blockbuster hopes in World
Photo: Björn Larsson Rosvall/TT

Svanberg's blockbuster hopes in World Cup debut: Incredible feeling

Mattias Svanberg needed only 18 seconds on the pitch to score in his World Cup debut. But he had to wait a few minutes to celebrate. "It was an incredible feeling," he said after the 5-1 win over Tunisia.

Advertisement

Svanberg ran onto the field in the 84th minute and almost immediately put Sweden 4–1 ahead with a free kick. The goal was initially ruled out because the Scanian was offside when the free kick was taken, but a barely visible cross from Alexander Isak overturned the offside call.

When you see him (the referee) raise the flag, you just become completely numb, says Svanberg.

After a few minutes of review, the goal was approved.

I knew Alex had touched the ball, and then I understood that it should be okay unless he was also offside.

Svanberg was on the pitch for 18 seconds before scoring. According to statistics company Opta, he was close to the record for a substitute in a World Cup, dating back to 1966. Uruguay's Richard Morales scored after 16 seconds against Senegal in the 2002 World Cup.

In this story
AuthorTT News AgencyEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for our readers
Was this useful?

What do you think?

Keep readingmore from Sports

All