June 6, 2025. It is the last time the men's national team kept a clean sheet in an international match.
Then there was a 2-0 victory in a friendly away to Hungary. Since then, Sweden has played 15 consecutive matches with at least one goal conceded. In total, there have been 33 goals conceded - an average of 2.2 goals per match.
During the first five matches, Jon Dahl Tomasson was the national team coach, but the Dane was fired last fall after the failed World Cup qualifiers.
Advance from the World Cup group
Englishman Graham Potter took over as national team coach in the final stages of qualifying and then took Sweden to the World Cup via the playoff in March - despite conceding goals against both Ukraine and Poland.
"We have discussed that we should get better at not giving up goal opportunities and not conceding goals," says Potter ahead of tonight's Nations League match against Romania at the national arena in Solna.
Sweden advanced from the World Cup group in North America before losing to France in the round of 16 - Potter's tenth match as head coach.
When I look back on the ten games and someone had told me from the start that you had achieved what we have achieved, I would have taken it, he says.
Team captain and centre back Victor Nilsson Lindelöf:
"As defenders, as a team, we obviously don't want to concede goals. The most important thing is, as always, that we are compact in our defensive play and know which areas to close down, and not concede cheap goals," says the 32-year-old.
Against Romania, Sweden will have to do without Gustaf Lagerbielke. The centre-back is in the squad, but will not be ready to play tonight due to a groin problem. Lagerbielke has played 90 minutes in all six blue-yellow competitive matches in 2026.
“Doesn’t give the whole picture”
Carl Starfelt is one who could start against Romania.
"It's one of the parts we want to develop, but at the same time it's statistics," Starfelt says about the defensive side and continues:
Statistics can tell you something, but they certainly don't tell the whole picture.
Midfielder Hjalmar Ekdal:
Of course, defence is important, but so is offence and everything in between. It will be important every practice now that we focus on what we go through in the meeting and try to implement it as quickly as possible on the field.
Sweden-Romania kicks off at 8:45 p.m.
The men's national football team has not kept a clean sheet in 15 consecutive matches. Here are all the matches:
2025
Algeria 4–3 (home), international
Slovenia 2–2 (away), World Cup qualifiers
Kosovo 0–2 (b), World Cup qualifiers
Switzerland 0–2 (h), World Cup qualifiers
Kosovo 0–1 (h), World Cup qualifiers
Switzerland 1–4 (b), World Cup qualifiers
Slovenia 1–1 (h), World Cup qualifiers
2026
Ukraine 3–1 (b), World Cup playoff
Poland 3–2 (h), World Cup playoff
Norway 1–3 (b), international
Greece 2–2 (h), international
Tunisia 5–1, World Cup group stage
Netherlands 1–5, World Cup group stage
Japan 1–1, World Cup group stage
France 0–3, Round of 16 in the World Cup
