Only two matches have been played in the World Championship qualifying round, but Göteborgs-Posten states: "It's over. It's finished", after yesterday's shock defeat away against Kosovo, ranked 95th in the world.
"The uphill struggle is so steep now that it's impossible to see how a Swedish national team under Jon Dahl Tomasson will be able to regain the confidence they have tried to instill over 1.5 years", the newspaper writes and notes that the chance of winning the group in the qualifying round is now gone.
"Only to congratulate"
Dagens Nyheter draws parallels to how the Swedish national team captain Jon Dahl Tomasson in a previous interview described the team as eight players carrying a piano and three stars playing on it.
"Now the piano national team sounds so terrible that the poor trumpeter in Kiruna was a wonder of tone security after the church move". The newspaper also writes that the World Championship chance is not over yet since Sweden still has a chance for a playoff spot in March. But it will stop there.
"The team that is drawn against Sweden is only to congratulate. And for Tomasson, it will probably be his last matches as national team captain", DN writes.
Criticized internationally
Expressen gives all players a failing grade at the same time and states that "This effort was a betrayal from everyone". TV4 Football Channel describes the match as "a painful keelhauling" and questions why they try to play an offensive football if they can't handle it?
International media are also surprised over the weak Swedish performance.
Danish Ekstrabladet describes Sweden as "humiliated" by Kosovo, and BT writes that the blue and yellow team "is in trouble" and that "the alarm bells are ringing".
Switzerland's joy
Norwegian Nettavisen thinks that the Swedish national team "reached a bottom level" after Monday's loss, and Finnish Ilta Sanomat describes the mood in Sweden as "a funeral atmosphere" after "a huge fiasco".
Swiss Blick praises Kosovo for the achievement in the World Championship qualifying round, and points out that the Swiss national team's biggest competitor in the group "with its Premier League stars" is in "a state of despair". English Mirror describes the match as a nightmare comeback for Alexander Isak, who "could not save his country from a humiliating defeat".
Sweden is third in the World Championship qualifying group behind Switzerland and Kosovo with one point from two matches.
