Taha Ali was dropped by national team coach Graham Potter from the World Cup squad. On Thursday evening he showed why.
Ali, who plays for the Allsvenskan club Malmö FF, came on in the second half and was involved in Sweden's 2-1 goal, with Gustaf Nilsson the last on the ball.
“Do my thing”
After the match, the 27-year-old was happy about his substitution, but did not want to be taken off.
"I wanted to create trust in the coach so that he knows what he's getting from me. It's clear what kind of player I am. I just want to do my thing," says Taha Ali.
The fast MFF player is also praised by his teammates.
"I was in shock, not because of what he did, because we've seen that before and we've seen that in training. But it was very impressive to see such a performance in a debut," says Alexander Isak and continues:
"It's like he's been with us for years. We were very excited on the bench."
Potter: "Unbelievable"
National team coach Graham Potter says he was very impressed with the substitute appearance:
"Incredible substitute appearance; he adds something that few other players do."
The question is whether Taha Ali will start in the World Cup opener against Tunisia on June 15. He himself does not want to speculate. Gustaf Lagerbielke says that the 27-year-old could be Sweden's x-factor.
"I've met him a few times and know how hard it is," says Lagerbielke.
