WORLD CUP USA 1994 : Rout Begs Question: Did Swedes Miss With Brazil Plan? : Consolation: A 4-0 victory over Bulgaria raises concerns about team’s defensive strategy in semifinal loss.
Coming to grips with the axiom that the best way to score is to shoot, Sweden loosened its tie at the Rose Bowl on Saturday and took target practice against road-weary Bulgaria.
With no Romarios or Bebetos or Brazilian lore to intimidate them, the Swedes easily disposed of Bulgaria, 4-0, before a hushed crowd of 83,716 in the World Cup consolation match.
Sweden returns triumphantly to Stockholm as the world’s third-best team and the tournament’s biggest paradox.
The nation that has scored the most goals in the tournament, 15, was left to explain how it could be so aggressive on offense against Bulgaria after playing a shell game against Brazil in Wednesday’s semifinals.
The Swedes wanted the world to believe they employed the same tactics in both matches. The world wasn’t buying it. With nothing to lose against Bulgaria, a carefree Sweden started four forwards, who forayed up and down the field like ballet dancers.
Managing only three shots against Brazil, the Swedes pummeled the Bulgarian goal with 16. At the half, Sweden had built a 4-0 lead and driven goalkeeper Borislav Mihaylov from the game.
Mihaylov entered play with a 1.11 goals-against average and was a candidate for the Lev Yashin Award given to tournament’s top goalkeeper.
In the eighth minute on Saturday, midfielder Tomas Brolin took a crossing pass from Klas Ingesson and headed it past Mihaylov.
In the 30th, after a Bulgarian foul, Brolin quick-rolled a free kick pass to Hakan Mild, who blew another shot past the goalkeeper.
In the 37th minute, forward Henrik Larsson, Martin Dahlin’s stand-in, scored on a breakaway made easier when Mihaylov left the box to challenge the shot.
In the 39th minute, Kennet Andersson headed a crossing pass from Stefan Schwarz past the beleaguered Mihaylov.
Who were these guys?
“I am an attacking coach, I like attacking football,” a defensive Sweden Coach Tommy Svensson said afterward. “Scoring four goals in one half is a dream.”
As marvelous as Sweden’s run has been, questions kept returning to the Brazil game. If, indeed, Sweden was an attacking team, why did the gifted Larsson not start against Brazil?
“You think I am not an attacking coach?” Svensson retorted. “We are an attacking team.”
If, indeed, Sweden could play this style against Bulgaria, why could it not against Brazil?
Was Sweden giving Brazil too much quarter, perhaps mistaking it as a powerhouse to rival Pele’s 1970 World Cup championship squad?
“I must say that Brazil was too good for us,” Brolin conceded. “When you play Brazil, you have to get the ball from them. It is normal that you are on the defense.”
Andersson, seemingly reading from the same script, agreed.
“Brazil is a better team,” he said. “We didn’t play any different. When we got the ball today, we were able to expose their defense.”
Andersson was being kind.
The Swedes dominated an obviously jet-lagged Bulgarian squad that had to fly cross-country Thursday from New Jersey after losing its semifinal match against Italy.
“Those of us on the bench were shocked by those goals in the first 15 or 20 minutes,” Bulgaria Coach Dimitar Penev said.
While there was no second-half scoring, there was an exciting cat-and-mouse game between Bulgaria’s Hristo Stoitchkov and Thomas Ravelli, the Swedish goalkeeper. In a meeting of two of the best players at their positions in the tournament, Ravelli denied the feisty Stoitchkov time and again.
Stoitchkov entered the match tied with Russia’s Oleg Salenko for the tournament goal-scoring lead, with six. Stoitchkov was bent on making the title his own.
Stoitchkov missed his best chance in the 85th minute, when only Ravelli stood in his way. But the Swede made a sliding leg save, leaving Stoitchkov to collapse on the field in disgust.
Ravelli, who was playing to the crowd, offered Stoitchkov a hand up, but the brooding Bulgarian refused. Instead, he stormed off.
What could Ravelli say?.
“I do not speak Spanish (Stoitchkov’s language of preference Saturday) and he does not speak English,” Ravelli said.
The goalkeeper had made his point.
And so, too, had Sweden.
“We are a great offensive team,” Andersson said. “We just met a great team in the semis, that’s all. We showed the world today.”
