Sweden will work to neutralise the threat posed by England’s Harry Kane on Saturday, when the two sides meet in their World Cup quarter‑final in Samara.
Andreas Granqvist, Sweden’s captain, said preventing England from supplying the current top scorer in Russia would be key to his team’s chances.
“We know they have Harry Kane, who is really dangerous in the penalty box, so we need to be very strong in the box and try to make sure that they don’t get the service that they need,” Granqvist said, after a Sweden training session at the Samara Arena on Friday afternoon.
Granqvist joked that both he and Kane had a 100% penalty record so far in the tournament, with the former Wigan defender scoring two and Kane scoring three and one in a penalty shootout. But he said it was not just Kane’s penalties concerning Sweden.
“He’s incredibly skilled, not just at penalties but as a striker. He’s good at everything and it’s going to be a very tough match against him. But we’re going to do everything to stop him.”
Granqvist said the team spirit in their camp has made up for what is perhaps a lack of quality compared to some of the favourites to win the World Cup. Sweden dispatched the Netherlands and Italy in qualifying and went through to the knockout stage at the expense of Germany, despite losing their game against the defending champions. “We might not have on paper the best team individually but as a team we’re very high achievers.”
The Sweden captain this week also became a father for the second time, as his wife gave birth to a baby daughter. He said he had not slept much but was not overwhelmed by the combination of events on and off the pitch. “It’s quite simple, getting a daughter is the most beautiful thing you can get, it’s a dream for every football player to play a quarter-final in the World Cup – I just try to enjoy it, to be present in the now, to try to get the best possible result.”
Sweden’s coach Janne Andersson also pinpointed the spirit of togetherness among the squad as the reason behind the progression to a first quarter‑final since 1994. “The joy we feel, we’re in day 45 now together, and even I will have a bad day sometimes. And then you go to your room for a little rest and you come back with new energy and you can contribute to the team,” he said.
He said the Sweden side has been preparing a game-plan for potential extra time and penalties, and he knew which players would take spot-kicks in the event of a penalty shootout.
