Germany has Group C locked down, but Austria took the lead in the race for a playoff spot on Friday. Sweden now face a seriously uphill climb if they want to qualify for the World Cup after their 2-1 loss to the Austrians, which leaves them in fourth place, behind Austria and Ireland by three points with a game in hand.
Austria vs. Sweden: Final score 2-1, Austrian victory opens up Group C
Johan Elmander scored late with a stunning chip to give Sweden a chance to earn a point, but they were unable to reverse Austria’s two first half goals.
Austria took the lead in the 25th minute, when Sweden goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson took down Austria attacker Martin Harnik in the box. Isaksson was shown a yellow card and David Alaba stepped up to convert from the spot. Six minutes later, Harnik created another chance with a cross into the box, but the finish was the real gem. With a late run forward and a dive, Marc Janko got on the end of the ball and directed a brilliant shot to the near post to put his team up 2-0.
Sweden pulled one back through Johan Elmander in spectacular fashion, in the 82nd minute. Zlatan Ibrahimovic exploited the space behind the Austrian defense with a great ball over the top, which Elmander ran onto before chipping Robert Almer. Unfortunately for Sweden, they were unable to find an equalizer.
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