Substitute Jesper Karlsson scored a brilliant late free kick and Anthony Elanga added a superb solo goal as Sweden hammered Azerbaijan 5-0 in their Group F European Championship qualifier on Monday.
After a terrible team performance against Belgium, in which Romelu Lukaku scored a hat-trick in their first group game, the Swedes came out with all guns blazing and Alexander Isak had a goal ruled out for offside before Emil Forsberg scored in the 38th minute.
Deployed on the left wing, Forsberg went on a driving run through the heart of the Azerbaijan defence before clipping a shot past the unsighted goalkeeper.
That Forsberg finish ??#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/vepHAvW1q5
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) March 27, 2023
Sweden doubled their advantage in the 65th minute as Bahlul Mustafazada steered an Isak cross into his own net, and 14 minutes later Viktor Gyokeres made it 3-0 with a tap-in from Karlstrom's pass.
The two best goals of the game came from substitutes as Karlsson buried a perfectly-placed free kick in the 88th minute, and Elanga added the final goal a minute later with a superb run, rounding the keeper before slotting home.
The win lifts Sweden to third spot in the group on three points, with Austria, who beat Estonia 2-1, top and the Belgians second.