Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his retirement from international football hours before the last group stage game between his native land of Sweden and Belgium and was forced to bid farewell in a terrible fashion after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat at the Allianz Riviera today.
Erik Hamrén left John Guidetti out of the starting line-up whereas Marc Wilmots fielded an exciting front three that consisted of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Yannick Carrasco, who all played behind Everton striker Lukaku. Sweden needed a win while Belgium just needed a point to qualify for the knockout stages of the European Championship in Nice.
Sweden surprisingly had lesser attempts on goal despite having more possession than Belgium and they seemed lifeless throughout the entire 90 minutes of the match. AS Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan broke the deadlock in the dying stages of the game with a brilliant effort from 25 yards out that flew past Kasımpaşa goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson.
The Belgium national team finished Group E behind the Italy national team, while the Republic of Ireland national team qualified as one of the best-third placed teams.
Here are three of the best players of the match:
Kevin De Bruyne
The Manchester City playmaker was the star of the show for The Red Devils as he dictated the tempo of the game and created a number of chances for his teammates to score. He was unfortunate enough not to get a goal but he did produce an important goal-line clearance. He made a number of runs and linked well in between Eden Hazard and Yannick Carrasco.
Radja Nainggolan
The hard-working midfielder was completed the link between the defence and the attacking department of the team as he covered literally every blade of grass during the match. He won a number of aerial duels and tackles and scored the winning goal from 25 yards out.
Andreas Isaksson
The Swedish goalkeeper was on song as he produced a commanding display in between the sticks for his country earlier this morning. He made an incredible amount of seven saves and was a leader from the get go as he inspired his teammates to move forward. However, he was unfortunate to concede a brilliantly-taken goal from Radja Nainggolan during the end.
FULL HIGHLIGHTS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZyaFEXw9vE
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