After seeing defending World Cup champion Germany go down on Sunday, opportunity is knocking for Sweden or South Korea to make early headway in Group F play in Russia.
A winner of their showdown in Nizhny Novgorod would leapfrog the Germans, while a draw would see the champs end the opening set of matches in last place–an unlikely proposition once the draw was conducted in December.
Sweden enters the match winless in its four pre-World Cup friendlies, managing only a single goal in that time. That's a far cry from the side that scored 26 goals in World Cup qualifying (albeit plenty of damage coming against Belarus and Luxembourg) and bested the Netherlands for a spot in the playoff round.
South Korea, meanwhile, has also struggled recently, winning just one of six pre-World Cup matches since March. Led by Tottenham's Son Heung-min, the Asian side has a difference-maker, which could be key in what is expected to be a low-scoring affair.
In the first few moments of the match, South Korea looked more threatening, attacking the right-hand side thanks to their wide players, most specifically Hee-Chan Hwang, who forced the first corner of the match. In the end, Sweden's bigger defensive unit dealt with it. It was clear that the Asian squad looked the most dangerous.
In the 11th minute, Kim Shin-wook received a yellow for an awful challenge, a classic forward's tackle. That forced to disrupt the rhythm of South Korean play, and allowing Sweden to slowly get back in the game. After 20 minutes, Marcus Berg missed a golden opportunity to make it 1-0 when he was one-on-one with Cho Hyun-woo, but the stopper made a fantastic stop.
This play, however, prompted Sweden to keep pushing and as we reached the half-hour mark, Janne Andersson's side looked the most dangerous. The first half ended with South Korea holding on as the European side were clearly dominating.
As the second half kicked-off, Sweden stayed in charge but a quick counter-attacking header nearly saw South Korea take the lead, but the attempt went just wide.
Equally on the other side, Sweden had a great chance to go ahead, but South Korea's stopper was up to the task once again.
After the hour, VAR came into action once again in the tournament as Sweden was awarded a penalty after a challenge in the box. The third VAR penalty decision of the tournament.
Stay tuned for live updates and highlights of goals and key plays from throughout the match (refresh for most recent updates).
Here are the lineups for both teams:
Here are the rosters for both sides:
SWEDEN
Goalkeepers: Karl-Johan Johnsson (Guingamp), Kristoffer Nordfeldt (Swansea), Robin Olsen (FC Copenhagen)
Defenders: Ludwig Augustinsson (Werder Bremen), Andreas Granqvist (Krasnodar), Filip Helander (Bologna), Pontus Jansson (Leeds), Emil Krafth (Bologna), Mikael Lustig (Celtic), Victor Lindelof (Manchester United), Martin Olsson (Swansea)
Midfielders: Viktor Claesson (Krasnodar), Jimmy Durmaz (Toulouse), Albin Ekdal (Hamburger SV), Emil Forsberg (Leipzig), Oscar Hiljemark (Genoa), Sebastian Larsson (Hull City), Marcus Rohden (FC Crotone), Gustav Svensson (Seattle Sounders)
Forwards: Marcus Berg (Al Ain), John Guidetti (Alaves), Isaac Kiese Thelin (Waasland-Beveren), Ola Toivonen (Toulouse)
Manager: Janne Andersson
SOUTH KOREA
Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu (Vissel Kobe), Kim Jin-hyeon (Cerezo Osaka), Cho Hyun-woo (Daegu FC)
Defenders: Kim Young-gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande), Jang Hyun-soo (FC Tokyo), Jung Seung-hyun (Sagan Tosu), Yun Yong-sun (Seongnam FC), Oh Ban-suk (Jeju United), Kim Min-woo (Sangju Sangmu), Park Joo-ho (Ulsan Hyundai), Hong Chul (Sangju Sangmu), Go Yo-han (FC Seoul), Lee Yong (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)
Midfielders: Ki Sung-yueng (Swansea City), Jung Woo-young (Vissel Kobe), Ju Se-jong (Asan Mugunghwa FC), Koo Ja-cheol (FC Augsburg), Lee Jae-sung (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Lee Seung-woo (Hellas Verona), Moon Seon-min (Incheon United)
Forwards: Kim Shin-wook (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (FC Red Bull Salzburg)
Manager: Shin Tae-yong
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