Manchester United and Premier League defender Victor Lindelof has accepted his share of the blame after making a big mistake in Sweden’s 3-0 defeat by Azerbaijan.
If Janne Andersson’s side had hoped to fly out of the blocks in Baku, then the Sweden boss didn’t plan for his captain accidentally tying his own shoelaces together and tripping over his feet, almost literally, with just three minutes on the clock.
Victor Lindelof, the long-serving Manchester United defender, was caught dawdling on the edge of his own penalty area, robbed of possession as Azerbaijan stormed into an early lead.
Manchester United man struggles in 3-0 defeat
“The way we started is with an individual mistake on my part,” Lindelof sighs, via Aftonbladet. “I though I was in control, but he wins the ball. It’s not okay, and it puts the team in a bad situation.
“Then, they get a second goal quickly and then it becomes difficult to come back. Even if you are motivated, you can start the match in a bad way.”
Azerbaijan doubled their lead just three minutes later via former Wolves youngster Renat Dadashov, eventually cruising to a historic 3-0 win despite limping on with ten men for the final half hour.
Sweden miss out on Euro 2024
“I’ve played quite a few games and made a lot of mistakes, which you do even if you’re not motivated. It’s not about that,” Lindelof adds.
“It’s about the quality not being there today. We tried to fight our way in (to the game) and create a bit, but we didn’t get into good enough situations.”
Sweden’s hopes of qualifying for Euro 2024 actually ended a month ago, Belgium and Austria 10 and 12 points ahead of the Scandinavian giants in Group F.
Sweden are now in danger of finishing fifth in a six-team qualification group, Azerbaijan moving level on points with that one-sided victory on Thursday night.
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