On a day that may have offered a glimpse into the future of English football, it was an old hand for the opposition that made the biggest impact of the match.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored four goals to lead the Swedes to a convincing 4-2 victory to open up their new national stadium, Stockholm’s Friends Arena.
The score line might have registered mild surprise for some, but not the offence: for whatever reason, when England and Sweden get together on the pitch, the results are electric. The last time the sides met, during Euro 2012, England came away with a thrilling 3-2 win.
In the end, Ibrahimovic was simply unstoppable for Sweden, and his unbelievable bicycle kick goal to put his side up by two was as emphatic an exclamation point as there is. He was so dominant in this match that the final score really doesn’t reflect the balance of play. Rarely do we see a player take over a match as Ibrahimovic – 31-years-old and improbably, showing no signs of fading — did Wednesday.
Steven Gerrard earned his milestone 100th cap for England, but the rest of the lineup was much less familiar. Indeed, even the heartiest English supporter could be forgiven for checking their programme during the match; Roy Hodgson’s side bore little resemblance, and few of the familiar faces, to the England we’re accustomed to.
There was no Wayne Rooney, John Terry or Frank Lampard. Instead, Hodgson took the match as an opportunity to get as many young players into the side as he could muster. And despite the final score, the early returns looked promising.
Danny Welbeck, 21, and Steven Caulker, 20, provided the goals, a promising sign for Hodgson if he continues in this direction towards a youth influx. Welbeck, who’s had trouble getting into Sir Alex Ferguson’s starting 11 recently for Manchester United, continues to shine for his country.
He was robbed of a second goal in the 35th minute after getting himself on the end of a lovely Ashley Young cross.
Caulker, seeing his first action on the pitch for England, put in a good performance and is sure to see more action for the national side soon.
There were also some more notable debuts for England.
Raheem Sterling, the speedy 17-year-old Liverpool winger, more than held his own, and caused problems for Sweden throughout. Also earning their first caps were Wilfried Zaha (20, of Crystal Palace), Ryan Shawcross (25, of Stoke City) and Carl Jenkinson (20, of Arsenal), who is now locked in with England after flirting with Finland at the U-21 level.
And for all the youth, there was also the feel-good story of Leon Osman, the Everton midfielder who received his first cap at the age of 31.
Jack Wilshere came on as a substitute, returning to the fold as he continues a comeback from a devastating leg injury that kept him out of football for over a year.
Despite the thumping at the hands of Ibrahimovic and company – but mostly, just Ibrahimovic — England can take some solace in the idea that the program appears poised for a youth movement. Imagining a side with a core of Tom Cleverley, Caulker, Wilshere, Welbeck, supplemented by veterans like Joe Hart, Rooney and Gerrard, seems to bode well for their near-future.
Make no mistake, England is still far away from turning the corner and regaining a place in the upper echelon of world football, but perhaps the match in Sweden will turn out to be a touchstone for better days ahead.
Jon Spratt is a freelance journalist and feature writer based in Toronto. Follow Jon on Twitter.