Hodgson happy with England performance despite Sweden defeat
Thursday 15 November 2012
Roy Hodgson has praised the performance of his England players despite Sweden running out victorious thanks to four Zlatan Ibrahimovic goals, the BBC has reported.
The Paris Saint-Germain striker inspired the hosts to a win in their new stadium, scoring once in the first-half and three times in the second, one of which was a long-range free-kick that beat goalkeeper Joe Hart along the ground, while the captain’s final goal, a 30-yard overhead kick that lobbed the stranded Hart, has been hailed from all quarters.
Hodgson, while disappointed with the result, revealed he was content with the performance, having handed debuts to a host of players including Steven Caulker, who scored to give England a 2-1 lead shortly before half-time, Leon Osman, and Raheem Sterling, who each started the match.
Danny Welbeck had earlier cancelled out Ibrahimovic’s opening goal before Caulker tipped the balance in England’s favour by converting a free-kick from captain Steven Gerrard, who won his 100th international cap in the match.
Hodgson said: “I thought it was a good performance. For large periods I can be more than satisfied. Many players who got a chance came out with great credit. For long periods we were quite dominant and in control.”
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