Switzerland faced Sweden in the third match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers at the Strawberry Arena in Stockholm.
With a deserved 0-2 win, the Swiss lead the group and have now reached nine points in the group standings.
Switzerland can now secure their World Cup ticket with a win in Slovenia next Monday, provided that Kosovo do not win in Sweden.
Even though Murat Yakin’s side made some remarkable defensive mistakes that could have led to goals if Sweden were more decisive inside the box, they put on a convincing attacking performance.
In this tactical analysis of the match between Sweden and Switzerland, our primary focus will be on the Swiss attacking actions and transitions, exploring how they can be more clinical and decisive in such processes for their future games.
The analysis will also try to identify Switzerland’s final passing and finishing issues in this match.
Sweden Vs Switzerland Lineups & Formations
Jon Dahl Tomasson started the match in a 5-3-2 formation, with Viktor Johansson as a goalkeeper, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Isak Hien, and Gabriel Gudmundsson as centre-backs.
The midfield consisted of Jesper Karlström, Lucas Bergvall, and Yasin Ayari as central midfielders, with Alexander Bernhardsson and Ken Sema playing as wing-backs.
Sweden’s stellar attacking line was formed of Viktor Gyökeres and Alexander Isak, although the two strikers were unable to score or create much threat on the Swiss goal apart from a few chances.
Despite Tomassons four substitutions, the team looked unbalanced throughout the match and failed to build attacks with clear ideas.
Their build-up attempts also witnessed numerous passing mistakes that allowed Switzerland to win the ball back frequently and launch counterattacks.
On the other hand, Yakin relied on the 4-2-3-1 formation with Gregor Kobel as a goalkeeper, Nico Elvedi and Manuel Akanji as centre-backs, Silvan Widmer as a right-back, and Ricardo Rodriguez as a left-back.
Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler were the central midfielders in the midfield, and Fabian Rieder was the advanced playmaker.
The use of Djibril Sow instead of Rieder during the second half made Switzerland a bit more dynamic and dangerous upfront since the latter offers more penetration and dribbling abilities.
On the wings, Yakin relied on Rubén Vargas and Dan Ndoye as wingers, with Breel Embolo as the main striker.
It should be said that promising winger Johan Manzambi was also an impactful substitution despite being subbed in instead of Vargas during the last minutes of the game.
That did not stop him from scoring and adding a lot of dynamism to the team’s attacking performance.
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Switzerland Attacking Transitions, Final Passes, & Finishing
Switzerland started the game very positively despite playing away from home.
They were capable of reaching Sweden’s penalty box quickly and without issues, and threatened their goal with shots from distance, most importantly with an Embolo header that hit the post in the third minute.
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