Record setting Swedes shine in qualifiers

Zlatan Ibrahimovic set a new mark for men's scoring in soccer while Lotta Schelin is on the cusp of setting the women's record. 

  • Lotta Schelin scores her second goal against Bosnia Hercegovina Sept. 8 to give her 71 career international goals. Daniel Stiller/Bildbyran

  • Zlatan being Zlatan
    Who dares to touch the Zlatan? Nobody, that’s who. Austrian defender Rubin Okotie may think twice about marking Sweden star Ibrahimovic during the pair's next meeting given the frightening glare he received for simply touching the striker during Sweden’s match with Austria Sept. 8.
    Sweden had lined up to take a corner during the Euro 2016 qualifier as Okotie lined up in front of Ibrahimovic before giving him a slight nudge in the chest. The Paris Saint-Germain striker looked disgusted by the invasion of his personal space and proceeded to stare Okotie down as the Austrian nervously nodded in his direction.
    Ibrahimovic was also fortunate to escape a red card on his 100th appearance for Sweden after he floored Austria defender David Alaba.
    The PSG striker caught Bayern Munich left back Alaba in the face with a flailing elbow in the first half of the Euro 2016 qualifier in Vienna.
    The 32-year-old failed to add to his record-breaking tally of 50 goals in a Sweden shirt as his team battled for a 1-1 draw in the Group G clash.
    A 12th-minute strike from Erkan Zengin levelled the scoring for Sweden after Alaba had given Austria the lead with an early penalty.
    Speaking after the game, Sweden coach Erik Hamren said, "I am happy with the result, I am also happy with the game ... I am sure it's going to be a really important point in qualifying."
    Ibrahimovic became the all-time leading Swedish men’s national team scorer when he tallied on a cheeky back heel Sept. 4. The Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has now scored in every minute of a football match.
    Ibrahimovic scored twice to lead Sweden to a 2-0 win over Estonia in its opening qualifying match for Euro 2016, bringing the international tally to 50 in 99 games and overtaking Sven Rydell's 82-year-old record.
    The former Barcelona and Juventus forward has scored 369 goals throughout his 15-year career, but it was his strike in the 24th minute during the international break that completed the statistic.
    Rydell scored the last of his 49 goals against Finland in 1932. Ibrahimovic, sure as ever of breaking the record, immediately revealed a shirt with a message for fans that read: "You made it all possible."
    Ibrahimovic made his international debut in 2001 and scored his first goal in a 3-0 victory over Azerbaijan in a World Cup qualifying match.
    Arguably the striker's most memorable goal came against England when, having already put three past a lackluster Three Lions, Ibrahimovic unleashed an incredible 35-yard bicycle kick to embarrass Joe Hart and seal the 4-2 win for Sweden. The goal earned him the 2013 FIFA Puskas Award for the best goal of the year.

  • Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates his 50th career for Sweden. Joel Marklun/Bildbyran

  • Top Five Men’s Scorers for Sweden
    1. Zlatan Ibrahimovic — 50 goals in 99 games
    2. Sven Rydell — 49 goals in 43 games
    3. Gunnar Nordahl — 43 goals in 33 games
    4. Henrik Larsson —37 goals in 106 games
    5. Gunnar Gren — 32 goals in 57 games

  • Whatever boys can do …
    Lotta Schelin can do better. So can Hanna Ljungberg for that matter.
    While men’s star Zlatan Ibrahimovic backs in the glow of his record-setting 50th goal for the men’s national team, Schelin has set her sights on the scoring record for the women’s national team. Ljungberg, who retired in 2009, holds the top spot with 72 goals. Schelin has 71 goals after she scored twice to lead Sweden to a 3-0 win over Bosnia-Hercegovina in a 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup qualifier.
    The two-goal performance pulled Schelin level with Sweden head coach Pia Sundhage, who scored 71 goals in 146 games. Schelin has played in 139 games.
    Schelin’s brace helped Sweden overcome an unusually resilient Bosnian side, which held the high-flying Blue and Yellow to just one goal in the first half when the two sides met Sept. 11. Sweden continued to look somewhat disjointed in the second half but Schelin made sure of the win as she scored twice in the final 45 minutes. Her second goal — a left-footed volley from eight yards — earned her a standing ovation from Sundhage.
    “It was just a beautiful goal,” Sundhage said.
    Now, Schelin has the record and Scotland in her sights. Sweden played Scotland Sept. 17 and Schelin said she wanted to break the record in that game, primarily for one reason.
    “I want to do it fast so I don’t have to keep answering questions (about the record),” Schelin quipped.
    Sweden lead its group with 27 points from nine matches and has outscored its opponents 30-1. A tie against Scotland would seal Sweden’s trip to the World Cup next year in Canada.

  • Top Five Women’s Scorers for Sweden
    1. Hanna Ljungberg — 72 goals in 130 games
    2. Lotta Schelin — 71 goals in 139 games
    3. Pia Sundhage — 71 goals in 146 games
    4. Lena Videkull — 71 goals in 111 games
    5. Victoria Svensson — 68 goals in 166 games

  • By CHipp Reid