Okay, let’s not pretend that Sweden’s 1-0 victory against Slovakia was actually fun to watch. It was not. At all.
There was very little excitement on the show – even the goal came from a penalty – but the only man who looked like he wanted to contribute to the highlight was Alexander Isak, who flashed a few glimpses of his outrageous quality to leave Slovakia sometimes bamboo.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic not part of the squad, Sweden has put all their hopes on Isak this summer, and it is not difficult to see why. The 21-year-old is great fun.
Isak did his best to liven up the boring first half with impressive movement and energy, but his runs were not seen by most of his teammates and ended up wasted. He became visibly frustrated by it and clearly said something during the break, after which he began to take control of the game.
Just a few seconds into the second half, he produced the game’s first tension with a powerful strike, but Isak was obviously just warming up for his main event – a dazzling half-run that almost gave us the goal of the tournament.
What a perspective!
Alexander Isak takes it from the halfway line and almost scores. # SWE 0-0 #SVK
??? Watch live: https://t.co/T3UpmEN8R7 # bbceuro2020 # euro2020 pic.twitter.com/sSKD1j6kES
Today’s match (@BBCMOTD) June 18, 2021
Picking up the ball in the middle circle, Isaac weaved past two defenders with some incredible footwork, but he was not finished there. A great stepover sent two more players packing and a cut inwards embarrassed another, but he could not match that quality with his strike at the end of it.
His six dribbles during the match were the most we have seen from any player at this tournament so far and the most that any Swedish player has succeeded in a tournament game since 1992.
Isak looked scary for this one and blinked all the quality we saw from him at club level with Real Sociedad. 17 goals in 34 games for La Liga’s Young Player of the Year built up a lot of hype, and he’s living up to it this summer.
It’s no surprise that some of the Premier League elite are sniffing. According to AS, Isak has aroused interest from Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, who have all been tipped to pay their release clause of 60 million pounds.
Alexander Isak hype is justified.
?????? ?? https://t.co/u7ZImmMdSU pic.twitter.com/IYNXm3y8Fs
– 90min (@ 90min_Football) June 18, 2021
Scouts will have watched this game closely, and if they were in doubt whether Isaac is worth that kind of money, they will have thought about it after this screening.
Isak’s stock increases with each passing match. His list of suitors will only grow even longer, and it would not be a surprise to see his name in the headlines all summer.
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