Manchester United starlet Anthony Elanga was summoned from the bench for his international debut as Sweden took a step closer to qualifying for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Captained by his United teammate Victor Lindelof, the Swedes were 1-0 winners against Czech Republic.
That result at the Friends Arena in Solna has set up a play-off final showdown with Poland. Despite the high stakes involved, Elanga was named in the senior squad for the first time and capped off his breakthrough campaign with a five-minute cameo at the end on Thursday night.
Sweden needed extra time to see off the Czechs in a game that featured minimal clear-cut chances. A winner from Robin Quaison settled the scores after 110 minutes.
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While it was under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that Elanga was handed a first senior appearance for United, the Academy graduate has enjoyed increased game time since Ralf Rangnick stepped into the dugout as interim manager back in November.
The Sweden teenager has made 20 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring four goals. But this latest milestone will take some beating as the 19-year-old replaced RB Leipzig playmaker Emil Forsberg for the final minutes in Solna - situated north of the capital Stockholm.
Next up for Elanga and Lindelof is a crunch meeting with Poland. Of course, they received a bye straight through to the play-off final after Russia were banned from World Cup qualifying due to the war in Ukraine.
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