Euro 2020: Worst thing I have experienced in football, says Sweden coach Janne Andersson after crashing out

Sweden coach Janne Andersson was dejected and heartbroken after his team crashed out of the Euro 2020 following their 1-2 extra-time defeat against Ukraine in the round of 16 on Tuesday.

Sweden ended up on the losing side despite dominating the game but were severely hampered when defender Marcus Danielson got a red card for his reckless challenge on Ukraine’s Artem Besyedin 9 minutes into extra time.

Danielson became the fourth player to get a straight red card in extra-time of a European Championship match, and first since Portugal’s Nuno Gomes against France in 2000.

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Ukraine took a surprise lead thanks to a stunning goal from Oleksandr Zinchenko in the 27th minute but Sweden hit back through Emil Forsberg just 16 minutes later. Both teams continued to fight it out till the very end in normal time before the game went into added time.

Reduced to 10-men, Sweden conceded the deciding goal as Artem Dobvyk found the back of the net in the final minute of the match to get eliminated from the tournament.

“This is the worst thing I have experienced in a football context, it was brutal. I think we were the better team and to get hit with a sending-off, that’s tough in itself.

“They (the players) fight like they did and then to get knocked out in the closing seconds, it’s so awful and brutal, it doesn’t get any worse when we talk sports,” Andersson told Sweden’s TV4.

“We were so close to something really good, we come out of it with a passing grade. 2004 was the last time that Sweden got out of the group stage.

“I think it is well done by the lads, overall I think we played a good tournament, even if it tastes sour right now,” Andersson added.

Sweden striker Emil Forsberg, who hit the woodwork twice in the second half, said that players broke down in the dressing room after the game.

“There’s a very sad, sorry atmosphere in the dressing room right now, not much talk, we are all very disappointed, it feels awful. This is not what we came here for, but that’s football.

“We were the better team, we created the better chances, (hit the) post, the crossbar, it’s sad, and the red card affects (the game),” said Forsberg, who scored 4 goals added.