Football: England end Sweden hoodoo

LONDON: England buried their 43-year jinx against Sweden after an own goal from defender Daniel Majstorovic handed manager Fabio Capello’s side a 1-0 friendly victory. Majstorovic diverted Gareth Barry’s glancing header into his own net on 22 minutes to hand England their first victory over Sweden since 1968. Although England dominated possession, the match petered out disappointingly in the second half. In other matches, France produced another unconvincing performance in a goal-less draw against Belgium, while veteran striker Miroslav Klose rolled back the years with a goal and two assists as Germany hammered Holland 3-0.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 17^th, 2011.