Sweden

0-0

England



World Cup Qualifier
06 September 1989
Rasunda Stadium, Stockholm

The point that England took from a World Cup draw with Sweden in the Rasunda Stadium made a place in the Italy Finals a near certainty. With at least one Group 2 team to qualify, England were best-placed with a two-point advantage over the Swedes and a significantly superior goal difference.

England's second scoreless encounter with the Swedes produced exciting near-misses at both ends and saw two of Bobby Robson's team finish as casualties.

Terry Butcher, such a key man in defence, cut his forehead in an awkward aerial collision with the lanky Ekstrom. Stitches were hurriedly inserted at half-time and Butcher bravely completed the match with his white England shirt turned crimson.

New Manchester United midfielder Neil Webb stretched for the ball as it seemed to be running away from him on the edge of the box and the painful result was an Achilles tendon injury that put him out of the game for several months.

An England unbeaten record stretching back for over a year came perilously close to ending a few seconds before the interval. Nilsson's progress into the box was unhindered until Webb intervened.

The ball broke loose and Engquist's instant low shot through a mass of legs looked a certain goal until Shilton plunged to his right on the goalline to palm the ball away.

England could have been a couple of goals ahead before then. In the opening minutes Lineker was released by McMahon into the kind of central position from which goals have come regularly in the past. However on this occasion the new Tottenham striker hesitated uncharacteristically and the danger was cleared.

Near the end of the opening half, Lineker cleverly got away from his marker in the box and Ravelli had to dive athletically to push away his downward header from Barnes' astute cross.

Yet England might have finished pointless. Walker was responsible for a perfectly-timed tackle to deny the flying Magnusson four minutes from the whistle and then experienced some kind of aberration as he turned round to pass back to Shilton.

The ball went straight to the surprised Magnusson who, luckily for England, could only scoop it into a grateful Shilton's arms.

Team Details

Sweden: Ravelli, Nilsson, Hysen, Larsson, Ljung, Engquist, Thern, Ingesson (Stromberg), Nilsson J. (Limpar), Ekstrom, Magnusson

England: Shilton, Stevens, Pearce, Webb (Gascoigne), Walker, Butcher, Beardsley, McMahon, Waddle, Lineker, Barnes (Rocastle)

Referee: H. Forstinger (Austria)
Attendance: 37,500