Sweden surrendered a friendly win in stoppage time, drawing 2-2 with Greece at Strawberry Arena and leaving E. Hamrén still hunting for rhythm before the World Cup. Giorgos Masouras came off the bench to score in the fifth minute of added time, wiping out a night’s work that had seemed set to deliver the manager a statement result.
Kostas Tsimikas put I. Jovanović’s side ahead in the 10th minute, racing onto Christos Tzolis’ delivery and punishing a slow Swedish start. Greece were compact, keeping Kristoffer Nordfeldt quiet beyond that early goal, while Sweden’s improvised back three of Gustaf Lagerbielke, Isak Hien, and Daniel Svensson struggled to build through the visitors’ midfield press. Panagiotis Retsos collected Greece's first caution at 19 minutes, with the visitors otherwise dictating the tone during the opening spell.
Hamrén demanded more direct running after the interval and got it. Viktor Gyökeres equalised in the 53rd minute, capitalising on Alexander Isak’s movement and the extra runners Sweden finally committed toward the box. That goal sparked mass changes. Greece made six substitutions between the 62nd and 63rd minutes, withdrawing Retsos, Dimitris Kourbelis, Vangelis Pavlidis, Tsimikas, Andreas Tetteh, and Lazaros Rota to refresh every line, while Sweden flipped almost the entire outfield unit from the 63rd to 65th minutes by introducing Anthony Elanga, Lucas Bergvall, Eric Smith, Carl Starfelt, Gustaf Nilsson, Taha Abdi Ali, Elliot Stroud, Besfort Zeneli, and Jesper Karlström in quick succession.
The new faces tilted the match. Taha Abdi Ali immediately offered width on the right and squared low for Gustaf Nilsson to finish in the 69th minute, edging Sweden in front. Hamrén’s bench felt transformative, with Elanga and Bergvall lifting the tempo and Nilsson proving a handful between Greece’s centre backs. Konstantinos Koulierakis collected Greece’s second yellow card at 73 minutes as the visitors chased the game.
Jovanović held back one decisive change. Masouras replaced Tzolis in the 80th minute, and the substitute delivered. Charalampos Kostoulas, also introduced during the 63rd-minute reshuffle, slipped the final pass and Masouras kept his composure to make it 2-2 in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Christos Mandas, on for Konstantinos Tzolakis from the 80th minute, protected the scoreline at the other end by denying Sweden during the late flurry.
Tactically, Hamrén’s experiment with a three-man base asked Alexander Bernhardsson and Gabriel Gudmundsson to function as auxiliary wing backs, but the structure only clicked once Bergvall and Abdi Ali were on the field. Bergvall’s 27-minute shift added ball progression from the half-spaces, and Abdi Ali provided the service that the first-choice front line had lacked. For Greece, Tsimikas’ early incision showed why Jovanović trusts him high on the left, yet removing both full-backs at 63 minutes briefly broke the team’s balance until Masouras and Kostoulas salvaged it late.
Key numbers
- Possession: Sweden 53 percent, Greece 47 percent
- Shots on target: Sweden 5, Greece 4
- Total shots: 13 each
- Corners: Sweden 1, Greece 4
- Saves: Kristoffer Nordfeldt 2, Konstantinos Tzolakis and Christos Mandas combined 3
Takeaways: Sweden’s depth pieces were lively but the defensive concentration still wavered, and Hamrén must tidy those closing phases before the next camp. Greece travel home satisfied that Jovanović’s rotations carry punch, with Masouras’ late impact reinforcing their belief ahead of the remaining June friendlies.
