(Reuters) – Emil Forsberg’s first-half penalty and a superb solo goal by Dejan Kulusevski got Sweden off to a winning start in their Nations League campaign as they beat Slovenia 2-0 in a feisty Group B4 clash in Ljubljana on Thursday.
Alexander Isak hit the post with an early header as Sweden started strongly, and they took the lead in the 39th minute when Forsberg calmly converted a spot-kick after Viktor Claesson was fouled.
Kulusevski almost doubled the Swedes’ lead on the hour mark, cutting in from the right and unleashing a brilliant curling shot, but Jan Oblak made a superb one-handed save to push the ball away for a corner.
Kulusevski did better in the 88th minute, breaking away on a solo counter-attack and hammering the ball home from a tight angle to secure victory for Sweden ahead of their home game against Norway on Sunday. Slovenia next travel to Belgrade to play Serbia.
(Reporting by Philip O’Connor, editing by Ed Osmond)
