Sweden climbed above France into top spot of Group A courtesy of a dramatic 2-1 victory over Les Bleus in their World Cup qualifier at the Friends Arena in Stockholm this evening.
A stunning strike from Olivier Giroud opened the scoring for the visitors in the first half, but their lead lasted just seven minutes before Jimmy Durmaz restored parity with a well-taken strike of his own.
It appeared as though the two sides would settle for a point apiece, but a Hugo Lloris error in the 93rd minute allowed Ola Toivonen to fire the ball into an empty net from inside his own half as Sweden took control of Group A.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates below.
Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's World Cup qualifier between Sweden and France as the top two in Group A do battle in what could be a pivotal match in the race to Russia. Just three points separate the two sides as things stand and a win for either would see them end the night in top spot, which is the only place which guarantees a place in next summer's tournament. Plenty to play for tonight, then!
We will bring you the team news for this crucial qualifier little later, but first allow me to set the scene in Group A. It is proving to be one of the more fiercely contested groups in this qualifying campaign, and it would be blown wide open if Sweden are able to emerge victorious tonight. Netherlands are the most notable strugglers in the group, sitting down in fourth place between these two sides and Bulgaria, who are only one point adrift of the playoff place as things stand.
Bulgaria are facing Belarus away from home tonight which, as France will tell you from experience, is by no means an easy assignment, but they will still be confident of picking up a vital three points in their bid for qualification. Should that happen then it makes a win for either of these two sides all the more important - Sweden to avoid dropping out of the playoff place and France to ensure that they give themselves a decent cushion to third place, yet alone second.
Tonight's match is a very intriguing one which could realistically go either way, and the importance of it only adds to the allure of what should be a good contest. Sweden are coming into this one off the back of a very impressive 3-2 win over European champions Portugal, who of course beat France on home soil in the Euro 2016 final last summer. Sweden trailed 2-0 in that match in Madeira but launched a thrilling second-half comeback to eventually emerge 3-2 winners courtesy of a 93rd-minute own goal.
Sweden's performance at the Euros themselves were disappointing, though, as they failed to make it out of the group stages and ended their campaign bottom of their group with just one point to their name. In fairness to Sweden, they were drawn in a tough group alongside the likes of Italy and Belgium as well as the Republic of Ireland, but it was still an underwhelming campaign, particularly after their talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic retired after the tournament.
It will take a special player to knock Ibrahimovic off his pedestal as Sweden's greatest ever footballer, but in truth they do not appear to be missing him too much since his retirement. Janne Andersson has done a brilliant job of managing the transition into the post-Zlatan era and coming into this match Sweden have scored 13 goals in their last three outings - an average of more than four per game. They have conceded just twice in that time too, so they seem to have found a good balance.
TEAM NEWS! Before we go any further, the team news has been released!
SWEDEN STARTING XI: Olsen; Lustig, Lindelof, Granqvist, Augustinsson; Durmaz, Johansson, Ekdal, Forsberg; Berg, Toivonen
SWEDEN SUBS: Krafth, Helander, Olsson, Larsson, Hiljemark, Larsson, Guidetti, Jansson, Claesson, Nyman, Nordfeldt, Linde
FRANCE STARTING XI: Lloris; Sidibe, Koscielny, Varane, Mendy; Matuidi, Pogba, Sissoko, Griezmann, Payet; Giroud
FRANCE SUBS: Digne, Costil, Mbappe, Umtiti, Dembele, Kimpembe, Rabiot, Lemar, Lacazette, Areola, Jallet, Kante
What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, Sweden make just the two changes to their side from their last qualifying match against Belarus, and one of them will be of particular interest to any Manchester United fans. Victor Lindelof, who has been heavily linked with a switch to Old Trafford in the past, fills in at centre-back alongside Granqvist, while Celtic's Lustig is also part of that back four.
The other change comes in midfielder as Johansson replaces Hiljemark, who drops to the bench. It is a special occasions for Ola Toivonen, who makes his 50th appearance for his country and he is one of three members of the squad to play their club football in France. Durmaz, who is his club teammate at Toulouse, is also named in the starting XI while Forsberg, who scored in the reverse fixture between the two sides, will also be hoping to get his name on the scoresheet again.
On recent evidence it is Olivier Giroud who looks the most likely to get himself on the scoresheet today, though, with the Arsenal striker having scored five goals in his last two starts for Les Bleus. That includes a hat-trick against Paraguay just a week ago and two against Luxembourg in their last qualifier, so he is a striker in fine form at this level. He also happens to be the top-scoring player in this current France squad with 26 to his name.
Antoine Griezmann is the only other player to have reached double figures for France within the current squad, and the Atletico Madrid star plays again tonight following the breakdown of any potential move to Manchester United. He is in an attacking trio alongside West Ham United old boy Dimitri Payet and Tottenham's Moussa Sissoko, while Blaise Matuidi and Paul Pogba complete a midfield packed with pace, power and ability.
Didier Deschamps has made two changes to the team that thrashed Paraguay 5-0 a week ago, with one of those seeing Sissoko replace Dembele and the other seeing a Clasico swap as Real Madrid's Varane replaces Barcelona's Umtiti alongside Koscielny at the heart of the defence. The likes of Mbappe, Dembele, Lacazette and Kante are also amongst the players to be left on the bench this evening, which goes to show the incredible strength in depth this France team have at the moment.
The future certainly looks bright for France, but in this post-Ibrahimovic era for Sweden they also have a chance to build a strong team that can maintain their consistent push for places at major tournaments. The hosts come into tonight's match having won each of their last three matches, including friendlies, since a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Ivory Coast in January. Another win this evening would make it four on the bounce for the first time since October 2013.
Sweden have also only lost one of their last nine qualifying games for the World Cup and European Championships - a run which stretches back to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Austria in September 2015. That solitary loss did come in the reverse meeting with France in November, but Sweden put up as good a fight as anyone against Les Bleus and will be more confident on home soil tonight. So far in this qualifying campaign they have drawn with Netherlands and beaten Luxembourg, Bulgaria and Belarus in addition to that defeat in Paris.
Sweden are unbeaten in their last eight matches on home soil stretching back to that defeat at the hands of Austria, and they have won their last two without conceding a goal, scoring seven in the process. In competitive fixtures they are unbeaten in five home matches and have only lost one of their last nine, with six wins and two draws in that time. So far in this campaign they have picked up seven points from a possible nine, scoring eight goals and conceding one.
Sweden's most recent qualifier saw them cruise to a 4-0 win over Belarus in Stockholm, making much lighter work of them than France managed in their opening game of the group stages. Forsberg (2), Berg and Thelin were all on the scoresheet on that occasion, and they will be hoping to keep that winning formula up tonight, with their next qualifier after this one not until the end of August. Sweden will face Norway in a Scandinavian friendly in Oslo on Tuesday, but their next competitive fixtures come against Bulgaria and Belarus.
As far as France are concerned, if they can get through tonight's match relatively unscathed then that should be the toughest test out of the way for them. Didier Deschamps' men did not make the best start to their campaign with a dour 0-0 draw away to Belarus, but they have since won all four qualifying matches to rise to the top of Group A. Bulgaria, Netherlands, Sweden and Luxembourg have all been beaten to put Les Bleus in the driving seat.
Victory tonight would really strengthen their grip on the solitary automatic qualification spot, keeping them six above Sweden and at worst four clear of Bulgaria, depending on their result against Belarus. Only Switzerland and Germany, with perfect records, have amassed more points that France in the entire group stages so far, with Les Bleus only dropping those two points against Belarus in the opening match.
That Belarus draw could be put down to a hangover from their devastating defeat at the hands of Portugal in the final of Euro 2016 on home soil, but they had already bounced back from that with a 3-1 victory over Italy just five days before the draw with Belarus. All in all, Deschamps has done a good job of limiting the damage from that extra-time loss in what was arguably France's biggest match since the 1998 World Cup final.
France have lost just one of their nine matches since that Euro 2016 final, winning six in that time. The solitary defeat came at home, which will always be disappointing for a team of France's calibre, but it can in a friendly and against the might of Spain, so there was not too much cause for concern about that. Indeed, France have now only lost one of their last 20 matches inside 90 minutes, with 15 victories in that time too.
Away from home, Les Bleus are unbeaten since their 2-0 loss to England in November 2015, winning four and drawing one of their five outings on the road since then. That includes two victories in Netherlands and one in Italy, so the prospect of a trip to Stockholm will not be a daunting one to this French team. Another victory tonight would see them make it three away wins on the bounce for the first time since September 2011.
France have not won three consecutive away games in the same qualifying campaign since their bid to reach Euro 2004, during which they recorded a 100% record from their eight outings. Les Bleus are on the verge of achieving that hat-trick of away wins this time, though, having won their last two following the opening draw with Belarus. France have not lost a qualifying group game away from home since September 2008, when they were beaten 3-1 by Austria.
In 17 qualifying group games on the road since that defeat France have won 10 and drawn seven, going through the Euro 2012 and 2014 World Cup campaigns unbeaten away from home. Home and away, you have to go back to their 2013 playoff with Ukraine for the last qualifying match France lost - and even then they emerged victorious on aggregate with a 3-0 victory in the second leg. The last qualifying group game France lost was back in March of that year when Spain ran out 1-0 winners.
PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at the Friends Arena, which means that it is time for a prediction! This should be a very tight and interesting contest, with Sweden knowing that victory puts them top but defeat could have a fatal impact on their chances of qualifying automatically. The result could depend on whether the hosts push for that prize or are too concerned about the cost of losing, and in the end I think both teams may settle for a 1-1 draw.
France have dominated the recent history between these two sides, losing just one of the last 14 meetings across all competitions. During that time Les Bleus have won eight matches and drawn five, having only won two and lost four of the first six meetings between the two. Victory tonight would see France become the first team to string together a run of three consecutive wins in the series of matches between these nations.
The most recent meeting was, of course, the reverse Group A fixture in November when France were forced to come from behind in Paris. Forsberg gave Sweden the lead 10 minutes into the second half, but Pogba hit back immediately before Dimitri Payet made it two goals in seven minutes to fire the French to victory.
The last time France came to Sweden was back in August 2008 for a friendly in Gothenburg, and again they needed to come from behind after Henrik Larsson had given the hosts the lead. Benzema levelled things up before a brace from Sidney Govou put France in control, though, and Kim Kallstrom's goal back was not enough as France ran out 3-2 winners.
Right, the players are out and the anthems are being belted out by those inside the Friends Arena. We're very nearly ready to go now!
KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Sweden get us underway for this World Cup qualifier!
Sweden have seen a decent amount of the ball in these opening exchanges. They are settling into the game well and have prevented France from getting into any real rhythm early on.
The hosts are being very patient with their attacks at the moment, with a few promising breaks forward slowing down and being worked all the way back to the defence so that they can start again. Sweden have been the better team in this opening five minutes, though!
A little better from France as they keep hold of the ball for a sustained period - the first time they have managed to do so tonight. Those are the first signs of the visitors starting to settle into the game.
Almost a shooting opportunity for Payet as he finds himself in a bit of space just outside the box, but Sweden are well aware of the threat he poses from that position and quickly get out to make the block.
Nothing to report in terms of goalmouth action from the opening 10 minutes in Stockholm, and no goals in the other matches involving teams in Group A either. We want goals!
France break quickly as Griezmann latches on to a pass forward from Giroud, but the attack eventually breaks down when Mendy puts too much on a pass down the left channel for Griezmann.
Another break from France sees Payet pick Griezmann out inside the area with a lovely ball over the top, but Sweden get back into their shape quickly and nothing comes of what look at one stage to be a promising opportunity for the visitors.
CHANCE! The way this match is developing, this has to go down as a chance. Mendy swings a cross into the box from the left flank which Payet meets having peeled away from his marker, but he blazes his volley well over the crossbar. It would have been a magnificent strike had he managed to hammer it home, but it is the clearest sight of goal we have seen so far.
France are beginning to grow into this game as an attacking threat, catching Sweden off guard with increasingly regularity now. The signs are beginning to look a little ominous for the hosts, although Olsen has still had nothing to do in their goal.
At the other end, Forsberg tries to bend a pass in behind the defence for Berg to run on to, but Sidibe tracks back well and makes an important interception to nod the danger away.
UPDATE: It's not just here where there has been a dearth of goalmouth action - just one goal has gone in across the World Cup qualifiers so far tonight. Predictably, it was conceded by Gibraltar, who trail Cyprus 1-0.
UPDATE: I spoke too soon! There has been another goal, and it has come in Group A, no less. Netherlands, in their first competitive match of Dick Advocaat's third spell in change, have taken a 1-0 lead over Luxembourg through Arjen Robben.
This match is being played at a decent enough tempo, but there is a real lack of excitement and forward action at the moment. Neither side have been able to take control of the game and it is all being played in the middle third.
This is better from France, who have gained control of possession in the last couple of minutes and are camped inside the Swedish half at the moment. The hosts are disciplined and keeping their shape, though, and there is no way through just yet.
I am already running out of ways to say that not much is happening and we're less than half an hour in to this match. This has not been a classic so far...
Toivonen gets a talking-to from referee Martin Atkinson following a trip which gifts France a free kick in a decent deep crossing position...
Payet is the man to swing it into the box, but almost as soon as it has left his boot the whistle goals for a free kick against Pogba.
UPDATE: The story of the night could be developing over in Gibraltar, where they have drawn level with Cyprus with just their eighth goal since joining the FIFA ranks. Elsewhere, Belgium have taken the lead against Estonia through Dries Mertens while Belarus now lead Bulgaria, which is good news for both of these sides.
SHOT! It's taken more than half an hour, but Sweden have finally had their first shot. Even that may struggle to make the highlight reel, though, as Durmaz doesn't catch it well and it is never troubling Lloris.
CHANCE! Better from Sweden, and such has been the lack of action in either team's third that we'll count this as a chance. Durmaz slips a pass inside for the underlapping run of Lustig, who does well to take the ball in his path but then snatches at his effort and drags it wide of the far post.
CHANCE! By far the biggest chance of the match so far falls the way of France! Mendy suddenly bursts to lie down the left flank and swings a peach of a cross into the middle which Giroud must be licking his lips to as he watches it fly towards him. He can only glance his header wide of the target under pressure from Granqvist, though, and the Arsenal man should have done a lot better.
GOAL! Sweden 0-1 France (Olivier Giroud)
Phwooaarrrr! Where has this one come from?! Seconds after coming back on the pitch after needing treatment following his headed miss, Giroud scores an absolute beauty to break the deadlock! A cross from the right is only cleared as far as the Arsenal man, who takes a touch before smashing the sweetest of volleys across goal and into the far top corner. That is a brilliant, brilliant goal.
This match had been sorely lacking in quality before that goal, but if nothing else happens then that moment of magic will still be enough to light this game up. Stunning from Giroud, who now has six goals in his last three international starts.
UPDATE: Elsewhere in Group A, Netherlands have doubled their lead against Luxembourg and it is Wesley Sneijder who has got the goal on the night he becomes his country's most capped player with his 131st appearance.
GOAL! Sweden 1-1 France (Jimmy Durmaz)
This match has suddenly come to life in the last 10 minutes or so! Sweden hit back immediately with the equaliser, and it is another crisp strike that does the job. Once again it comes from a cross which is not cleared, this time Forsberg's delivery going all the way through to Durmaz. The Sweden winger knows that he has to take it on first time, and he drills a sweetly-struck shot low into the bottom corner.
SHOT! France look to respond in kind themselves as Matuidi drives forward, but he drags his eventual effort wide of the target.
There will be two additional minutes at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: Sweden 1-1 France
The first half comes to an end in Stockholm, then, and it was one that took a long time to get going. Once it did get going, though, we were treated to a couple of very good goals. The 1-1 scoreline is a fair one at the halfway stage, and this is still anyone's game ahead of the coming 45 minutes.
The opening goal came after 37 minutes, and it was a stunner from Olivier Giroud as he continued his brilliant recent scoring record at international level. The Arsenal man had missed the best chance of the contest up to that point moments earlier, but after a brief period of treatment he returned to the field and fired the sweetest of volleys into the far corner after teeing himself up.
It would have been a goal worthy of winning any game, but the lead lasted just six minutes before Sweden hit back. It wasn't a goal quite as impressive as Giroud's, but it was still a very good strike from Jimmy Durmaz, who controlled his shot to fire it into the bottom corner after a cross from the left flank had gone all the way through to him.
Up until the final 10 minutes of the half there really was nothing to shout about for either side. There had been one effort from Payet for France and a couple in quick succession from Durmaz and Lustig for Sweden, but none of them ever looked like troubling the respective goalkeepers and we looked set for a pretty dull half-time highlights package before the game finally came to life.
KICKOFF: France get us back underway for the second half in Stockholm!
Very nearly an early chance for Sweden as Granqvist almost gets on the end of a floated ball into the box from a free kick. Varane cannot cut it out, but he seems to do just enough to put the Sweden skipper off and it goes behind for a goal kick.
CHANCE! Half a chance for France at the other end as Payet swings a dangerous corner into the middle. There is a huddle of players rising to meet it and it looks as though Pogba gets the last touch, but he doesn't get enough on it to trouble Olsen.
Pogba again finds a bit of space at the back post from another corner, but he doesn't fancy trying to better Giroud's goal and instead cushions his volley back towards Matuidi. Matuidi has no such reservations about going for the spectacular, but he fires his effort well over the top.
CHANCE! Really good football from France as Sidibe slide a pass down the flank for Sissoko, who immediately whips his cross into the middle. Griezmann is so sharp in the box and gets his head to the ball, but his effort is straight at Olsen, who is able to collect it at the second attempt.
CLOSE! France are beginning to knock on the door now! Pogba is the next to come close with a very good effort as he tries to side-foot Sidibe's cutback into the far corner from at least 25 yards. It is a clever effort and leaves the keeper rooted to the spot, but it flies narrowly wide of the far post.
More good football from the visitors as the ball is floated into the box for the run of Mendy down the left channel, but he cannot latch on to it.
CLOSE! Sweden respond to that period of France pressure with a good spell of their own, and Johansson almost caps it off with a screamer which may have given Giroud a run for his money. The midfielder is given space to go for goal from all of 30 yards, but his powerful strike swings narrowly wide. Lloris, at full stretch, may not have been getting there.
SAVE! Lloris needs to be alert again here as Durmaz tries to catch him out at the near post when everyone else is expecting a cross. Whether he means it or not, Durmaz's cross/shot is heading in before Lloris beats it away.
This has been a much better second half. Both sides have enjoyed spells in the ascendancy since the interval and it remains anyone's game with a little under half an hour remaining.
SAVE! France win a free kick right on the edge of shooting range, although with the players at their disposal pretty much anywhere in the Swedish half is within range. Payet and Griezmann line it up, but it is the latter who goes for goal and draws a decent stop from Olsen. Nothing wrong with the strike from Griezmann, but Olsen had enough time to get across and push it away.
YELLOW CARD! The first card of the evening is shown to Pogba, who dragged Durmaz down in a dangerous position as the Sweden goalscorer was looking to break. No complaints there.
SAVE! Forsberg lines up the resulting free kick and hits a swerving and dipping effort that has Lloris worried. It is central, but the France keeper takes no chances in tipping it over the top.
We're approaching the final 20 minutes here and it will be interesting to see which team, if any, pushes for the win in that time. Bulgaria still trail Belarus, but Netherlands are beating Luxembourg and that increases Sweden's need for a win. You'd say that the hosts need the three points more than France.
It is France putting on all of the pressure at the moment, though, and Griezmann puts a tame header comfortably into the arms of Olsen following Payet's deflected cross.
UPDATE: A quick update from the other Group A games - Netherlands are now 4-0 up against Luxembourg while Belarus remain one goal to the good against Bulgaria. Elsewhere in Europe, Andorra are on course for a shock with a 1-0 lead over Hungary, Gibraltar are still drawing with Cyprus and Cristiano Ronaldo has scored twice as Portugal lead Latvia 3-0.
There has been a bit of a lull in this match over the past five minutes or so, but I'd expect it to pick back up as we approach the closing stages. A win would do wonders for either side tonight, so surely we will see one team go for it?
FRANCE SUBS: The first changes of the match come from France, and it is arguably the hottest property in world football who comes on as Kylian Mbappe replaces Griezmann. Thomas Lemar is also on in place of Payet.
SWEDEN SUBS: Sweden respond with a couple of changes of their own as Viktor Claesson and Sebastian Larsson come on for Durmaz and Ekdal.
We're approaching the final 10 minutes of this one now, and we're still locked at 1-1. A huge 11 minutes to come for the landscape of Group A!
Lemar tries to make an impact off the bench by whipping a cross towards the far post, but it is not the type of cross which Giroud thrives off and it goes behind for a goal kick.
This time Lemar does try to stand the ball up for Giroud at the far post, but it is too close to Olsen who comes out to claim it well.
UPDATE: There have been more goals elsewhere in Group A, with Belarus doubling their lead against Bulgaria and Netherlands making it five against Luxembourg.
CHANCE! Decent sight of goal for France late on here as the ball drops kindly for Lemar on the edge of the box, but he snatches at his effort and it bounces comfortably into the arms of Olsen.
SWEDEN SUB: The hosts make their third and final change of the match as John Guidetti replaces Berg.
There will be three added minutes at the end of this match.
CHANCE! Another chance for Lemar on the edge of the box as Olsen's punch only goes as far as the Monaco man. This time he takes a touch but, with yellow shirts bearing down, he has to take his shot quickly and fires it off target with the keeper out of position.
GOAL! Sweden 2-1 France (Ola Toivonen)
Oh my word, what a finish to this game! This one looked like petering out into a draw, but Sweden have now surely stolen three points at the death! It comes in remarkable fashion too as Toivonen scores from inside his own half with the last meaningful kick of the match. It is a dreadful error from Lloris as he comes a long way out of his goal and can only give his clearance to Toivonen, but the Swede still has a lot to do as he fires the ball into the empty net from the halfway line. Incredible.
FULL TIME: Sweden 2-1 France
Just when you think you've seen it all in football, someone marks their 50th cap with a 93rd-minute goal from inside his own half to send his underdog nation into the only automatic spot for World Cup qualification. Incredible scenes in Stockholm, with Sweden celebrating as if they have already secured their place at Russia 2018! You can't really begrudge them that - that was a remarkable finale to the game and it is a major achievement for them to top a group which also contains France and Netherlands.
Toivonen's halfway line goal may have been as a result of Lloris's error, leaving an open goal, but he still had an awful lot to do. It was just one of three very good goals this evening, though, with Giroud's opener arguably the pick of the bunch. In a half which had been sorely lacking any quality until then, the Arsenal striker teed himself up for the sweetest of volleys into the top corner. That lead lasted just seven minutes before Jimmy Durmaz restored parity with a well-taken strike of his own, though, and it looked like staying that way until that incredible ending.
Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as Sweden climb to the top of Group A with the most dramatic of victories over France, scoring a 93rd-minute winner from inside their own half to wrap up the three points. It started slow, but it was certainly worth the wait! I will leave you with our match report and be sure to check back in for lots more international football over the coming days. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
