Sweden and Greece played 2:2 in an open match at Strawberry Arena
Sweden and Greece played 2:2 in an international friendly football match on 4 June 2026 at Strawberry Arena in Solna, in the wider Stockholm area. According to the official announcement by the stadium host, the match was intended as an important test for the Swedish national team before leaving for the 2026 World Cup, while Greece arrived in Stockholm with its own goal of confirming form and testing the depth of the squad. The match offered exactly what is often expected from open preparatory duels: four goals, several clear chances, changes of rhythm and a finale in which the winner was not decided until the final seconds. According to Sky Sports data, in front of 39,139 spectators Sweden overturned an early deficit, but Greece found a way to equalise in the fifth minute of stoppage time. The final 2:2 realistically reflects the course of a match in which both teams had periods of control, but neither managed to combine attacking efficiency with a sufficiently stable defence.
Greece opened the match better and early punished space in the Swedish defence
Greece took the lead already in the 10th minute, when Kostas Tsimikas finished an attack prepared by Christos Tzolis. According to the report of the Hellenic Football Federation, Tzolis found Tsimikas from the left side, and the Greek full-back struck precisely with his right foot for 0:1. That early goal set the tone for the first half because Sweden had to push its lines higher and take more risks in possession, while Greece gained space for quick breaks forward. The home team tried to respond with combinations through the middle and by seeking the attacking pair, but in the first 45 minutes it did not manage to turn pressure into a goal. Greece remained dangerous even after taking the lead, and according to the same report Dimitris Kourbelis hit the frame of the goal in the 19th minute after a cut-back from Andreas Tetteh, which was one of the moments in which the visitors could have steered the match even more firmly in their direction.
In the first half Sweden had more need for a reaction than real control over the match. Graham Potter's team tried to speed up the transfer of the ball towards the forwards, but the Greek defence closed the central channels well enough and forced the opponent into solutions from the half-spaces or into crosses that did not bring great danger. Such a development was especially important for Greece because, after the early goal, it could play more patiently, wait for mistakes in Sweden's build-up and use the pace of Tzolis and the movements of Vangelis Pavlidis. According to the report of the Hellenic Football Federation, Greece was not seriously threatened in the first half, which was a valuable indicator of organisation without the ball for Ivan Jovanović's team. Still, the unused chances for a second goal later proved important because Sweden found energy after the break and changed the rhythm of the match.
Turnaround after the break: Gyökeres and Nilsson brought Sweden back
The second half brought a different picture, but not immediately in Sweden's favour. According to the report of the Greek federation, Pavlidis had a chance for 0:2 in the 47th minute, but his shot was stopped by the post, which was the second major warning sign for the home side. Instead of confirmation of the Greek advantage, the Swedish equaliser soon arrived: Viktor Gyökeres took a free kick in the 53rd minute, and according to the Greek report the ball struck Pavlidis on its way towards goal and deceived goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis. The goal restored Sweden's confidence and opened space for a greater number of substitutions, which in friendly matches is often just as important as the result itself. Potter reached for several changes in the continuation, and it was precisely players from the bench who produced the move that briefly secured the lead for the home team.
In the 69th minute Sweden went ahead 2:1 after a run by Taha Ali and the finish by Gustaf Nilsson. According to Aftonbladet's report, Ali dribbled past several opponents on the left side and sent the ball towards Nilsson, who converted the move from close range into a Swedish advantage. That goal was Sweden's most impressive moment of the match because it came from individual play that broke an otherwise disciplined Greek structure. Aftonbladet also reported the praise that came Ali's way after the match, while Graham Potter and Alexander Isak pointed out that such a player profile can bring a different dimension in attack. For Sweden this was especially important because in a preparatory match it was seeking not only a result but also confirmation that it can receive an impulse from the bench when the match begins to turn.
Masouras silenced the home celebration in the 95th minute
Although Sweden entered the finale with a narrow lead, Greece did not abandon its attacking idea. According to Sky Sports data, Giorgos Masouras scored from very close range in the 90.+5 minute after a cross by Charalampos Kostoulas and set the final 2:2. In its report, the Hellenic Football Federation assessed that Greece had enough strength for the final pressure and that the equaliser, considering the number of chances and the course of the match, was a relatively fair outcome. For Sweden, such an ending was disappointing because the team had managed to turn the match around, but did not preserve the lead in the final phase of the encounter. For Greece, on the other hand, the late goal was confirmation of character and a reminder that even after the opponent's turnaround it retained enough danger in the final third.
The finale also opened the question of Swedish defensive concentration. A team preparing for the World Cup cannot ignore the fact that against Greece it conceded a goal after a break in rhythm and a cross into the penalty area at a moment when the match should have been calmly brought to an end. According to VG's report, Sweden lost 3:1 to Norway in a preparatory duel on 1 June 2026, and defensive stability problems were highlighted then as well. Although friendly matches cannot be interpreted in the same way as competitive ones, the repetition of similar difficulties gives the coaching staff clear topics for work. Sweden showed attacking quality against Greece, but at the same time confirmed that its final phase of defending and reaction to crosses must be more reliable before the start of the major tournament.
Swedish test in the shadow of the World Cup
According to official FIFA information, the 2026 World Cup is being played in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America, and the tournament will for the first time gather 48 national teams and a total of 104 matches. In such a context, Sweden enters the final days of preparation as a participant in Group F, which also includes the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia. In its overview of Group F, FIFA states that it is a group with different styles and very demanding opponents, which makes Sweden's draw with Greece a useful test, but not a result that brings peace by itself. For Graham Potter's team, it is especially important to find the balance between attacking power, carried by players such as Gyökeres and Isak, and security in the back line. The match against Greece showed that Sweden can create chances and turn a result around, but also that at the World Cup every mistake in the penalty area will be even more punishable.
Additional context is provided by the absence of captain Victor Nilsson Lindelöf from the match against Greece. Aftonbladet reported that Lindelöf missed the encounter as a precaution after minor foot problems, while Potter stressed that they did not want to take risks ahead of the world tournament. In his absence, the Swedish back line had a different structure, and that was visible in moments when Greece reached crosses or the second wave of attack more quickly. The absence of one player cannot explain all defensive weaknesses, but for national teams in the final preparation phase, cohesion is important, especially in a system with three defenders and great responsibility for the wide players. If Lindelöf quickly returns to full training, Sweden will gain the experience and communication that it clearly lacked in the finale against Greece.
Greece drew a valuable result and showed squad depth
For Greece, this draw has a different meaning than it does for Sweden. Ivan Jovanović's team is not in the same tournament situation as the opponent that is going to the World Cup, but in Stockholm it got a match that offered serious competitive intensity. According to the report of the Hellenic Football Federation, the Greek coaching staff used a broad squad, and in the continuation players who took part in the final pressure and the equalising goal were given a chance. Kostoulas assisted Masouras in stoppage time, Tzolis prepared the first goal, and Tsimikas showed how dangerous he can be when he attacks space from the second line. Greece also had two big chances to increase its lead, which will remain just as important in the analysis as the result itself.
It is especially significant that Greece managed to react after losing its initial advantage. In friendly matches the result is not the only measure, but a team's ability to come back after an opponent's turnaround is often one of the most useful signals for the coach. Jovanović's team had problems during the period when Sweden sped up the play and introduced fresh attacking options, but it did not fall apart even after the goal for 2:1. Instead, it continued to look for situations on the flanks and ultimately waited for the cross that Masouras turned into an equaliser. According to the schedule of the Hellenic Football Federation, after the visit to Sweden Greece expects a friendly match with Italy on 7 June, which means that this draw will serve as important material for preparing the next test.
An open match with clear messages for both teams
From a footballing point of view, the encounter at Strawberry Arena was useful precisely because it did not end with calm control by one national team. Sweden went through all the phases that the coaching staff wants to test before a major competition: an early deficit, the need to change rhythm, a comeback through a set piece, the contribution of players from the bench and the defence of a narrow lead in the finale. Greece, on the other hand, tested how its structure works against an attackingly strong national team and how dangerous it can remain after a large number of substitutions. The four goals were not the result of coincidence but of open play in which both teams sought victory, not only a safe draw. That is exactly why 2:2 can satisfy the neutral observer, but it will leave different emphases in the dressing rooms: for Sweden, the need for defensive corrections, and for Greece, confirmation that it can compete with an opponent preparing for the highest level of international football.
Most concisely, the match showed that Sweden has attacking variety, but also that it has not yet solved the issue of stability in moments when the opponent presses in the finale. Gyökeres delivered a goal from a set piece, Nilsson confirmed the value of coming on from the bench, and Ali showed why the Swedish staff see him as a player who can change the dynamics of an encounter. Greece got goalscorers in Tsimikas and Masouras, assist providers in Tzolis and Kostoulas, and several situations that could have brought even more than a draw. According to the available reports, the final result of 2:2 did not hide the problems, but it offered enough content for the conclusion that both national teams had something to take from this test. In a schedule without a classic round and competitive points, the value of such a match lies in the details that the staffs can turn into corrections before the next challenges.
- Result: Sweden - Greece 2:2
- Venue: Strawberry Arena, Solna near Stockholm, Sweden
- Date: 4 June 2026.
- Goalscorers: Viktor Gyökeres 53' and Gustaf Nilsson 69' for Sweden; Kostas Tsimikas 10' and Giorgos Masouras 90'+5 for Greece
- Character of the match: international friendly match and preparatory test, without a classic league round
Sources:
- Hellenic Football Federation (EPO) - official report of the Sweden - Greece 2:2 match, description of goals, chances and line-ups (link)
- Sky Sports - match centre, goalscorers, goal times, assists and attendance data (link)
- Strawberry Arena - official event announcement, location, kick-off time and context of the preparatory match (link)
- FIFA - official overview of the schedule and context of the 2026 World Cup and Group F (link)
- Aftonbladet - report on the Swedish draw, Taha Ali's performance and reactions from the Swedish camp (link)
- Aftonbladet - information on the absence of Victor Nilsson Lindelöf and the explanation of the Swedish staff (link)
- VG - context of Sweden's preparatory matches, defeat to Norway and schedule ahead of the World Cup (link)