Ibra-less Swedes stock up on spirit

Sweden coach Janne Andersson named a squad short on househould names but big on team spirit on Tuesday.

There were no shocks as the 55-year-old coach, who took over after record scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic retired from national duty following a disappointing Euro 2016, kept faith with the players who qualified for Russia. In Ibrahimovic's absence, Sweden dug deep to beat qualifying group winner France at home before beating Italy in a thrilling playoff to book its spot at the finals.

"I think we showed in the qualification and the playoff that we had ... the same squad, and I think we did it really well. So hopefully it's a strength in that way," Andersson said of his team's lack of big names.