Soccer World Cup 1938 / Sweden

This article covers the Swedish national football team at the 1938 World Cup .

qualification

The Swedish selection was drawn into a group with the selection of the German Empire , Finland and Estonia .

In the first game, after a 0-0 halftime score, they managed a 4-0 win against Finland. The goal scorers were Lennart Bunke (60th minute, 82nd), Erik Persson (65th) and Kurt Svanström (68th).

In the second game a 7-2 victory over the Estonian selection succeeded. Georg Siimenson and Heinrich Uukkivi had taken the outsider 2-0 up after three minutes, but Gustaf Josefsson was able to shorten for the Swedes in the seventh minute. Lennart Bunke (40th) and again Gustafsson (41st) turned the game around with a double strike before half-time. Sven Jonasson scored the goal in the 49th minute with a penalty to make it 4-2. Gustav Wetterström scored three goals in a row in the 73rd, 77th and 81st minute .

After the first two games, Sweden - as well as the German team, which had also won their first two games - were already confirmed as World Cup participants. With a clear 5-0 win, Germany qualified as group winners. Otto Siffling (2nd, 57th) and Helmut Schön (48th, 63rd) each entered the scorers list twice, Fritz Szepan scored the fifth German goal in the 8th minute in Altona.

rank	country	Gates	Points
1	German Empire	11: 1	6th
2	Sweden	11: 7	4th
3	Estonia	4:11	2
4th	Finland	0: 7	0

June 16, 1937 in the Råsundastadion , Solna
Sweden	-	Finland	4-0
June 20, 1937 in the Råsundastadion , Solna
Sweden	-	Estonia	7: 2
November 21, 1937 in the Altona stadium , Altona / Elbe
German Empire	-	Sweden	5-0

Swedish contingent

Number / name		Association at the time	birthday	International matches
goalkeeper
	Henock Abrahamsson	Gårda BK	October 29, 1909
	Sven Bergqvist	Hammarby IF	08/20/1914
	Gustav Sjöberg	AIK Solna	03/23/1913
Defense
	Ivar Eriksson	Sandvikens IF
	Olle Källgren	Sandvikens IF	07.09.1907
	Erik Nilsson	Malmö FF	08/06/1916
midfield
	Erik Almgren	AIK Solna	01/28/1908
	Karl-Erik Grahn	IF Elfsborg	05/11/1914
	Sven Jacobsson	GAIS Gothenburg	04/17/1914
	Folke Lind	GAIS Gothenburg
	Arne Linderholm	IK Sleipner
	Kurt Svanström	Örgryte IS	March 24, 1915
attack
	Åke Andersson	GAIS Gothenburg	04/22/1917
	Harry Andersson	IK Sleipner	03/07/1913
	Curt Bergsten	Landskrona BoIS
	Knut Hansson	Landskrona BoIS	05/09/1911
	Sven Jonasson	IF Elfsborg	07/09/1909
	Einar Karlsson	Gårda BK
	Tore basement	IK Sleipner	01/04/1905
	Arne Nyberg	IFK Gothenburg	06/20/1913
	Erik Persson	AIK Solna	11/19/1909
	Gustav Wetterström	IK Sleipner	October 15, 1911
Trainer
	József Nagy		10/15/1892

Swedish team games

Round of 16

The game against Austria scheduled for June 5 in the Stade Gerland in Lyon was canceled because Austria no longer had an independent team after the annexation to the German Reich . Therefore, Sweden reached the quarter-finals without a fight.

Quarter finals

6,000

Stade du Fort Carré ( Antibes )

Sweden

Cuba

Krist ( Czechoslovakia )

8: 0 (4: 0)

1: 0 Keller (9th) 2: 0 Wetterström (32nd) 3: 0 Wetterström (37th) 4: 0 Wetterström (44th) 5: 0 Keller (80th) 6: 0 Keller (81st) 7: 0 Nyberg (84th) 8-0 Andersson (90th)

Sweden picked the overwhelmed Sonnenkicker from Cuba 8-0 on a rain-soaked parquet in Antibes. Goalkeeper Abrahamsson also saved a penalty from Tomás Fernández .

Semifinals

22,000

Prince Park Stadium ( Paris )

Hungary

Sweden

Leclerq ( France )

5: 1 (3: 1)

0: 1 Nyberg (1st) 1: 1 Zsengellér (19th) 2: 1 Sas (37th) 3: 1 Zsengellér (39th) 4: 1 Sárosi (65th) 5: 1 Zsengellér (85th)

Sweden wanted to pick up where they left off against Cuba in the semi-final against Hungary and led 1-0 after one minute through Nyberg. However, Zsengeller with a three-pack (19th, 39th and 85th), Sas (37th) and Sarosi (65th) ruined any Swedish hope. It is said that the Magyars spared themselves against the Scandinavians even for the final and did only the bare minimum in the last half hour ...

3rd place match

20,000

Parc Lescure ( Bordeaux )

Sweden

Brazil

Langenus ( Belgium )

2: 4 (2: 1)

1: 0 Jonasson (28th) 2: 0 Nyberg (38th) 2: 1 Romeu (44th) 2: 2 Leônidas (63th) 2: 3 Leônidas (74th) 2: 4 Perácio (80th)

When it came to third place against the Swedes, the eventual top scorer of the tournament, Leonidas (8 goals), was there again and decided the game in Brazil's favor. Sweden once again had the better start and led 2-1 at the break through Jonasson (18th) and Nyberg (38th) with a goal from Romeo (43rd). But the South Americans were ultimately ahead of the game thanks to the goals of Leonidas (63rd and 73rd) and Peracio (80th).