PHOTO: Bildbyrån
It is a piece of Swedish sports history.
Now Henrik Larsson reveals a new detail from the WC 1994.
Namely a genius trick by Klas Ingesson during the unforgettable penalty shootout.
Sweden surprised the entire football world during the 1994 World Cup and we Swedes can never stop talking about it. During one summer, we were one of the world’s very best national teams in the world and took an impressive World Cup bronze.
The unforgettable championship in the USA that summer paved the way for an enormous interest in football in Swedish – which is alive and well to this day. All the players who were there then are celebrated icons today.
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One of the heroes of the feat in 1994 was a young man Henrik Larsson which would come to play an extremely important role. He was substituted in the unforgettable quarter-final against Romania and now opens up about what it was really like.
– It was really crazy! I was about to turn 23 and I was just happy to join the squad. It was fantastic to be part of all that, I get to go into extra time against Romania and get to score an important penalty as a 22-year-old, says “Henke” in Kanal 5.
Ingesson’s trick
Larsson is a guest on the TV show “Superstars” and – of course – gets questions about what it was like to play in the legendary World Cup 94. As a World Cup debutant then, he became one of the penalty shooters in the match that all Swedes stayed up to watch .
– It is quite brave to step forward and hit that penalty at such a young age and no direct experience from a major championship. I can say that I was very relieved when it went into the goal, says Henke.
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He also reveals that teammate Class Ingessonwho is no longer with us today, had an ingenious trick to calm nerves during the shootout.
– I was nervous. But I got a snus from Klas Ingesson, a rough one that I stopped and then I went forward and hit the penalty that I have hit many times. It’s tough to hit a penalty like that, but you have to do it, says Henke in Superstars.
– Just being a part of all that, it was magical.
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