Sweden’s reliance on Ibrahimovic wanes as young stars emerge

By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer

Sweden is heading into the World Cup qualifying playoffs against the Czech Republic on Thursday without the enigmatic brilliance of Zlatan Ibrahimovic because he is suspended. But that’s not the daunting task it once would have been for Sweden. The country’s reliance on its all-time leading scorer and possibly its greatest ever player has waned following the emergence of a crop of gifted attacking players who are about half his age. The 19-year-old Anthony Elanga is enjoying a breakthrough season at Manchester United while the 21-year-old Dejan Kulusevski is proving a revelation at Tottenham. Then there’s 22-year-old Alexander Isak after his dynamic performances at last year’s European Championship.