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Thursday 15 November 2012

Sweden 4 England 2: Ibra-cadabra! Zlatan the magic man scores all four, including a stunning propeller-kick... one of the greatest goals EVER


Something really annoyed Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It may have been the unkind comparison to Andy Carroll made by England fans or he may have been offended by the sudden rush of so many unfamiliar substitutes.
Whatever it was, he responded by completing his hat-trick and then scored a fourth - quite possibly one of the greatest goals scored by anyone, anywhere in the world.
Joe Hart headed a clearance up rather than away and Ibrahimovic followed it through the air before springing to apply an overhead kick from 30 yards out, wide on the right, which arched over the stranded goalkeeper and into the open goal.

If you are looking for the best way to mark the opening of a national stadium and overshadow Steven Gerrard's 100th cap and six England debutants, that's not a bad way to do it.

Silence fell as those inside the Friends Arena held their breath. and watched the flight of the ball. Then the noise exploded as it landed in the net.

England supporters stood to applaud the audacity of Sweden's captain. Sometimes it is simply a thrill to witness such flashes of sporting beauty.

Let us bury forever the notion that he does not produce against English teams or vanishes on the big occasion. Ibrahimovic ripped off his shirt, tossed it towards the crowd and shrugged as he was shown a yellow card.
If the race is on to be known as the world's third-best player, here was his candidacy. No-one in a white shirt could match his strength of personality or quality.

No-one had scored a hat-trick against England since Marco van Basten in 1988.

Nobody had ever scored four. Ibrahimovic opened the scoring in the 20th minute but Roy Hodgson's team responded well with goals from Danny Welbeck and Steven Caulker to take a half-time lead.

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