Sweden got their Women’s World Cup campaign up and running in dramatic fashion while Jamaica claimed a historic point on day four of the tournament.

The Swedes, who finished third in 2019, battled back to beat South Africa while Jamaica held France and in the day’s other game, the Netherlands claimed a narrow win over Portugal.

Here the PA news agency takes a look at all of Sunday’s action.

Netherlands down debutants

Stefanie van der Gragt’s header saw the Netherlands open their challenge with a 1-0 victory over debutants Portugal in Dunedin.

The defender beat Ines Pereira after 13 minutes but needed to wait before the effort was awarded by VAR.

Jill Roord and Danielle van de Donk missed good chances to extend the lead for the Dutch, who are without injured record scorer Vivianne Miedema. Portugal substitute Telma Encarnacao had a late effort saved by Daphne van Domselaar.

Reggae Girlz hold on to make history

Jamaica secured their first-ever point at a Women’s World Cup by drawing 0-0 with France in their Group F opener.

The Reggae Girlz had skipper Khadija Shaw sent off late on but held on against a side 38 places higher than them in the FIFA rankings.

Kadidiatou Diani saw one shot saved by Rebecca Spencer, another deflect just wide and headed against the woodwork late on as France were left frustrated.

New Gunners signing seals Sweden comeback

Amanda Ilestedt’s late winner saw Sweden come from behind to beat South Africa 2-1 at Wellington Regional Stadium.

The new Arsenal signing’s header came in stoppage time to break South Africa hearts after Hildah Magaia put them ahead minutes into the second half.

But Sweden, who beat England in the third-place play-off four years ago and were runners-up in 2003, recovered with Fridolina Rolfo equalising in the 65th minute. Defender Ilestedt then nodded in the winner in the 90th minute.

Picture of the dayPost of the dayQuote of the day

Jamaica manager Lorne Donaldson: “I would say it is the number one result we have had so far. The number one result, men or women. Just look at the rankings. You would say this result, on this stage, has to be number one.”

Up next

Group F: Brazil v Panama (12pm Monday, Hindmarsh Stadium)
Group G: Italy v Argentina (7am Monday, Eden Park)
Group H: Germany v Morocco (930am Monday, Melbourne Rectangular Stadium)
all times BST

Zlatan Ibrahimovic believes Antonio Conte is being made to pay by Tottenham for "being himself".

Conte is widely expected to be sacked in the coming days following his outburst after Spurs let a two-goal lead slip in last weekend's 3-3 Premier League draw at Southampton.

The Italian accused his players of being "selfish" and playing with "no heart", with that draw following swiftly on from Tottenham's FA Cup and Champions League exits.

But Ibrahimovic, who has never previously played under Conte, has defended the multi-title-winning coach for speaking his mind in public.

"Every single person works in his own way. Somebody tries to be an actor, pretend. Somebody is being himself, somebody is trying to be perfect," he told Sky Sports.

"I believe in being yourself, and sometimes you pay for it because that's not what the people want to hear. 

"I prefer to be myself and express myself like I think and the way I want. We all work in our own way."

Conte has spent the past week in Italy, and his future is likely to be decided by the middle of next week at the latest when Tottenham's international players return to training.

Milan veteran Ibrahimovic is himself away on international duty with Sweden and was introduced as a second-half substitute in Friday's 3-0 Euro 2024 qualifying loss to Belgium.

Sweden's oldest player at the age of 41 years and five months, Ibrahimovic has no plans to call time on his career just yet.

"I want to continue playing football," said Ibrahimovic, who has played four times for Milan since returning from a long-term injury lay-off last month. 

"If I feel good, this is my priority, and I feel very good at Milan. If they want me to keep me then I'm happy. I'm available."

Romelu Lukaku hoped to have answered some of his critics with a hat-trick in Belgium's Euro 2024 qualifying opener at Sweden.

Lukaku scored all three goals as Belgium claimed a 3-0 win in what had looked like being the toughest game of their campaign.

Goals have not flowed so easily at club level this season, with Lukaku returning to Inter and scoring just three time in Serie A – albeit while hampered by injury.

But Friday's game was a step in the right direction as Belgium's record goalscorer said: "It was not an easy game, but we can be satisfied. We did well.

"I am happy that I can play minutes and show the outside world what I can do."

The "outside world" had been an issue for Belgium at the 2022 World Cup, Lukaku suggested, as he reflected following the Sweden game on their group-stage exit.

"I was extremely disappointed," he said, as reported by HLN. "For the first time, we let ourselves be affected by the sounds of the outside world.

"The team has always been close and you saw that today. When I scored, everyone jumped up. We must continue this momentum."

Lukaku's match-winning turn came in the first game under new coach Domenico Tedesco, with Belgium leaving their Qatar disappointment behind in a new era following Roberto Martinez's departure.

"We started to play much more offensively," Lukaku said of their approach under Tedesco. "We haven't had much time to prepare, but I'm happy.

"Change is not a bad thing, as long as the results follow."

Domenico Tedesco expects to see even more from his Belgium side, despite an impressive 3-0 victory over Sweden in his first game as head coach.

Romelu Lukaku's hat-trick in Friday's opening Euro 2024 qualifier ensured Tedesco, who took over from Roberto Martinez last month, got off to a flying start.

While pleased to have picked up victory in the Group F clash in Stockholm, former RB Leipzig boss Tedesco can see room for improvement after his first 90 minutes at the helm.

"I am satisfied with the team, because no victory is easy," Tedesco said. “But we started nervous here and lost some balls in situations where that should not have happened. 

"Yet we scored twice after two good counters with excellent flank play. After that, at 2-0 we performed less and I don't want that, but it's a process. 

"We can play even better football and we have to improve, but all in all I'm satisfied."

With the likes of Eden Hazard, Toby Alderweireld and Axel Witsel having retired from Belgium duty, some new faces and others previously on the fringes had a chance to impress.

Dodi Lukebakio assisted Lukaku's first two goals on what was just his third start and debutant Johan Bakayoko laid on the third after being introduced from the substitutes' bench.

Hertha Berlin winger Lukebakio caught the eye with his play down the right but, like head coach Tedesco, he also believes Belgium – who flopped at Qatar 2022 – can improve.

"This is just the beginning," he said. "It was important to get off to a good start in this qualifying campaign. We have shown what we can do, but we can perform even better. 

"We will have to improve game after game. On a personal level, with two assists, it couldn't have been much better for me today.

Belgium are back in action on Tuesday with a friendly against Germany in Cologne, while Sweden host Azerbaijan on Monday in their next qualifying match.

Romelu Lukaku scored a hat-trick as Belgium kicked off a new era under Domenico Tedesco with a 3-0 win over Sweden on Friday in their opening Euro 2024 qualifier.

The Red Devils replaced Roberto Martinez with Tedesco after exiting the World Cup at the group stage, while a number of big names also retired from international football.

Tedesco's tenure got off to a flying start at Friends Arena in Stockholm, where Lukaku's header and a close-range finish either side of half-time had the visitors in control.

Sweden brought on 41-year-old striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but Lukaku completed his treble in the 82nd minute to round off a comfortable victory.

Dejan Kulusevski almost gave Sweden the lead when his shot trickled towards goal after Thibaut Courtois got a hand to it, only for Wout Faes to clear off the line.

It was the visitors who opened the scoring 10 minutes before the interval when Dodi Lukebakio's right-sided cross was glanced in by the head of Lukaku.

The on-loan Inter striker doubled his tally with a tap-in from a yard out after Lukebakio burst into the box, got away from his man and once again picked out his team-mate.

Sweden struggled to ask any real questions of Courtois, despite the introduction of Ibrahimovic, and Lukaku made certain of the win when given a simple finish by Johan Bakayoko.

What Zlatan Ibrahimovic likes most about Qatar is everything.

He made that point in a Sweden press conference on Tuesday, giving 10/10 ratings to all aspects of the World Cup experience and saluting the country's lack of crime and drug problems.

The 41-year-old Milan striker had no part to play in the Qatar 2022 finals, owing to Sweden's failure to qualify, but he was a guest at the final, being pictured at the Argentina versus France showpiece game along with tennis superstar Novak Djokovic.

Asked for his impressions of the tournament and the country as a whole, Ibrahimovic said: "It was fantastic. As awesome as it gets. I was there for two days with the family."

He gave a rundown of his ratings for all aspects he encountered, saying: "The organisation: 10 points. The experience: 10 points. The match: 10 points. Crowd: 10 points. The food: 10 points. The journey: 10 points. Everything was 10 points."

When it was pointed out to Ibrahimovic that Qatar has faced criticism over alleged human rights abuses, Ibrahimovic stuck to his theme and gave a final mark to the country.

"Ten points," he said.

Pressure groups have claimed women and people from LGBTQ+ communities are particularly badly treated in Qatar, along with migrant workers.

Amnesty International said ahead of the World Cup that hundreds of thousands of such workers had been exploited, pointing to thousands dying suddenly or unexpectedly.

The same organisation said last week that "many thousands of workers have been unable to obtain compensation for horrific abuses linked to the World Cup", calling on football's world governing body FIFA to ensure this is rectified.

Qatar has been accused by its critics of attempting to 'sportswash' its reputation by putting on a successful major event that runs smoothly and paints the country in a positive light internationally.

Ibrahimovic will not be levelling such an accusation at Qatar's door, though, because he had a 10/10 time during his stay.

Speaking in a further interview with broadcaster SVT, the former Barcelona, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain striker added: "I think they have given opportunities to get a job. Then how they treated them, I haven't been there and seen, so I can't judge and answer those questions."

Ibrahimovic played for PSG during the early years of the Qatar Sports Investments era at the Parc des Princes, and Qatari club chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi joined him and Djokovic in their World Cup final photo.

The veteran Swede therefore has that close connection, and Ibrahimovic said: "Qatar as a country, I think it is a system that works. Are there drugs? No. Is there crime? No. Is there crime in Sweden? Yes, very much. Drugs? Yes.

"Qatar's system works. The Swedish system? It works, but if it works 100 per cent, I don't know."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic revealed it took three knee operations to rescue his career at the end of last season, as the Milan striker returned to centre stage on Tuesday with Sweden.

The 41-year-old spoke at a national team press conference ahead of Friday's Euro 2024 qualifier against Belgium, having been called up by coach Janne Andersson.

Two years have passed since Andersson recalled Ibrahimovic after a long spell in the international wilderness, and he has endured cruel fortune in that subsequent time, with a knee injury ruling him out of the delayed Euro 2020 finals.

That blow in 2021 was followed by Ibrahimovic requiring anterior cruciate knee ligament surgery at the end of last season, which was necessary to extend his playing days.

Milan announced in late May that Ibrahimovic, who played through the pain barrier to help them win the Serie A title, had undergone an operation on the problematic left knee.

Ibrahimovic said on Tuesday: "The truth is I had three surgeries, not one."

He explained the process of getting the knee back in working order was then a struggle, and he had to stubbornly persist while initially seeing no improvement.

"The problem was that the feedback was not positive," he said. "They tried to move forward, but it was then two steps backwards.

"I never saw any light that gave me energy, that gave me answers that what I was doing was good. But then something happened and I came out of a dark room and everything became bright and positive. It was hard, but I had a lot of patience."

He is set to be a substitute against Belgium and Azerbaijan during this international camp, and to score for his country again, for the first time since netting against Denmark in November 2015, would cap his comeback.

"That would mean everything," Ibrahimovic said. "I want to be compared to everyone else. But it's always fun to score goals in the national team of course and here at home in front of the Swedish people. If the opportunity comes, I will score, 100 per cent."

As the old man of the team, Ibrahimovic knows he is particularly conspicuous in the company of far younger colleagues.

He scored a penalty in Milan's weekend defeat to Udinese, becoming the oldest scorer in Serie A history, and is determined to wring every last drop from his career.

"I was sitting yesterday when we had dinner," he said, quoted in Aftonbladet. "I told [my team-mates]: 'You're probably wondering what I'm doing here. That you think I'm stupid in the head. That I am here, 41 years old and playing in the national team.'

"But then I said: 'Wait until you're near the end. Then you will understand everything I am doing now, that it will be like a panic. You don't want to stop, you want to continue.'"

Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia has earned his first senior Belgium call-up but there is no place for Axel Witsel in Domenico Tedesco's first squad as coach

The Saints man enters the fray in the Red Devils' first selection following Roberto Martinez's exit at the conclusion of the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Lavia, a Belgium youth international, is the only new name among a squad that mixes experience and youth, including the country's most-capped player in Anderlecht's Jan Vertonghen.

But Atletico Madrid midfielder Witsel, who only trails Vertonghen when it comes to appearances for the national team, is an eye-catching omission as Tedesco looks to leave his mark.

Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski has been recalled in place of the retired Simon Mignolet.

Other names earning a return to the fold include Nottingham Forest midfielder Orel Mangala and Wolfsburg defender Sebastiaan Bornauw, both of whom were last capped against Burkina Faso a year ago.

Belgium open their Euro 2024 qualification campaign against Sweden next Friday, before they play a friendly against hosts Germany a week on Tuesday.

The team endured a lacklustre World Cup campaign last year, failing to progress from Group F after defeat against Morocco and a goalless draw with Croatia.

Belgium squad: Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg), Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid), Thomas Kaminski (Blackburn Rovers), Matz Sels (Strasbourg); Sebastiaan Bornauw (Wolfsburg), Timothy Castagne (Leicester City), Zeno Debast (Anderlecht), Wout Faes (Leicester City), Thomas Meunier (Borussia Dortmund), Arthur Theate (Rennes), Jan Vertonghen (Anderlecht); Yannick Carrasco (Atletico Madrid), Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City), Charles De Ketelaere (Milan), Romeo Lavia (Southampton). Orel Mangala (Nottingham Forest), Amadou Onana (Everton), Dennis Praet (Leicester City), Alexis Saelemaekers (Milan); Jeremy Doku (Rennes), Romelu Lukaku (Inter), Dodi Lukebakio (Hertha BSC), Lois Openda (Lens), Leandro Trossard (Arsenal).

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to return to international duty with Sweden after he was selected for their Euro 2024 qualifiers against Belgium and Azerbaijan.

The Milan forward has spent most of the season on the sidelines after undergoing a knee operation at the end of the 2021-22 campaign, following a Serie A title triumph.

Despite having only played just over an hour across three games since his return this year, the 41-year-old has been included in Janne Andersson's latest squad.

Speaking on his decision to bring the veteran in despite questions over his fitness, the coach praised the forward's influence off the pitch while stressing he will have a role to play on it.

"Zlatan and I have been in contact throughout the period up to and including his injury," he said.

"Now he feels good enough that he can come into the squad.

"His personality and leadership qualities are good off the pitch, but the idea is for him to come and contribute on it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have picked him."

Ibrahimovic's last appearance for Sweden came almost a year ago, when the country were eliminated by Poland in the World Cup play-offs for Qatar 2022.

Then, he was a substitute, and Andersson acknowledges he is likely to play a role from the bench again when called upon for their upcoming fixtures.

"I don't see him as a starting player," he added. "It will be more like what it has been for him in Milan, that there are opportunities for him to jump in."

Andersson further underlined that Ibrahimovic's selection would not be the final time he was called up despite his advanced age, and says the ball is in the player's court over his international future.

"If you are at the level where you can play for Milan, you are relevant," he added.

"It is about his own attitude too in terms of whether he wants to continue or not. Zlatan is very eager and wants to contribute."

With 121 games under his belt, Ibrahimovic is the sixth-most-capped player in Sweden history, though he still has some way to go if he wants to take the all-time record of 148 caps from former midfielder Anders Svensson.

Antonio Conte is worried Dejan Kulusevski may not feature for Tottenham before the World Cup after the winger suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury.

Kulusevski has not featured for Spurs since last month's 6-2 thrashing of Leicester City, having sustained the injury while on international duty with Sweden – who failed to qualify for the tournament in Qatar.

While the form of Richarlison initially allowed Spurs to cope with Kulusevski's absence, the Brazil attacker limped out of a 2-0 win over his former club Everton last week, leaving Conte short on forward options.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's clash with Newcastle United, Conte said of Kulusevski: "I think we have to wait a bit of time to see him with us, it is the same for Richarlison.

"For sure, this type of situation creates a big, big difficulty. It's normal. For me, also fingers crossed because at the moment we have Harry [Kane] and Sonny [Son Heung-min] in good health.

"I hope they continue to stay that way, or I'll have to think about putting my shoes on to play, me!

"When you go to play Champions League, especially if you play in the Premier League, you have to know that you're going to have a difficult season for injuries, for massive games, for players who become tired."

Asked whether he is concerned Kulusevski may not recover before the Premier League breaks for the World Cup next month, Conte said: "Yes, because his recovery was going well and then one day the situation worsened.

"Then when this type of situation happens, you have to restart. You need time, but we have the medical department to face injury situations, and they have to solve the situation in a short period. If you are able to solve the situation in a short period, it means points in the table."

Tottenham have lost two of their last four Premier League games (W2), suffering as many defeats in that spell as they did in their previous 21 matches in the competition.

Wednesday's 2-0 reverse at Manchester United represented the first time Spurs have failed to score in a Premier League game this season, and led Conte to declare the two sides were operating on "different levels".

Asked whether Tottenham needed to sign another creative presence in the January transfer window, Conte said the club would assess their options during the World Cup break.

"Now, we have to try to finish this period, which for us is really tough," the Italian added. "You have important injuries and you have to face the situation in the best possible way. 

"Then we'll see. We have to arrive until the last game in November and then with the club we'll see the situation, if we have to do something or we continue in the same way."

Luka Jovic admitted he was "tired" after scoring the winner in Serbia's 1-0 win over Sweden in the Nations League on Thursday.

Jovic scored the winning goal for the Orlovi at the Friends Arena just before half-time, driving home Strahinja Pavlovic's header back across the penalty area from Dusan Tadic's corner.

The 24-year-old striker put in a commendable performance over 77 minutes despite the lack of match minutes at club level, seeing 551 minutes across all competitions for Real Madrid this past season.

After the match, Jovic revealed his fatigue was different to that of his team-mates.

"Honestly, I'm tired after this match," Jovic told RTS. "I believe the others are too, it's a long season, they’ve played a lot of games.

"I haven't played a lot of games this season, which is also a problem, probably an even bigger one than theirs. We have to tighten up, play that one more game and suffer for those three points."

The Orlovi bounced back from their opening Nations League loss in Belgrade to Norway, moving to six points with the win over Sweden, after defeating Slovenia on Sunday.

Jovic asserted it was important win, keeping Serbia in contention for promotion to League A.

"It was a very important victory for us," Jovic said. "We kind of broke back because we lost the first game in Belgrade.

"I think we played a good game, in a fight, against a quality opponent. We are going to Ljubljana to try to take three points."

Aston Villa have announced the permanent signing of goalkeeper Robin Olsen from Roma for an undisclosed fee.

Olsen spent the second half of the 2021-22 season on loan at Villa Park, making just one appearance, the 3-2 defeat on the final day at Manchester City.

The Sweden international joined Roma from FC Copenhagen in 2018 as the replacement for Alisson, who left for Liverpool, though he was unable to properly establish himself at the Giallorossi, also being loaned out to Cagliari, Everton and Sheffield United.

He becomes the latest signing for Steven Gerrard's Villa, who have also agreed deals to add Boubacar Kamara from Marseille and Diego Carlos from Sevilla in recent weeks, as well as making Philippe Coutinho's loan move from Barcelona permanent.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic must "listen to his body" as he ponders his future in football after an injury-hit season with Milan, according to legendary Italian striker Francesco Totti.

The Roma icon also compared Ibrahimovic's stop-start season to the end of his own playing career, although he acknowledged he was often benched despite not suffering from as many injuries as the Swede has.

Ibrahimovic could win his fifth Scudetto in the coming weeks, with Milan holding a slight advantage over Inter, Napoli, and Juventus at the Serie A summit, but has started just 11 of the Rossoneri's 32 league games this term.

The Sweden international, who missed out on the chance to represent his country at the 2022 World Cup after a play-off defeat to Poland last month, has impressed when he has featured in Serie A, netting eight times in 19 league appearances at a rate of 117.25 minutes per goal.

But with Ibrahimovic reportedly set to miss another batch of games after suffering a knee strain, talk has turned to whether the legendary striker could hang up his boots in the near future.

Totti, however, hopes to see the 40-year-old play on if he can continue at a high level.

"Ibra, listen to your body," Totti said. "Finish [the season] with a goal and then decide. Nobody can understand it like me, it's scary. He made history, but now it depends [on his physical condition].

"I hope he will continue as long as he feels like it, but only if his body allows him to be able to be as decisive as he always has been. 

"Ibra is a lion on and off the field. But playing 10 minutes and then stopping, spending more time in the medical room than on the pitch, being given injections, that's heavy. 

"It's been five years [since Totti's own retirement], but I remember all the sensations, and watching Ibra in the last period, I relive them, even if my situation it was a little different from his. I hadn't had any particular injuries.

"I felt I could still give my contribution, but I was quickly pushed aside. I would not wish my last year on my worst enemy. It was very heavy on a mental level.

"[It was] exhausting, because when after a life on the pitch, you do not play continuously, especially at a certain age, you are not letting your body rest, you are making it rust."

Totti scored one goal in 18 Serie A appearances during the 2016-17 season, his final campaign with the Giallorossi at the end of an incredible 25-year spell with the club, but all but one of those appearances came from the bench.

The 45-year-old registered 250 goals and 105 assists in a glittering Serie A career which saw him make 618 appearances overall, and said he would have loved to have played with Ibrahimovic.

He also believes Ibrahimovic could move into coaching at the end of his playing career, but would need to find a club capable of matching his ambitious personality.

"If they were to propose to him to be a manager, he must immediately demand clarity and transparency," Totti added. "There are two questions to ask; what should I do? And who should I do it with?

"Ibrahimovic is a brilliant man, if we had played together, with my assists, he would have scored a hundred more goals!"

The qualification campaign for the 2022 World Cup is all but over.

Some key matches still have to be played, with Wales yet to find out their fate as they wait to face the winner of Scotland's play-off with Ukraine, which has been postponed due to Russia's invasion of the country, while there are inter-confederation play-offs also to be decided.

In total, 28 nations have qualified already, and most of football's star names will be present.

That being said, while France's world champions will bid to defend their crown, Neymar will bring the Brazilian stardust, Lionel Messi will look to build on Argentina's Copa America triumph and Cristiano Ronaldo will feature at a record-equalling fifth tournament, some huge players - and indeed teams, in the case of Italy - will not be present in Qatar.

Stats Perform has looked at some of the star players who will be watching the tournament from home.

Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

Arguably the best player in the world this season, Salah will not be lighting up Qatar with any mazy runs or sensational strikes. Given the tournament is in the middle of next season, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp may secretly be pleased his talisman will not be risking injury or fatigue, but Salah – who blazed his penalty over in the decisive shoot-out against Senegal on Tuesday – will be a big miss.

James Rodriguez (Colombia)

A star of the 2014 World Cup, in which he won the golden boot, James Rodriguez scored Colombia's winner against Venezuela on Tuesday, yet Peru's victory over Paraguay meant the ex-Real Madrid playmaker and his team-mates will not appear in Qatar, where James currently plies his trade for Al-Rayyan.

Luis Diaz, who has made a flying start to life at Liverpool since joining from Porto in January, is another Colombian talent who will be watching on from the sidelines.

Gianluigi Donnarumma (Italy)

The hero of Italy's Euro 2020 triumph with his saves in the penalty shoot-out victory over England last July, Donnarumma – one of Europe's best goalkeepers – will be watching on from afar along with the rest of Roberto Mancini's players. After his error in Paris Saint-Germain's capitulation against Madrid in the Champions League, March has been a sour month for the 23-year-old.

Georgio Chiellini (Italy)

While Donnarumma has time on his side to make it to the next World Cup, the same cannot be said for Giorgio Chiellini. The centre-back is 37 and will surely not be featuring at another major tournament for Italy now.

Defensive partner Leonardo Bonucci may also fall into that category, given he turns 35 in May, while 29-year-old playmaker Marco Verratti may also have seen his final chance of appearing at the World Cup for a second time dashed.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden)

It was the battle of two of Europe's leading marksmen of the last decade on Tuesday, as Poland went head-to-head with Sweden, and it was Robert Lewandowski and Co. who came out on top, winning 2-0.

Bayern Munich star Lewandowski opened the scoring from the penalty spot, and though Ibrahimovic came on as a late substitute, he could not turn the tide in Sweden's favour. The Milan striker has suggested he wants to carry on playing for his country, but at 40, surely this was his last chance of appearing at a World Cup.

Erling Haaland (Norway)

Although Ibrahimovic may be approaching the tail-end of his career, Haaland is certainly not. Yet like the Swede, the Borussia Dortmund forward will not be playing in Qatar either.

Indeed, even if Norway had made it through their qualification group, it is uncertain as to whether or not the players would have chosen to boycott the tournament, having previously made their feelings on Qatar's human rights record clear. But they finished third in Group G anyway.

Arsenal playmaker Martin Odegaard is another bright Norweigian talent, though the Scandinavian nation may well fancy their chances heading towards Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup.

David Alaba (Austria)

Madrid defender Alaba could not inspire Austria to victory in their play-off clash with Wales, with Gareth Bale's double doing the damage. After a glittering career with Bayern, Alaba is on course to win LaLiga with Los Blancos, but any form of real, tangible success on the international stage looks set to avoid him.

Jan Oblak (Slovenia)

Oblak's form has dipped this season for Atletico Madrid but on his day he is still right up there among the world's best goalkeepers, though he could not help Slovenia finish higher than fourth in their qualification group, as their wait to qualify for a first World Cup since 2010 rolled on.

Robert Lewandowski's successful penalty was "one of the heaviest" of his life as he helped Poland book their place in the World Cup finals.

The skipper was on target as the Poles beat Sweden 2-0 in the playoff final to seal their spot in Qatar.

Lewandowski broke the deadlock four minutes into the second half in Chorzow after Jesper Karlstrom fouled Grzegorz Krychowiak in the box.

Piotr Zielinski sealed the deal when he slotted past Robin Olsen 18 minutes from time to secure the Eagles' ninth appearance in the finals.

Lewandowski led the wild post-match celebrations at the Silesian Stadium, but the Bayern Munich forward admitted he felt the pressure when he stepped up for the decisive spot-kick.

He told TVP Sport: "It was a special match; we knew what we were playing for. It is known that this situation around was an additional burden, but in our stadium, it was easier. 

"After the goal, it was clear that the Swedes had a desire. We played well defensively. There is potential to create even more situations, but let's appreciate this qualification and mentally prepare for the World Cup.

"It was one of the heaviest penalties of my life. I was aware of the pressure. I wanted to focus on the execution, but I knew what the game was about. 

"There was great euphoria after the penalty, because I knew it would be a key step [towards qualification]. Then, [Zielinski] scored a goal, and it worked out."