Sweden were moments away from ending their World Cup preparations with a win, but Greece struck in stoppage time to secure a 2-2 draw in the sides’ final friendly before the tournament.
The visitors opened the scoring during the first half through Kostas Tsimikas, giving Greece the advantage and putting the hosts under pressure. Sweden responded after the interval when Viktor Gyokeres, who had only recently joined the national team camp, found the net.
The striker linked up with the squad on Wednesday following Arsenal’s penalty shootout defeat to Paris St Germain in the Champions League final. Just over a day later, he made an impact by sending a free kick goalward, with the ball taking a deflection off Vangelis Pavlidis before ending up in the net.
Sweden move ahead after halftime changes
Both managers made several substitutions around the hour mark as they continued preparations for the upcoming World Cup.
The adjustments appeared to work in Sweden’s favor. In the 69th minute, substitute Taha Ali created an opportunity for Gustav Nilsson, who converted to put the home side 2-1 in front and seemingly on course for victory.
With time running out, Sweden looked set to complete a successful final rehearsal before heading into the tournament.
Masouras strikes in stoppage time
However, Greece refused to give in and found a way back into the contest deep into second-half added time.
Giorgos Masouras scored a dramatic equaliser, ensuring the visitors left with a draw and preventing Sweden from celebrating a winning send-off in front of their supporters.
Sweden will now turn their attention to the World Cup, where they begin their Group F campaign against Tunisia on 14 June before taking on the Netherlands and Japan in their remaining group-stage fixtures.