Berisha hat-trick helps Sweden thrash Argentina 4-1 to seal third spot in the U17 World Cup

Argentina came into the third-place play off for a record fifth time and were looking to make it their fourth third-place finish, after losing their unbeaten run against Mexico in the semifinals. But, Sweden ensured a fairy tale finish to their campaign as they thrashed Argentina 4-1 at the Mohammad Bin Zayed stadium on Friday. A Valmir Berisha hat-trick was enough for the Scandinavians, who dominated the game from the first whistle to the last.

Sweden came into the game on the back of a disappointing defeat to Nigeria and were looking to bounce back and finish with at least Bronze in their debut U17 bout. They were set on their way thanks to their talisman, Berisha who opened the scoring in just the seventh minute after a clever chip by Carlos Strandberg found the forward in space. After that, it didn’t look like the Argentines were ever going to make a proper fist of the game, especially without their suspended No.1 and Captain in Augusto Batalla.

The first goal was just what Sweden needed as they pushed home the advantage as the half wore on. In the 20^th minute, they doubled their lead and this time, the provider turned goal scorer as Strandberg, making his first start in the tournament scored a perfect volley that almost sealed the game so early on. Not content with two, Sweden pushed on in search of another and got their third just four minutes later. Gustav Engvall, the man who created the second, dribbled 40 yards with the ball and was unlucky to see his shot ricochet off the bar, but Berisha was on hand to grab his second of the game from the penalty spot.

After that, Argentina finally made a few inroads into the Swedish defense and were justly rewarded with a goal, at the stroke of half-time. Rodrigo Moreira was on hand to knock back a poor clearance from Johan Ramhorn, which landed in the back of the net after a shot from Lucio Compagnucci from close range. There were a few in the crowd, who were hoping that that would spark a comeback in the second half, but none was forthcoming.

The victory was sealed in the 57^th minute, after a pin point cross from Swedish captain Elias Andersson was headed home by an unmarked Berisha, who scored his seventh goal in as many games and leapt to the top of the goal scoring charts as a result. But, unfortunately for the forward, he injured himself in the process and had to taken off immediately. That goal was the final nail in the coffin as Argentina barely ventured forward thereafter and Sweden were all too happy to play keep ball.

When the final whistle blew, it sparked scenes of jubilation among the Scandinavians who had managed to finish their first ever U17 World Cup in third place. That was Sweden’s best ever finish in a FIFA tournament since their senior side managed the same feat in the 1994 FIFA World Cup and one that will give them a lot of hope for the future.