"ENGLISH XI LACKS STAMINA" Daily Herald

"SWEDEN TO SEND TEAM TO ENGLAND"
"F.A. Council meeting in London yesterday announced next football season's programme of international matches, which include a visit to England by Sweden, who for the first time in England, will play an international." - Birmingham Daily Gazette, Tuesday, 11 February 1947.
  

England dominated the first half of this match at Highbury and would have won by more goals had they not faded so badly after the interval to allow Sweden to come right back into the game.

England were quickly into their stride and after 13 minutes, brilliant work by Wilf Mannion set up their first goal. He dribbled out to the right before splitting the Swedish defence with a brilliant reverse pass which let in Stan Mortensen to score.

After 20 minutes, England added a second from the penalty spot. Mortensen burst through to take Tommy Lawton's headed pass but was brought down in the box. Lawton scored from the spot-kick.

Sweden then hit back and Gunnar Nordahl had scored after a free-kick had caught England badly positioned. This was only a momentary lapse by the home side and they were soon back on top. Lindberg made some fine saves but was powerless to stop Mortensen making it 3-1 after another pass by Lawton.

The midfield mastery of Mannion, Mortensen, Billy Wright and Phil Taylor was superb during the first half and, but for Lindberg's brilliance, especially in two saves from Mannion, England would have been in an unassailable position.

As it was, the second half was a much different story. The edge went from England's play and the half barely started when George Hardwick was desperately heading a shot off his goalline. Sweden were beginning to take control as England faded and they really put the pressure on when Gren scored from a penalty to make it 3-2.

For a while it seemed as though they might equalise but England withstood the pressure well and near the end a piece of sheer brilliance by Mortensen clinched the match. He picked up the ball and set off on a magnificent 40-yard run before ending it with a deadly left-foot shot.

After the break England were certainly made to think by the gutsy Swedish display.
   

Sweden, including the famous Nordahl brothers - Gunnar, Bertil and Knut - pulled back to 3-2 after England had powered into a three-goal lead. Stan Mortensen settled it with a classic goal to complete his hat-trick, beating three defenders in a run from the half-way line before firing in an unstoppable 20-yard shot. The game was billed as being for the unofficial championship of Europe at a time when the Swedes, coached by former Bury winger George Raynor, were rated one of the world's leading football nations. Stan Mortensen was in magnificent form and might have had four goals had he not been upended in the penalty area when shaping to shoot in the first-half. After England's bad recent record from spot-kicks, Tommy Lawton volunteered to take it and scored England's first goal from a penalty since the war. The newspapers ran a story before the match that the Swedes were on a course of pep-pills. Their coach George Raynor later confided that they were just sugar-based pills, but that they had a great psychological effect on his players. Most of the Swedes were amateurs, and that following summer they won the Olympic final in London with some delightful football. Gunnar Nordahl was an exceptional centre-forward, who along with Nils Lindholm later starred with AC Milan.
     

For their next match, against Sweden at the Arsenal Stadium, on November 19, England were without Matthews, which meant Finney had to be moved over to Matthew's place and his position at outside-left taken by Langton (Blackburn Rovers). The remainder of the team were the same as in the matches against Wales and Ireland. England, as was expected, defeated Sweden, but their 4—2 victory was not so easily gained as had been anticipated, the result not being clinched until Mortensen scored two minutes before full-time.
In the first half England were successful everywhere and their brilliant forward line swept again and again through the Swedish half. Thirteen minutes from the start Mortensen scored from a pass from Mannion, and seven minutes later Lawton scored from a penalty kick after a foul on Mortensen. G. Nordahl replied with a quick goal from a free kick before England were properly in position, but Mortensen added a third goal to England's total from a pass by Lawton. At half-time the tally was thus 3—1. Sweden had shown no signs of equaling the home team in offence, though their goalkeeper had made some splendid saves. The few forays made by their forwards showed style but little menace and did nothing to prepare the spectators for the surprises that were to follow.
In the second half the fire went out of the English attack so that the Swedish forwards, well supplied by offensive half-back play, began to find gaps. Their positional play was of the first rank and they gained and kept control of the game in midfield as frequently in the second half as England had in the first. Immediately after the kick off Swift was beaten and a goal was only saved by Hardwick's head. Soon afterwards Gren scored to bring the the score to 3—2. Sweden made great efforts to force a draw, but two minutes from the end Mortensen carried out a long, dribbling run and scored left footed his third and England's fourth goal.