Zaha got 10 minutes. And Zlatan got four goals.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic 4 England 2
Sweden wobbled badly at the start in the first game at their new Friends Arena in Stockholm.
Gary Cahill had a half-chance in 15, waving a leg at Stevie G’s diagonal free-kick.
Then Ibrahimovic trotted across the box to meet a left wing pass across the box, Tottenham’s George Caulker blocked his first shot, and the imperious gladiator produced a right-foot toepoke past Joe Hart for 1-0.
Ashley Young jinked past Larsson and crossed early into the six-yard box for Danny Welbeck to stab in from three yards in 35.
Then another diagonal free-kick from Gerrard was whipped over the Sweden defence for Caulker to score from three yards on his debut.
2-1 to England. It was going OK for Roy Hodgson, who lost in extra time to Italy in Euro 2012 but hadn’t lost in 90 minutes in his 11 games as England manager.
England started the second half with more rhythm and confidence.
Wilshere came on for Cleverley in 62, with Sturridge replacing Ashley Young.
Jack, 20, has six caps now.
Gerrard, winning his 100th, tried an over-ambitious volley from 24 yards in 67 but that shot flew well wide.
Jack Wilshere played in his own time, making the passes he wanted to make, shrugging off attempts to rush him. He needs 20 more games for Arsenal.
England at that stage looked like a side in transition, a team that could scrap through a dodgy spell in a game, stabilise, score a goal, then maybe start to play a bit.
Ryan Shawcross came on for Caulker, Carl Jenkinson for Glen Johnson, Tom Huddlestone for Gerrard.
After those subs came on, England fell apart.
Ibra immediately went over and stood in front of Shawcross on the left side of Sweden’s attack, having been more on the right all through the game.
Veteran Anders Svensson, ex-Southampton, joined the fray and his chipped through pass allowed Ibra to spin off Shawcross, chest the ball and volley past Joe Hart for 2-1. Ibra then scored with a 30-yard free-kick.
Joe Hart wrong-footed himself, leaning to his right at exactly the wrong moment. That bad habit should have been coached out of him by now. The free-kick flew low past him on his left side.
Crystal Palace wonderboy Wilfried Zaha then came on for Sterling with 6 of the 90 left.
In 91, Joe Hart came out of his goal and the magisterial Zlatan, sensing a mistake, took a step backwards. Hart got under the ball, headed it gently up in the air, and Ibra, realising he could volley into an empty net from 30 yards, did just that. His majestic overhead kick dropped perfectly into the goal : one of the greatest volleys of all time by a magisterial centre forward who has been Sweden’s Footballer of the Year for the last five seasons.
Final score Zlatan 4 England 2
Ibrahimovic 20, 77, 84, 90+1
Raheem Sterling did OK on his debut but gave the ball away far too often. He’ll learn. He’s 18 next month.
On Ibra, Seb Larsson said, “He’s better now than he’s ever been.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is 31 and has 39 goals in 85 games for Sweden.
The last player to score a hat-trick against England was Marco Van Basten in 1988.
Our best players last night were Welbeck and Baines.
