Midfielder Gustav Svensson played for 71 minutes in a reserve role as Sweden upset Italy in a 1-0 aggregate win to secure a spot in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. After Jakob Johansson went down with an injury in the 19th minute, the Sounders midfielder admirably filled-in to keep the score deadlocked at 0-0 in the second leg at San Siro in Milan, Italy. Sweden won the first leg 1-0 on November 10, with Svensson appearing in the contest's final 15 minutes.
Svensson, 30, has emerged as a viable option off the bench for the Swedes, who are set to make their first FIFA World Cup appearance since 2006. Svensson has a career-high five caps for Sweden in 2017. In his first season with the Sounders, Svensson made 32 league appearances, including 30 starts, and recorded one goal and four assists.
