Broke in: “Only to accept”
Updated 22.06 | Published 21.56
DALLAS. Kim Källström told how the loss in European Championship 2004 against the Netherlands still hurts.
Then Olof Mellberg suddenly broke in.
– I take on that Kim, he says after 22 years.
Sweden faces the Netherlands in a championship for the first time in 22 years.
The last time was in the EC quarter-finals in 2004 when Sweden, who dreamed of going all the way with their Super-Swedes, went out on penalties.
The football manager Kim Källström was substituted at the end of regular time. The loss still stings.
“Sorry, Kim!”
– I’ve been down there in Faro quite a bit and when you drive past that arena it disturbs you a little, you could say. We were a bit out of sorts in parts of the match but the longer it went on the more we took over and then it came to a penalty shootout and then it went as it went. I’m not a person who looks back that much, but it’s a match that you think that if you had gotten past it, it could have looked different, said Källström when he met the Swedish press corps in Dallas today.
Then suddenly a voice was heard further back in the room.
– Sorry for that, Kim! I’ll take it!
It was Olof Mellbergone of the penalties (the other was Zlatan Ibrahimovic) against the Netherlands. He is on site as an expert in SVT.
Mellberg’s comment caused some laughter in the room.
– I saw you out of the corner of my eye and thought if you were going to say something, smiled Källström.
“Do I have to do”
After the press conference, we meet Mellberg.
You took that loss?
– I have to do that. That’s how it was, it’s a fact.
Does it still feel that way?!
– Yes, that’s clear. It always will. You have to accept that.
Mellberg suddenly finds himself living in what it was like 22 years ago.
– There was a big orange wall behind the goal and then the biggest wall of them all, (Edwin) van der Sar, in the goal.
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