Sweden vs. Wales: Score, Reaction from 2016 International Friendly

Zlatan Ibrahimovic helped inspire Sweden to a 3-0 victory over Wales at the Friends Arena on Sunday in their final warm-up game ahead of Euro 2016.

The striker did not find the net himself but played a key role in everything his side did while he was on the pitch, and he set up Emil Forsberg for their opener. Mikael Lustig and John Guidetti also scored, the former from a corner Ibrahimovic had won.

Wales offered little for much of the match until Gareth Bale came on as a substitute, with Sweden dominating possession and chances prior to his entrance.

The hosts almost scored from the outset when Ibrahimovic nutmegged Chris Gunter with a delightful through ball for Martin Olsson, but the Norwich City man saw his cross blocked before blasting the rebound into the stands.

Sweden continued to push forward as Lustig headed wide from a corner, while Ashley Williams had to make an excellent block to deny Marcus Berg after a neat move, and the defender was called upon once more to clear Forsberg's header away from danger.

Mikael Sjoberg/Ombrello/Getty Images

As expected, Ibrahimovic was at the centre of their attacking efforts, as he fed Berg with a lovely pass. Sweden were perhaps unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty when the forward's cross struck James Chester's arm.

The home side took a deserved lead soon enough, though, and once again, Ibrahimovic was the provider, teeing up Forsberg to rifle in a low effort from 20 yards, per UEFA Euro 2016:

Wales reporter Mark Pitman noted the difference in the attacking threats offered by the two sides:

Indeed, without Bale on the pitch, Sam Vokes cut an isolated figure up front for Chris Coleman's side.

Sweden continued to dominate after the break, and Berg came close to finding the net with a lob only to see his effort cleared well by Chester.

Lustig saw a shot headed clear by Ben Davies but soon doubled the hosts' tally. Ibrahimovic won his side a corner, from which Lustig stabbed home after a goal-line scramble.

Anders Wiklund/Associated Press

Ibrahimovic was taken off soon after, while Bale was introduced for the final half hour. As football writer Michiel Jongsma noted, spectators were denied the prospect of seeing the stars pitted against each other:

The Dragons soon improved, with the Real Madrid man bridging the gap between the midfield and the front line. The winger came close to scoring with an effort from the right that crept narrowly wide of the post.

Anders Wiklund/Associated Press

Ludwig Augustinsson was needed to intercept a ball that would have found Bale 10 yards out, and Aaron Ramsey swung in a dangerous free-kick from the left, but Robin Olsen made a fine diving save.

Their forays forward left them vulnerable at the back, however, and substitute Guidetti punished Wales with a powerful effort after latching onto a long ball. Journalist Eoin Harmon noted the effect the win will have on Sweden's outlook ahead of the tournament:

Meanwhile, the match was worrying for Wales, per Squawka Football:

Though they notably played better with Bale on the pitch, their over-reliance on their star is a major concern, and teams will look to shut him down at the tournament to nullify Wales' threat.

Post-Match Reaction

Per BBC Sport's Dafydd Pritchard, Coleman believed complacency may have been a factor:

"

We get a bit of success, a bit of expectation, sometimes a little bit of complacency and that can give you a little slap in the face. 

Maybe that's what's happened to us, certainly today. We go into this round of three games where, actually, we are the underdogs.

It doesn't mean we can't produce something special, because we're capable of it.

"

He added: 

"

We were a little bit naive, which would be my criticism today. Normally we do a lot to work on being a bit more streetwise on the pitch, like Sweden were. 

We saw how many times they fouled us on the counter-attack to break it up. There's nothing wrong with that - that's international football.

I'd rather that today than me sitting here next week complaining about the same problem.

"