Positive thinking eases Dahlin's pain

Johan Dahlin hardly needs reminding of the last time Sweden played Serbia in a competitive fixture. The 22-year-old was in goal when Serbia overturned a 3-0 first-leg deficit in their qualifying play-off by crushing Sweden 5-0 to reach the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship finals.

Painful memories
It was worse enough that the return match was played in Dahlin's home town of Trollhattan, but to add insult to misery, the goalkeeper was replaced at half-time after conceding three goals in 26 first-half minutes. "I do still think about that game," Dahlin told uefa.com. "It was a big match, a play-off for a final tournament, and we lost 5-0 at home in Trollhattan. That wasn't much fun."

'Move on'
Dahlin is not the only Sweden squad member to have played in that defeat. Pontus Wernbloom and Marcus Berg also featured, while Mikael Lustig, Mattias Bjärsmyr and Ola Toivonen were unused substitutes. The result, though, hit the softly spoken, reflective Dahlin particularly hard. "It took me a long time to get over it," the FC Lyn Oslo custodian said. "A very long time. But you have to move on."

'Calmer'
Dahlin was speaking at Sweden's team hotel in Bastad on the eve of their final Group A fixture. Normally the press would gather around a star player, yet this time a lower-profile squad member occupies the centre of attention. But not too unsung: the No1 has established himself as first choice at Norwegian club Lyn this year and also won his first senior Sweden cap in a January friendly against the United States. "I'm calmer now. I don't make things more difficult than they need to be," he said.

Philosophical
That calm will be invaluable when Sweden meet Serbia on Tuesday requiring a draw to advance to the semi-finals, and Dahlin is cool-headed when discussing the campaign so far. He may have been beaten three times, but it has taken exceptional strikes from Sergei Kislyak and Mario Balotelli and a pinpoint Robert Acquafresca header to get the ball past him. "It's a bit harsh – I've faced four genuine attempts on goal, and three have gone in. But they have been great strikes, so I can't dwell on them. It's not like I've made blunders. I've just focused on saving the next shot." Dahlin takes a similar tack when considering the reunion with Serbia. "I didn't give it a thought until after the Italy match, because it wasn't the next match." Chances are, though, that Sweden and Dahlin are thinking of nothing else now.