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England vs. Sweden top five matches: Zlatan Ibrahimovic's overhead kick and more

England head into the World Cup quarterfinals knowing that one more win will equal their best performance since winning the whole thing in 1966. Sweden stand between Gareth Southgate's men and the semifinals, and while on paper it looks like a relatively easy draw, history suggests otherwise.

Of the 24 games played between the sides, England have only won on eight occasions, drawing nine. ESPN FC looks back over the five best clashes, what made them great, and what lessons the side can learn.

Sweden 2-3 England -- June 2012

After an opening Euro 2012 group stage draw against France, Three Lions fans felt confident about their chances against a Sweden side who had lost to Ukraine. Andy Carroll headed England into a first half lead, before they were pegged back by a Glen Johnson own goal shortly following the interval.

Former Aston Villa man Olof Mellberg then managed to peel away during a free kick and duly made England pay, putting them behind for the first time under then-manager Roy Hodgson. He responded by throwing on Theo Walcott, who equalised within three minutes of taking to the pitch. And then, with little over 10 minutes remaining, Walcott made a darting run to the byline and pulled the ball back across for Danny Welbeck, who finished with a deft one-touch finish on the turn.

Sweden 2-2 England -- June 2006

England needed only a point to secure top spot in Group B at the 2006 World Cup, and a point is all they got. The match marked one of Michael Owen's last in an England shirt after he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament just 51 seconds into the match. Joe Cole opened the scoring with a sublime volley from 25 yards, only for Marcus Allback to equalise with a near-post header from a corner early in the second half.

Sven-Goran Eriksson, up against his native country for the second time at a World Cup, thought his employers had done enough to win it in the 85th minute when Steven Gerrard headed home, but Henrik Larsson made the most of confusion in the England penalty area in stoppage time to snatch a draw.

Sweden 4-2 England -- November 2012

A match which was intended to mark the opening of Sweden's new Nationalarenan stadium had headlines stolen by Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Fresh from a summer move to Paris Saint-Germain, the forward put his country ahead early into the match, though it was a goal lost in history as the game went on.

A quickfire England double -- courtesy of Danny Welbeck and Steven Caulker -- looked to have restored order, and until the 77th minute, it looked like Hodgson's side had spoiled the Swedish party again. In that final quarter of an hour, Ibrahimovic scored three more goals, including an overhead kick from near the halfway line, to make it a fairytale night in Stockholm. 

England 1-1 Sweden -- June 2002

The first of Eriksson's World Cup meetings against his own country ended in stalemate too. Intense media scrutiny in the build up to the 2002 tournament looked set to be eradicated after Sol Campbell headed in David Beckham's corner, giving England a dream start in that year's "group of death."

However, a mistake by Danny Mills allowed a swarming Sweden attack, and Niclas Alexandersson -- who played in England with Sheffield Wednesday, Everton and West Ham -- made England pay, levelling proceedings with a curling effort. Sweden would go on to top the group ahead of England on goals scored.

England 3-3 Sweden -- June 1995

In 1995, England hosted the Umbro Cup as a rehearsal for Euro '96. A four-team tournament also consisting of Brazil, Japan and Sweden was created, with Brazil going on to claim glory. In England's second game, they were staring defeat in the face until the last couple of minutes.

Hakan Mild bagged a brace for Sweden before the break, and Kennet Andersson restored a two-goal lead after a Teddy Sheringham strike. A loss would have meant England would be ruled out of contention before facing their toughest opponents, Brazil, but a David Platt header in the 89th minute gave them hope.

Soon after play restarted, Darren Anderton's left-footed half-volley ricocheted off both posts and in to spare the hosts' blushes.

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