Most world soccer fans can agree on this: it is a darn
shame that between Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Portugal magician
Cristiano Ronaldo, one will not be at next year’s World Cup.
Portugal and Sweden meet in one of the upcoming
home-and-away playoff series starting later this week, with those
oh-so-valuable berths for Brazil 2014 on the line. Translation, that is 180
minutes of the tensest soccer in which any of these players will ever
participate. For the rest of us, get the snacks ready and file this under
“magnificent theater.”
