#ibrahimovic

#ibrahimovic

Zlatan Ibrahimovic made a much-anticipated return to international football but it was Romelu Lukaku who scored a hat trick as Belgium secured a 3-0 win over Sweden in their opening Group F European Championship qualifier on Friday.The win at the Friends Arena gave new Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco the perfect start as his side seek to bounce back form a disappointing group-stage exit at the Qatar World Cup but Janne Andersson's Sweden posed little threat.

AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic became the oldest scorer in Serie A history, although his side lost 3-1 to Udinese.Ibrahimovic, 41, scored a retaken penalty at the end of the first half after his first effort had been saved by home goalkeeper Marco Silvestri.It was the Swede's first goal since returning from a serious knee injury.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic's landmark Serie A goal was the only highlight of a poor display for Milan as they were beaten 3-1 at Udinese on Saturday.On his first start since January 2022 following his recovery from a knee injury, Ibrahimovic became the oldest goalscorer in Serie A history, overtaking Milan legend Alessandro Costacurta.

AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic became the oldest goalscorer in Serie A history but it was not enough to prevent them suffering a 3-1 loss at Udinese on Saturday in a blow to the defending champions' hopes of securing a top-four finish.Milan missed the chance to jump to second and remained fourth with 48 points, a point clear of fifth-placed AS Roma, who play Lazio on Sunday.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has promised a "change of tone" at Milan as he nears a return to action.Ibrahimovic has not featured this season, having undergone surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament injury shortly after Milan ended an 11-year wait to win the Serie A title in May.While Milan started respectfully in his absence, they have slipped to sixth in Serie A - 18 points adrift of leaders Napoli - after going five league games without a win.

Prediction: Roma win
Serie A football is back and as is the case with plenty of other leagues across Europe, they've got a lot of catching up to do after the winter break.Italian football, in a lot of ways, is starting to make a real comeback in terms of its prestige - and it'll be interesting to see if they can maintain that momentum.

AC Milan travel to face Udinese as the side are in dire need of three points.Milan play Napoli immediatley after the international break and have 7 games in the month of April hence ending this quarter well is crucial.Here are some key battles to look out for:
Key Battles
Striker vs Centre back Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs Rodrigo Becao Do you remember the overhead kick at the last minute from the 2020/21 season wearing the blue third kit?

AC Milan face Udinese on the road as Stefano Pioli searches for his first win in three games.Milan went on a four game win streak and are not at risk of no wins in four games.Udinese are unbeaten in the previous three with a win and two draws.This is the final game ahead of the international break and Milan are in serious risk of falling out of the top four again if the side cannot get a win.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in contention to start for Milan against Udinese on Saturday as the 41-year-old looks to lift Stefano Pioli's' struggling champions.The striker, recalled by Sweden this week, has recovered from major knee surgery and come through three substitute appearances.Now the veteran is a prime contender to line up from the first whistle as Milan are forced to cope without the suspended Olivier Giroud in their last game before the international break.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been called up to the Sweden squad at the age of 41 for their European Championship qualifiers, a year after his last cap.Sweden will face Belgium and Azerbaijan later this month.The AC Milan forward has been sidelined for much of the season because of a knee injury.He quit international football after Euro 2016 but returned in 2021 for their unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign.

Champions AC Milan beat visitors Atalanta 2-0 in Serie A on Sunday, consolidating their position in the top four as they extended their winning streak to three league outings.Milan took the lead in the 25th minute through an own goal by Atalanta goalkeeper Juan Musso, after the ball went in off his back as he tried to save a shot from distance by Theo Hernandez.

Stefano Pioli credited Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his influence on Milan's squad as he suggested the fit-again striker will soon be able to make his first start of the season.Having undergone anterior cruciate ligament surgery shortly after helping Milan end an 11-year wait to win the Scudetto last May, Ibrahimovic made his first appearance of the campaign last week.

Stefano Pioli ordered Milan to cut out "trivial mistakes" after a 2-2 draw at Lecce left the Rossoneri nine points behind runaway Serie A leaders Napoli.Last season's champions trailed Lecce 2-0 after 23 minutes on Saturday, before Rafael Leao and Davide Calabria hauled them back to level terms.

Former Argentina international Sergio Aguero has hit back at Zlatan Ibrahimovic over the Sweden forward's remark that the World Cup champions "will not win anything more."Ibrahimovic said certain Argentina players "behaved badly" while mocking France after their World Cup final victory and said "speaking as a top professional player, that is a sign that you will win once, but you won't win again."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has urged his Milan team-mate Rafael Leao to reject interest from other clubs and stay at San Siro in order to realise his "scary" potential.Leao played a key role as Milan ended an 11-year wait to win the Scudetto last term, while no other Rossoneri player can match his tallies of six goals and four assists in Serie A this season.