Sweden beats Iceland 3-2 in Euro 2012 warm-up

GOTEBORG, Sweden (AP) — Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored one goal and set up another to help Sweden beat Iceland 3-2 Wednesday in the host's first friendly warm-up for the European Championship.

Ibrahimovic put Sweden ahead in the second minute, meeting a cross from Sebastian Larsson with a superb left-footed volley from just inside the area. He then delivered a perfect cross for Ola Toivonen to tap in from close range in the 14th as the hosts looked to be in a high-scoring mood.

However, the Swedish attack fizzled out after that, and Ajax striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson pulled one back for Iceland with a strong header just inside the far post in the 27th.

After a flurry of second-half substitutions, Christian Wilhelmsson added the third with a right-footed shot from a tough angle inside the area in the 78th and Hallgrimur Jonasson headed in a corner for Iceland in injury time.

Sweden was playing against its former coach Lars Lagerback for the first time. Lagerback led Sweden to five straight major tournaments between 2000 and 2008, but was replaced by Erik Hamren after failing to reach the 2010 World Cup and took over Iceland last year.

Hamren is pinning his hopes on Ibrahimovic going into his first major tournament as coach, and deployed the AC Milan striker in a No. 10 role behind fellow forward Markus Rosenberg in the first half. Judging by the opening 15 minutes of Wednesday's game, that's likely where he'll playing at the Euros as well when Sweden take on Ukraine, England and France in Group D.

"We know he's good in any position he's playing in, but he seems to enjoy that role," Hamren said. "A goal and an assist isn't bad."

Sweden looked far from impressive for the final 75 minutes, however, and Hamren acknowledged that the team has to get a lot better defensively before its Euro 2012 opener against Ukraine in Kiev.

The team's staff has to get better at spelling as well.

Wilhelmsson, the former Roma and Bolton winger who now plays for Saudi Arabian team Al Ahli, was playing in a shirt that had his name misspelled on the back.

"I haven't been in the team in a while, so I guess it's not that easy for the federation to get my name right," Wilhelmsson joked. "Hopefully it'll be fixed before the next game."