Memorable moments: Ibrahimovic and his absolutely awesome scissors against England. What was special about Sweden’s match against England?

A great scissors from almost 30 metres away – this is the feat that Zlatan Ibrahimovic presented in 2012 in the match between Sweden and England. Today, this memorable moment is deeply rooted in football history and will be remembered almost forever.

At the age of 41, Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced his retirement after AC Milan’s last league game. The legendary Swedish striker made his mark on the football community with an impressive collection of team and individual achievements.

But beyond that, he entertained the world with his catchphrases and beautiful goals. One of them was the memorable goal against England.

Ibrahimovic conjured it up on 14 November 2012 during an international friendly between Sweden and England.

The Swedes won the match 4:2, with Ibrahimovic himself scoring four goals! The Malmö native waited for England’s then number one goalkeeper Joe Hart to smooth the ball out. And what happened next surprised everyone at the time.

Ibrahimovic scissor-kicked the Swede’s goal with an unbelievable effort. The Swedish international won the prestigious Puskas Award for this goal.

The moment is all the more impressive when we realize that Zlatan scored this way from a distance of less than 30 metres.

Apart from this admirable feat, the match was also special because it was played for the first time in the new Friends Arena in Stockholm. Steven Gerrard, among others, made his 100th start for the English national team.

And to make matters worse, coach Roy Hodgson brought on six debutants for the game against Sweden. Wilfried Zaha, Leon Osman, Ryan Shawcross, Steven Caulker, Carl Jenkinson and Raheem Sterling made their senior debuts.