Marcus Danielson was not even selected in the regular European Championship qualifier against Malta and Spain, but was picked up when Pontus Jansson rebuffed. Then he went straight into the starting elf in favor of Victor Nilsson Lindelöf who rests his back.
Like so many times in the Swedes, he ran to the first area of the penalty area and was first on a corner. With his left foot, he guided his first national team goal eleven minutes into the national team career.
The Swedish leadership never felt threatened. When Joseph Mbong ended up after Andreas Granqvist, the Swede's jersey stood like a strut and the referee did not have much to choose. Penalty that Sebastian Larsson safely rolled in at the goalkeeper's left post.
Every now and then, after an hour's play, the air went out of the Maltese, which until then had held up a decent defensive wall. Same Mbong missed a good position to reduce a few minutes later and seemed to want to sink through the ground.
A dull self goal and a new Sebastian Larsson penalty (in the opposite corner) later and it was 4-0 behind Henry Bonello.