Sweden have been branded as life-savers after an 85-year old Swedish farmer revealed that the thought of Lars Largerbäck and Tommy Söderberg's squad's 5-0 win against Bulgaria had kept him warm through a terrifying night he spent lost in the remote far north.
Soren Gellerstedt survived for four days without food after his car got stuck in a quiet road in woods outside the town of Jokkmokk on Friday.
The alarm was raised in the area, which is famous for its reindeer, but Gellerstadt was not discovered until Tuesday morning, by which time, he claimed, listening to radio coverage of Sweden's opening Group C game against Bulgaria on his car radio had given him reason to live.
"The victory over Bulgaria saved my life," he said. "I had nothing to drink except rainwater and I was desperately thirsty.
The team gave me the best lift I could have had."
Bulgaria missed a number of chances to take the lead in the first half of that game, but as they prepare to fly home after being eliminated from the tournament, Plamen Markov's team can at least take comfort in the knowledge that their wayward finishing in Portugal may have saved a life.
Soccer saves life
