As the time passed in Lisbon, Erik Hamren was glancing at his watch more and more.

Sweden had Portugal right where they wanted them to be, without a goal and running out of time in the first leg of their World Cup qualifying play-off. The hosts missed some good scoring opportunities and started to become nervous and frustrated, while, more importantly, Cristiano Ronaldo was almost invisible. Most passes never found him and he was harmless.

It looked like a perfect plan from the Sweden manager. Hamren, who has experimented throughout his tenure, had decided to go back to basics for the meeting with Portugal. Discipline was the key word. His side comprised two flat banks of four with Johan Elmander behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a safety fuse, possession being ceded to the home side as the Swedes waited for the chance of a break. The problem that Sweden has had for years now - one concerning a lack of ideas and creativity in the middle - had been overcome simply. No need for any bright ideas, no need for creativity; the only true goal was to stop Ronaldo. If something came up in front of goal, even better.

And they almost managed it.

Only the best - some would say the second best - player in the world would step up to the occasion. Or, rather, dived in to the occasion, with Ronaldo scoring a beautiful header. That completely changed things and left Hamren with a huge dilemma ahead of the return leg in Solna this evening.

Sweden's manager had to decide whether to throw everything in, attack Portugal in an effort to expose their defensive frailties, or approach the match with caution? "The ones that expect us to go all-in are wrong," said Hamren yesterday, answering the question. "If someone thinks that we should go out and play totally offensively, that we can dominate the possession and just think how to score, [that] is not realistic. No. There is the risk that we can concede an early goal and then have a more difficult task. It is about having a balance overall."

Essentially, the tactic remains the same. Little wonder, since this draw has only ever been about two names - Ibrahimovic and Ronaldo. There was never a doubt that these two shoulder the burden of their nations and the match in Lisbon only confirmed that. Portugal and Sweden are average teams that are relying too much on individuals.

Ronaldo did his part. He was toiling for 80 minutes inside the Estadio Da Luz, frustrated with his performance and, probably even more so, by those of his team-mates, but in the end one goal changed everything. Despite suggestions from Paulo Bento, the Portugal coach, that his forward was just an important piece of a larger puzzle, the win exhibited something different. Ronaldo won the first round and now the Swedes are expecting Ibrahimovic to turn it around.

That sort of pressure is nothing new for Ibrahimovic, of course. Ever since the striker decided to end his international retirement for the Euro 2012 qualifiers, Ibrahimovic has been destined to be the leader of this generation. The team was brought to life after his comeback and his stature grew. Sweden have played eight matches at the shiny new Friends Arena since leaving their traditional home at the Rasunda Stadium and Ibrahimovic has scored 10 goals, including the winner against Austria in October.

"This time things will be a bit different," said the Paris Saint-Germain striker. "I hope for the huge support. We are now back home, and that changes things."

In Sweden, Ibrahimovic is given more respect than any king, is more important than any politician and is more popular than, well, anyone. He is a national icon. But, even a player like that needs at least some support from his team-mates. Hamren is aware of that.

Sweden were impressive defensively in the first leg but will need to go further if they want to reach the World Cup finals next summer. For all his strengths, Ibrahimovic cannot be counted on to press the opposition centre-backs and Sweden were unable to exploit Portugal's vulnerable defence in Lisbon. The lack of attacking ambition that served to isolate Ibrahimovic needs to change. After all, they need goals. "We must put the ball on the ground and try to get it to our attackers," said Hamren.

Ibrahimovic or Ronaldo? One of them will spend the summer among us mortals, a spectator of the biggest and the most important event in the world of football.