Showing posts with label Sweden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sweden. Show all posts
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored one of the goals of Euro 2012 to give Sweden a polished 2-0 Group D win over France in Kiev and condemn Laurent Blanc's side to a daunting quarter-final with world and European champions Spain.
With England overcoming Ukraine 1-0 in Donetsk, the French needed to match that scoreline to win Group D but failed miserably as Sweden - despite already being eliminated having lost their first two games - were by far the better side at the Olympic Stadium.
AC Milan forward Ibrahimovic set them on the road to three points when he swivelled to smash a volley low into the corner of the net from just inside the opposition area to earn Sweden the lead from Sebastian Larsson's cross on 54 minutes.
It was a special finish from the towering forward in a commendable team effort by Sweden, an asset that seemed to seep from the French side on such an important evening.
After continuing to trouble a France side that looked worryingly one-paced and were largely restricted to shots from distance, Sweden gleaned a merited second goal in added time.
Substitute Samuel Holmen knocked an effort off the bar, but Larsson had the presence of mind to whack the rebound into the gaping net with the French defence nowhere to be seen.
France were finished for the night, but of course are not finished for the tournament.
They concluded on four points - three points behind Group D winners England - but their reward for this insipid performance is a match against Group C winners Spain in Donetsk on Saturday night with England meeting Italy 24 hours later in Kiev.
Sweden depart the tournament with a first competitive win over France since 1969 - a run stretching back 12 games - while France have a few days to reflect upon losing their 23-match unbeaten record.
Philippe Mexes was harshly booked in the second half for a foul on Ola Toivonen, and will miss the match against Spain. That may be no bad thing.
Adil Rami, the strapping Valencia defender who was at the heart of the French back line alongside Mexes, was not much better as he continually and needlessly surrendered possession during key sections of the evening.
With Yohan Cabaye training separately from the rest of the French squad after collecting an injury sustained in the 2-0 win over Ukraine, Yann M'Vila came into the midfield for his first start of the finals.
Sweden coach Erik Hamren made two changes from the team who lost 3-2 against England knowing his team were already eliminated. Midfielder Emir Bajrami replaced the ill Rasmus Elm with Toivonen starting for the injured Johan Elmander up front.
In a first half of few chances, Toivonen could have handed Sweden a lead on four minutes when he rose to head wide of goal from Martin Olsson's floated cross.
The PSV Eindhoven forward should have hit the net on 12 minutes when he rolled Mexes before eluding France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
He seemed likely to score, but just overran the ball as he slipped a shot against the outside of the post with Lloris grounded.
Sweden could have added a second moments after Ibrahimovic scored with the productive substitute Christian Wilhemlsson and Olof Mellberg forcing to Lloris to make eye-catching saves to prevent France from falling out of the game.
Samir Nasri walloped a shot wide of goal on 63 minutes before limping off injured while M'Vila forced Andreas Isaksson to repel his shot 20 minutes from time, but France's best chance of the second half fell to substitute Olivier Giroud, who somehow headed wide from eight yards out on 84 minutes from Florent Malouda's corner.
The life seemed to have drained from France. That was confirmed when Larsson finished off the match in added time.
For the record, Karim Benzema has now attempted 15 shots without scoring, more than any other player at the tournament.
England need a draw against co-hosts Ukraine in their final Group D match to reach the Euro 2012 quarter-finals after Danny Welbeck scored a late winner in a 3-2 victory over Sweden at Kiev's Olympic Stadium.
In a match in which neither side's defence impressed, England were forced to recover from trailing in the second half after Olof Mellberg forced Glen Johnson to put past his own keeper and then scored himself to cancel out Andy Carroll's headed opening goal for England on 23 minutes.
Substitute Theo Walcott brought England level when he drove a shot straight down the middle of the goal on 64 minutes from outside of the area that somehow evaded Swedish goalkeeper Andreas Isaksson as he dived to his left. It was his first international goal since his hat-trick in a 4-1 win in Croatia almost four years ago.
Welbeck won it for England on 78 minutes with both sides pushing for the three points when he backheeled Walcott's cross into the net with the opposing defenders again caught marking fresh air.
England were marginally the better side on an evening of some mediocrity with Sweden heading home from the finals after their 2-1 loss to Ukraine in the opening match with followed by this defeat. They will not be a great miss to the tournament.
England conclude their Group D campaign against Ukraine in Donetsk on Tuesday with the co-hosts needing three points to deprive England of progress after their 2-0 loss to France earlier in the day.
France and England top the section on four points with the French warm favourites to progress as group winners if they can come up with a win over the already doomed Swedes.
Roy Hodgson's side will need to improve considerably to remain a threat in this tournament, mainly in defence and in their toiling efforts at ball retention, but will be boosted by the return of the suspended Wayne Rooney to face Ukraine.
Welbeck's winning goal gave them a first success over Sweden in competitive matches after two losses and five draws against the Scandinavian country on similar occasions.
Hodgson's decision to bring back Liverpool forward Carroll to replace the Arsenal teenager Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain seemed to be vindicated when Carroll rose to power a header into the net from 12 yards out after Steven Gerrard had provided a similar delivery that enabled Joleon Lescott to score with a header in the 1-1 draw against France.
England were leading 1-0 and comfortable with Isaksson diving to swat away a Scott Parker shot and Welbeck heading wide from James Milner's cross before Carroll finally unearthed the opening goal with his first start and first goal at a major finals.
With Sweden appearing impotent from open play, Ashley Young drove a shot into the side of the net as England disappeared up the tunnel looking relatively content.
There was a significant mood swing at the outset of the second half when the unmarked and bearded Mellberg prodded the ball over the line to bring Sweden level with England's defence in a ghastly state.
Goalkeeper Joe Hart palmed the ball into the midriff of Johnson, who failed to scramble the ball clear as it dropped over the line.
Suddenly England were being tested as Johnson was forced to make a fine tackle on Rasmus Elm before Sweden moved 2-1 clear as Mellberg rose unmarked to beat Hart with a header from Sebastian Larsson's free-kick.
It was awful defending with John Terry and Lescott nowhere to be seen.
Johnson's pace was again called upon when he raced back to prevent the moody Zlatan Ibrahimovic from getting a free shot at goal as Sweden pushed for a 3-1 lead.
England looked groggy, but dragged themselves back to 2-2 when Walcott's hopeful drive evaded Isaksson seconds after the goalkeeper superbly pawed away John Terry's header inside the Sweden box.
With one goal likely to settle matters either way, Ibrahimovic forced Hart to plunge to his right to divert a ferocious shot on 77 minutes.
It was left to Welbeck to drive the dagger into the hopes of over 20,000 Sweden fans in the 70,000 crowd when he brilliantly converted from Walcott's cross to seal the win.
England could have added to their total in added time, but Isaksson came up with another eye-catching save to halt Gerrard's volley with Walcott playing provider on the break. But England's work had been done for the night.
A vintage goalscoring display from Andriy Shevchenko gave Euro 2012 co-hosts Ukraine a 2-1 victory against Sweden at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev.
The 35-year-old converted two headers in seven second-half minutes to overturn Zlatan Ibrahimovic's opener for Sweden and send the Ukrainian capital into rapture in the country's first European Championship match.
Shevchenko nearly failed to make Oleg Blokhin's tournament squad, but earned a starting berth and repaid his coach's faith with a finishing masterclass to take his international record to 48 goals from 109 games.
Ukraine go top of Group D after the opening round of matches, following England's draw against France earlier on Monday.
The players emerged to a cauldron of noise, with both sets of fans clad in yellow. Yet the action on the pitch took some time to get going - as did Shevchenko.
The Ukrainian captain had a great chance to open the scoring on 23 minutes, but dragged his shot wide of the far post.
The co-hosts grew in confidence, and the impressive Andriy Voronin tested Andreas Isaksson with a swerving effort from long range, before superb blocks denied Shevchenko and Andriy Yarmolenko.
Ibrahimovic, operating in a deep role behind main striker Markus Rosenberg, spurned a great chance on 39 minutes, when he escaped his marker but sent his free header wide off the far post.
Rosenberg had the first big chance of the second half after Sebastian Larsson dispossessed Serhiy Nazarenko, but Taras Mikhalik threw himself bravely in front of the ball.
On 52 minutes, Ibrahimovic put Sweden in front, ghosting in front of his marker to convert Kim Kallstrom's low cross from close range - Ukraine felt aggrieved as Yevhen Selin lay injured during the build-up, but referee Cuneyt Cakir rightly played on.
Then came the Sheva show. On 55 minutes, he showed his old turn of pace to nip in front of Olof Mellberg and head a superb Yarmolenko cross past Isaksson.
But he had not finished, and doubled his tally by darting to the near post to meet Yevhen Konoplyanka's corner, glancing the ball into the net as 70,000 locals lifted the roof off the stadium.
Sweden had their chances, but could not conjure an equaliser. Ibrahimovic saw a shot parried, before teeing up Johan Elmander with a gorgeous looping flick, only to see the substitute volley high and wide.
Mellberg nearly had the final say in the last minute of added time, but lifted his shot onto the top of the net.