Sweden vs. Denmark: Winners and Losers from Euro 2016 Playoff
Sweden hold a slight advantage after beating Denmark 2-1 on Saturday in the two teams' UEFA Euro 2016 playoff first leg.
The hosts went ahead through Emil Forsberg just before halftime and seemed to be cruising when Zlatan Ibrahimovic doubled the advantage with a 50th-minute penalty. But Denmark substitute Nicolai Jorgensen pulled a goal back for the visitors in the 80th minute to leave the tie delicately poised after one leg.
The second leg is scheduled for Tuesday in Denmark.
Here, B/R selects winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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Saturday marked Zlatan Ibrahimovic's 750th game for club and country, and he celebrated with a goal that could help Sweden qualify for Euro 2016.
His emphatic penalty gave the Swedes a seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead, though Denmark hit back late in the match to make the tie more interesting. This latest goal was Ibrahimovic's 60th in 110 senior international appearances—an excellent record by any standard.
Coincidentally, Saturday's match fell exactly three years after Ibrahimovic scored all four goals—including an impressive overhead strike—as Sweden beat England 4-2 in a friendly. Zlatan wasn't nearly impressive in this performance, but his goal, hold-up play and all-around contribution helped give his side a slim edge heading into the second leg of this crucial playoff tie.
At 34, Ibrahimovic is nearing the end of his career. He probably won't have many more opportunities to appear in major international tournaments. If Sweden miss out on qualifying, Europe will miss out on seeing one of its best and most entertaining footballers on the big stage next summer.
Loser: Marcus Berg
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Zlatan's strike partner, Marcus Berg, didn't have a great night, missing a few good opportunities in the first half.
In the 18th minute, Oscar Lewicki ran on to a pass down the right and pulled back a cross for Berg, who volleyed on target. Kasper Schmeichel saved at close range to keep the shot out.
To be fair, Berg hit the target on that occasion, only to be denied by Schmeichel. The next two, Berg just missed.
In the 30th minute, Andreas Granqvist won a header as Sweden took a throw-in deep in Denmark's half. Berg latched on to the ball at the near post and volleyed off target from a tight angle.
One minute later, Ibrahimovic freed Berg with a reverse pass inside the box. This time, Berg fired wide of the far post with Ibrahimovic waiting unmarked for the return pass in the middle.
With the tie delicately poised after 90 minutes, Sweden will need Berg to be more efficient in the second leg.
Winner: Emil Forsberg
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Sweden midfielder Emil Forsberg is known more for setting up goals than scoring them. But in the first half Saturday, he fired in a fantastic finish to give Sweden the lead.
In the 45th minute, Jimmy Durmaz freed Mikael Lustig with a backheel on the right. Lustig sent a pinpoint cross to Forsberg, who curled in a brilliant first-time shot at the far post. Denmark goalkeeper Schmeichel had no chance.
Early in the second half, Forsberg won the penalty that Ibrahimovic converted for a 2-0 Sweden lead. Thanks to Forsberg's attacking efforts, the hosts built a lead that they'll carry into Tuesday's second leg.
Loser: Nicklas Bendtner
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Moments before Forsberg fired Sweden into the lead, Nicklas Bendtner had a big chance to put Denmark ahead.
Christian Eriksen picked out the forward with a fantastic pass from the left, and Bendtner did well to place himself goal-side of defender Erik Johansson. But with his first touch, Bendtner poked the ball off target from close range.
Sweden promptly scored at the other end, making Bendtner's miss a big turning point. Denmark eventually scored to give themselves hope at 2-1, but just imagine if the big striker had buried his first-half chance.
Winner: Kasper Schmeichel
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Kasper Schmeichel won't be happy that he conceded two goals, but in fairness, the Denmark goalkeeper was blameless on both. Forsberg's opener was a brilliant strike, and Ibrahimovic powered his well-placed penalty into the bottom corner past Schmeichel, who dived the right way.
Those goals aside, Schmeichel made a pair of key saves in the first half to keep Denmark within touching distance of Sweden.
In the 18th minute, with the match still scoreless, the Leicester City man stopped Berg's volley from close range. Then, in stoppage time, he sprawled to keep out Ibrahimovic's thumping free kick.
The latter kept the score 1-0 at halftime and ensured Denmark didn't find themselves too far behind. They were crucial saves in the end as the Danes pulled back a late goal.
As Infostrada Sports noted, Nicolai Jorgensen's strike raised Denmark's chances of advancing from 18 to 50 percent. Without Schmeichel's good goalkeeping, the Danes might not have been in position to turn the tie around.
